Nauticals grieve the loss of their ?singing brother?
?The Nauticals,? Rogers City?s well-known singing barbershop quartet, lost their baritone last weekend with the unexpected passing of Ed Jatkowski, who had been vacationing in Alabama with his wife Markie. ?He loved to sing barbershop quartet,? said Gene Modrzynski, 81, the oldest member of the group. ?He was a very well-liked person. On stage, he had that look about him. The man was brilliant.?
Jatkowski was the third youngest of the group at age 76. The rest of the group consists of Bob Centala and Karl Heidemann. Jatkowski, Centala, and Modrzynski had been singing together since 1990, before Heidemann replaced John Bauer a few years later. ?You don?t get too many quartets that make it 14 years,? said Centala.
THE GROUP?S last public performance together was during Valentine?s Day when they visited several people across the county. They practiced most every week at Ed?s house. Ed and Markie were an active couple who looked for some type of exercise everyday. Markie is a registered nurse, and a ?health freak,? said Modrzynski. They would walk, cross country ski, or while in Rogers City, ride their bikes to Hoeft State Park.
The Nauticals have given performances at community functions, weddings, hospitals, as well as homes for the elderly. ?He was pretty serious about his singing,? said Centala.
With last respects needing to be paid to their longtime friend, Heidemann said it was too early to discuss whether the group would continue. Both Modrzynski and Centala expressed a hope that they would.