BAY VILLAGE, Ohio — We continue our GO! morning show series -- "Home" Coming -- where we are highlighting places around Northeast Ohio that are important to the GO! team and their families.
Up next... 3News' Dave Chudowsky grew up in Bay Village where he spent his entire childhood living on West Oviatt Road.
His parents lived there for more than 40 years raising four children (Dave is the youngest) -- and less than a mile down the road was a place that helped shape who he is.
Chudowsky went to St. Raphael School from first until eighth grade. Every Sunday, going to church was a family obligation. His parents were members of the former 9:30 mass family choir for more than 30 years, and he was part of it as well.
He was easy to spot: The kid playing the bass guitar every Sunday from 5th grade until he left for college -- and even then he would come back to play.
The values, teamwork, career development and faith he was taught was invaluable.
"So many things can happen in life that can shake us or be difficult, but to have that grounding of faith of meaning of purpose and to have a community of people around you that are here for you to support you and that they know that, that's such a gift for children to have," said Rev. James Winings at St. Raphael Parish.
For Chudowsky, having Marge Ricksecker in his life has been a gift. She was the former St. Raphael choir director teaching Chudowsky's mom how to play guitar and bass before teaching him how to play the bass.
"It's fun and everyone enjoys playing music and it's a lot of comradery, and we used to go a lot of places and play, I think it made you a well rounded person," Ricksecker said.
She has been an instructor of guitar at Baldwin Wallace since 1980. It's where she earned her bachelors and master's degree and where she is now teaching Chudowsky's daughter, London.
"She's a hard worker, and she's a natural,"Ricksecker said of London. "She's got some talent and she's having a lot of fun with it, too."
And what a moment for Chudowsky to go back to that special place – St. Raphael. No longer a kid, but a father playing music with his daughter.
St. Raphael opened in 1946 with about 145 families celebrating Mass at Bay High School auditorium. The church building was completed in 1948 and the first Mass was celebrated on Christmas Eve. The Church renovation was completed in 2015 to accommodate growing number of families in the area.
Editor's note: Video in the player above was originally published in an unrelated story on Nov. 22, 2022.