Michota, Emil
Item
Title
Michota, Emil
Creator
Bobby Ciarletta
Birth Date
1921-01-10
Birthplace
Passaic, NJ
Death Date
1997-02-13
Burial Place
Maryrest Cemetery, Mahwah
Occupation
Director of Welfare, Mahwah Township; Security Officer, Ramapo College
Conflict
Service Start Date
1942-02-15
Biographical Text
Emil Michota was born in Passaic, NJ and lived in Mahwah for 46 years. Before living in Mahwah he also lived in Garfield, NJ and worked in Clifton, NJ. He registered to fight in World War II on February 15, 1942.
When he moved to Mahwah, he married Pauline Poplawski in October 1949 and had a family with two children, Gerald and Helen. Overall, the family was extremely civic-minded.
Michota remained highly concerned for the well-being of his community throughout his life. For Mahwah he was the director of welfare since 1960 and held the position for 27 years. A Ridgewood Herald-News article in 1965 shows Michota smiling in a photo where he presented a donation to a Mahwah family whose home burnt down. The Salvation Army’s Ramapo Valley Corps recognized him in 1978 with the “Others Award” which is given to those who “have shown an unselfish dedication to the concerns of their fellow man”. More broadly he helped out in Bergen County on its N.W. Task Force for Mental Health and also the County Municipal Welfare Assn.
The Record recognized Michota as “Volunteer of the Week” in June 1990. This is because Michota also devoted so much of his time to the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Mahwah, and the Archdiocese of Newark also honored him. He was a head usher, and designed uniforms to make himself and other ushers easily noticeable and accessible. As well, he ran many errands for the parish, handed mass schedules out to local hotels and motels, and also raised money for the new church building. The church gave him a jubilee medal in 1990. Still, him and his wife kept a piece of the old church with them - it was inseparable.
At Ramapo College, he worked as security tour commander. Michota helped in a student project at Ramapo’s Alternate Energy Center to feed Mahwah families with organic vegetables, because he also led the efforts in Mahwah for human services.
In the town, he volunteered as a firefighter with Co. No. 2. He is also pictured in various photos by Lee Vold in the museum’s collection, at Veterans Day Services or poppy sales for VFW 7124. He participated in both the VFW and town fire since 1950. Even in Michota’s old age he was garnering accolades, as the Mahwah Elks Lodge called him senior citizen of the year in 1995.
When he moved to Mahwah, he married Pauline Poplawski in October 1949 and had a family with two children, Gerald and Helen. Overall, the family was extremely civic-minded.
Michota remained highly concerned for the well-being of his community throughout his life. For Mahwah he was the director of welfare since 1960 and held the position for 27 years. A Ridgewood Herald-News article in 1965 shows Michota smiling in a photo where he presented a donation to a Mahwah family whose home burnt down. The Salvation Army’s Ramapo Valley Corps recognized him in 1978 with the “Others Award” which is given to those who “have shown an unselfish dedication to the concerns of their fellow man”. More broadly he helped out in Bergen County on its N.W. Task Force for Mental Health and also the County Municipal Welfare Assn.
The Record recognized Michota as “Volunteer of the Week” in June 1990. This is because Michota also devoted so much of his time to the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Mahwah, and the Archdiocese of Newark also honored him. He was a head usher, and designed uniforms to make himself and other ushers easily noticeable and accessible. As well, he ran many errands for the parish, handed mass schedules out to local hotels and motels, and also raised money for the new church building. The church gave him a jubilee medal in 1990. Still, him and his wife kept a piece of the old church with them - it was inseparable.
At Ramapo College, he worked as security tour commander. Michota helped in a student project at Ramapo’s Alternate Energy Center to feed Mahwah families with organic vegetables, because he also led the efforts in Mahwah for human services.
In the town, he volunteered as a firefighter with Co. No. 2. He is also pictured in various photos by Lee Vold in the museum’s collection, at Veterans Day Services or poppy sales for VFW 7124. He participated in both the VFW and town fire since 1950. Even in Michota’s old age he was garnering accolades, as the Mahwah Elks Lodge called him senior citizen of the year in 1995.
Family Members
Wife: Pauline Poplawski
Children: Gerald Michota
Siblings: Helen Vlack; Bruce Michota; Wanda Ralicki
Children: Gerald Michota
Siblings: Helen Vlack; Bruce Michota; Wanda Ralicki
Bibliography
Mahwah Memorial Mass Honors Deceased Township Firefighters, Daily Voice Mahwah-Ramsey, Mar. 14, 2016.
Mahwah Official Cited, The Ridgewood News, p. 15, May 14, 1978.
Welfare Directors Meeting Wednesday, The Herald-News Passaic, p. 22, Sep 13, 1965.
Folks Rally to Aid Burned-Out Couple, Ridgewood Herald-News, p. 1, Mar. 11, 1965.
Parish Relies on its Head Usher, The Record, p. NW-2, Jun. 27, 1990.
Obituaries, The Herald-News Passaic, p. A11, Feb. 18, 1997.
College Project Produces, The Record, p. 16, Aug. 31, 1983.
The Sunday News Ridgewood, p. 22, Nov. 26, 1972.
Emil P. Michota, Social Security Death Index, fold3.com.
"Emil P. Michota", findagrave.com.
Michota, Emil. Selective Service Registration Cards, World War II: Multiple Registrations, fold3.com.
Emil Michota. New Jersey, U.S., Marriage Index, 1901-2016, ancestry.com.
Sixteenth Census of the United States, Department of Commerce - U.S. Census Bureau. Garfield, Bergen County, New Jersey, 1940, ancestry.com.
Emil P Michota. U.S., Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 1, ancestry.com.
Photo Captions
Detail from "Poppy Sales," May 2, 1994 (Lee Vold Collection)
Collection
Citation
Bobby Ciarletta, “Michota, Emil,” Mahwah Veterans Project, accessed July 2, 2024, https://mahwahmuseum.reclaim.hosting/MVP/items/show/246.