Clyde’s Corner

The Stockbridge Diner: A family affair

by Clyde Whitaker

Robert Pawlowski (left) and his son Keith Pawlowski stand outside the Stockbridge Diner that Keith owns. Robert works at the diner a few days a week and loves talking to the customers, especially the kids. Photo credit: Clyde Whitaker.

Hello again everyone! Robert Pawlowski is a gentleman you may have seen and spoken to at the Stockbridge Diner downtown, where his son Keith Pawlowski is the owner. Someone suggested that Robert might make for a nice story, so I had a good conversation with Robert and Keith one Saturday afternoon, and it led to this month’s column.

Robert started me off with a riddle when I asked his age. With a grin on his face he said he was 85 years old, so add 8 plus 5 and it equals 13 years. Then add 1 and 3 and it equals 4 years. Huh—17 years? I still don’t get it, but it amused Robert when he told me, so that made me smile!

Robert was born in Detroit 85 years ago. Robert married at the age of 23 to Marilynne Miller in 1961, and it’s still a happy union after 61 years of marriage. They have four kids—three boys and one girl. Presently, they have 11 grandkids and two great-grandkids. The couple lives in Allen Park.

In Robert’s early years, he worked a large paper route and also in grocery stores. Then he moved on to a long career at General Motors, where he worked for 50 years as a machinist at the Detroit Fleetwood plant, Detroit Hamtramck, and even Lordstown, Ohio.

While working at the Detroit Hamtramck plant in 2002, a piece of an overhead hoist fell and hit Robert on top of his head. Luckily, he was wearing a hard hat, which split on impact. He appeared OK at the time, so they sent him back to work. Years later, Robert had a mini stroke and upon looking at X-rays, they found his upper vertebra was out of alignment, requiring surgery. After successful surgery, Robert continued with his life. You might say this helps to shed light on why “One day at a time” is Robert’s motto.

His son Keith opened the Stockbridge Diner in 2009, after the Farmer Jack supermarket closed. Robert started helping at the diner the year before COVID struck, and then again after COVID. He helped Keith remodel the diner and now assists a few days a week as a dishwasher. Plus he shops for groceries used at the diner. Robert describes himself as a friendly, outgoing guy, who loves talking to customers, especially the kids.

The next time you have a meal at the diner, there’s a good chance you will see Robert and a good chance he will smile and come over to talk with you. Enjoy the company!

Clyde Whitaker is a 1973 Stockbridge graduate. He and his wife, Mary, raised four children in Stockbridge, and they still reside in the Stockbridge area.