Duck Decoys

Myron Mackowski (MacKoske)

1901-1985

Beaver Dam

Myron Mackowski was born in Beaver Dam as the first of 6 children to Joseph and Kathryn Mackowski in 1901. Myron is listed as enrolling in Marquette University in Milwaukee in 1919 as an engineering major. From there, the trail goes cold. There are no newspaper clippings mentioning Myron ever leaving Milwaukee. It is however a fact that the spelling of the family name changed at some point before 1942 from Mackowski to MacKoske. It is unknown why, but I have been told that many names were changed by families who were of German/Polish/Jewish descent around the time of WW2. Myrons mother Kathryn came from an Irish family so it might have been decided to give an impression that they were of Irish/Scottish descent. Myrons younger brother was a surgeon with the Navy overseas, which may have initiated the name change. I am fishing here, That is purely a guess, not a fact. But, the name did change as referenced in many old newspaper articles about Myron’s siblings. It is also the name etched on Myron’s grave marker. The mystery of Myron remains....

Img 0262


Grave marker for Myron and his wife show the name MacKoske......this was a change to the spelling that happened about the time of WW2


Decoys