Polka king and Minnesota state senator Florian Chmielewski dies at age 97
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Listen to Cathy Wurzer’s tribute to Florian Chmielewski in the player above.
Minnesota polka legend Florian Chmielewski has died at age 97.
Chmielewski formerly led the Chmielewski Funtime Band. He was the third generation leader of a polka band, as his grandfather Frank began performing polka music in 1882.
The Funtime Band started as a family band in 1945 when Florian recruited his brothers to perform with him. It continues to this day, now led by daughter Patty.
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Florian’s great-grandchildren also perform, meaning the Chmielewskis have been making polka music for six generations.
Florian Chmielewski eventually expanded his venues to include television, first as the “The Polish TV Party” in 1955 and later on the “The Chmielewski Funtime Television Show,” which began in the early 70s.
The show ran for 35 years and was syndicated to 40 markets. According to Patty, it was number one in its regional time slot.
“It was bigger than NFL Monday Night Football, if you can believe it,” she told MPR News.
It still enjoys revivals, both in reruns and as a radio show.
Florian Chmielewski also had a career in politics. He was elected to the Minnesota Senate in 1970 and served until 1997, becoming president of the Minnesota Senate in 1987.
According to Patty, he was recently hospitalized with fluid buildup in the heart, after which the family had to decide whether to look for an assisted living facility or provide home care.
“I knew that wasn’t the place for my dad, because my dad goes and plays at assisted living places,” Patty said. ‘You know, he’s played for these people, and they’re all 30-40 years younger than him.”
Patty says that during home care, Florian never lost his “incredible determination,” looking to the internet for exercises and dietary changes that might halt his decline.
“You just keep going, because he just wanted to make people happy,” Patty said. “And it just brought him such delight to see people smile.”
On April 23, Patty said she could tell the end was coming. “So I called my kids and said you gotta come now. And that’s what we did,” she said.
“And I think he knew then it was going. So he was just he was hugging me and just wouldn’t let go. And then he took his last breath.
“So it’s hard,” Patty said. “Yeah. A tremendous man.”
