GENEVA TOWNSHIP —
Gordon Schupska has spent a significant portion of his life behind the wheel of a snowplow.
The Geneva Township streets superintendent for 27 years, Schupska can wax nostalgic about sleepless nights in a snowplow, 100-degree days shoveling out ditches, and the mechanical troubles and triumphs of the township’s road equipment.
“This job is so enjoyable, it really doesn’t feel like work,” Schupska said. “I have enjoyed working for the trustees and with the crew.”
Schupska, who put in his final day on Friday, came to the job 27 years ago as a road worker and worked his way up to the garage’s top spot. Road worker Jim Burhenne will take over as the superintendent.
“To say goodbye is incredibly sad and very bittersweet,” he said. “I want to take the time to say goodbye to the guys here and I want to be certain that everyone knows just how much I have enjoyed this job and how much I have enjoyed the people I work with. I love being here, I love this job, and it is hard to leave.”
Schupska said his years with the township also brought him friends through the city street department, the county workers, the fire department, the township park board and the union cemeteries.
“I am also very humbled by the Geneva Township taxpayers who have always supported the road department,” he said.
Schupska said he would also like to thank Frank Martubcio for his work in paving and updating the township roads.
An Ashtabula Township resident, Schupska is a handyman who loves shopping and playing bingo.
“I love yard sales and flea markets,” he said. “Buy, sell, trade!”
Schupska doesn’t plan to be retired for long.
“I have other things planned, but I don’t sit still for very long, that’s for sure. It just isn’t in my nature,” he said.
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