Johnny Galvich met Brownie (Lenore Kluender) when he was in high school. He would always stand by the corner drug store and wait for Lenore to pass by on her way home from school.  At the beach, he would show off for her with his diving and gymnastics. The nickname Brownie was given to her because of her beautiful summer suntans and the name  stayed with her throughout her life.

As a young girl, Brownie danced on stage, traveling with her mother to Chicago to perform in the World's Fair in 1934 and on to New York with a Ballet Company. She was a Ballerina, equally talented in tap and Adagio dancing. As much as she loved her dancing, it  came to an end when she married Johnny. She then concentrated on being a wife and mother; and their marriage was gradually blessed with four children.

It wasn't long before Brownie learned about being the wife of a swim coach. In 1947 Bill Smith from Hawaii (1948 Olympic Swim Champion) would come to the house and spend weekends working out with Johnny's KYF Swim Team. He would swim everyday after eating a stack of Brownie's pancakes..he loved them. Other swimmers would occasionally stay over as well. This continued throughout Johnny's coaching career. If a swimmer wanted to train under Johnny and needed a place to stay....Johnny opened up his home and Brownie was right there to help out. She became a second Swimming Mom to many swimmers. She cooked for them, did their laundry and treated them as though they were her own. All this, along with her own four children, kept her quite busy. Myrna Hickman, Susan Rothert, Bill Utley and Nancy VanNess are just a few of the swimmers & divers I can remember staying at the Galvich house. But, I know there were more. Like Johnny, Brownie's life evolved around the Swimming World.

After Johnny passed away in 1960, Brownie eventually left Indiana and moved back to Kenosha. She later joined Nancy in Florida. She then found most of her pleasure in her Grandchildren and her sewing. Sandra Christine (Nancy's Daughter) who lived close by and Barbara Jean and Little John (Dewey's children). Although Dewey's children lived far away and were not able to see her very often, their Grandmother cherished the pictures and letters that Dewey's children sent to her. She kept them on the refrigerator secured with yellow sunflower magnets. She said it made her happy to see them every time she went into the kitchen.

In 1981, at the age of 64 and feeling fine, my mother called me to her house. She told me she had been having the same dream night after night. In her dream, she was laying in a hospital bed and Johnny was standing in the doorway... motioning for her to come with him. The dream frightened her a bit and she would awaken each time it occurred. The dream continued. Thirty (30) days later, my mother, died from ovarian cancer in a hospital. I think her dreams were more than just dreams!!!! I don't worry about her now.... I know she is with Johnny.