Editor: Despite the frequent and terrible actions in this world, including our country, by humanity, there are still many good people walking the face of this Earth. Tony “The Shoe
Downtown Wilkes-Barre office workers say they are going to miss Tony âThe Shoe Guyâ Bonczewski, who died earlier this week at age 91, days after he retired.
Bonczewski was the owner and cobbler of Jordan National Shoe Repair, having been the first tenant of the Bicentennial Building on Public Square when it opened in 1977.
After 76 years in the shoe and accessory repair business, Bonczewski retired on Feb 14. He was to clean the remaining stuff out of his shop on Tuesday, the day he died.
âHis death was a big blow in our building. Everyone was upset. Yesterday was essentially his last day. He didnât show up. Then his son showed up,â said Robert Finlay, president of Humford Equities, which manages the building. âIâve known Tony all my life. He didnât seem right once he announced he was retiring. He used to go in on Saturdays and Sundays to stay active.â