Randy Czaplewski: Family Comes First  

This is part of a series of stories called “Parents of UWM” that showcases the parents of UW-Milwaukee journalism students.

Randy Czaplewski is your average Wisconsin man in more ways than one. He loves to fish, will strike up a conversation with anyone, and is always willing to grab a beer with friends at the local bar. However, the one thing that has been most important to him since childhood, is his family.   

“I’m very family-oriented; my kids always come first,” said Czaplewski.   

He and his twin sister Becky were born in Milwaukee but later moved to Eau Claire when their mom remarried. The marriage added two additional siblings to their family, and Randy would never have a room to himself again until he moved out. Shortly after the marriage, the family decided to take a trip to Disneyworld.   

“We picked up grandma and drove down to Disneyworld. There were seven of us packed in the Dodge Caravan,” said Czaplewski.   

They toured the whole park and rode every ride they could. The biggest ride there, Splash Mountain was practically daunting to 7-year-old Randy, but he and his mom braved it together, even though, “we were both scared.”   

This trip may have instilled Randy’s life-long love for travel, as he now takes yearly vacations with his kids. In recent years they have been to Washington, Texas, and Arizona. The flight back from Arizona proved to be difficult, as they missed their connecting flight and were trapped in Detroit with little support from the airline. With no other options and his kids needing to go to school in the morning, Randy decided to rent a car and drive back himself.  

“We got in the car, which stank of cigarettes, and drove the whole 12 hours straight, with a few quick breaks,” said Czaplewski.   

When he’s not traveling, Randy likes to be home with his family, including his two kids, three cats, two chickens, and one snake. Randy has been an animal lover since he was a kid, which was fostered by his dad working as a trainer at the Milwaukee Zoo. He was allowed to walk around the zoo after hours and make personal connections with the animals. His favorite memory was being able to fit up on the ledge by the lion enclosure that was usually blocked off to the public. The lions would come up to the ledge, inches away behind the glass, and he would run and have them chase him.   

“It was really cool, to be able to get close like that. I loved it when my dad would take me to the zoo and I could get personal with the animals,” said Czaplewski.   

On Wednesdays, he volunteers at his church’s kitchen to help feed the practitioners after evening Mass, the kids after they’re done with church school, and anyone else who might be hungry. He’s been helping in the kitchen for years; he also volunteers to give communion and conversation to many of the elderly residents of the local retirement home.   

“It’s nice to see families come together for a meal, without all their distractions,” said Czaplewski.