RACINE, Wis. — For the past 40 years, Tim Falendysz has been the scoutmaster for Troop 161 in Racine. It is one of the largest troops in the area.
He recently retired from his Boy Scouts of America position after decades of mentoring the next generation of scouts.
Falendysz started as a Cub Scout himself and rose through the ranks to Eagle Scout. He said just before he turned 21, he became a scoutmaster for Troop 161, and has been in that position ever since.
“It flew by,” he said. “It’s just a lot of fun, a lot of activity, a lot of entertainment,”
With 40 years in his position, Falendysz was able to rack up a lot of time with his scouts. He attended over 1,600 troop meetings and 240 campouts. Not to mention he has been a part of 38 years worth of summer camps.
It’s safe to say this has been a passion for him.
“It meant a lot to me because it is a lot of things that are my daily things,” Falendysz said. “It is kind of odd being retired now."
Falendysz said he is taking a step back as a leader but will still be involved in scouting. He will still help manage and maintain some of the campgrounds in his free time.
He also said he wants to continue to be a mentor to scouts as they continue their journey to becoming an Eagle Scouts.
Cullen Lisowski has been one of Falendysz’s scouts since he was a kid. He is now nearing becoming an Eagle Scout and said he is thankful to have had him as a mentor all these years.
“He’s always been there to plan stuff,” Cullen Lisowski said. “I’ve had my fair share of laughs with him. He’s taught me an awful lot about life and scouting in general. He’s signed off on almost all of my merit badges. So, he’s kind of the reason I’m Eagle Scout, almost. So, I appreciate him for that,”
Cullen Lisowski’s younger brother Quinten has also felt Falendysz’ guidance in his eight years of Scouting.
“He was the scoutmaster when I started,” Quinten Lisowski said. ”Whenever I had a question, I was always told to go to the scoutmaster, so I would always go to him."
Falendysz said he never expected to make such an impact, but he is proud to have left a mark on his scouts after all these years.
“It’s fun to see the kids grow,” he said. “They go from a young age where they are afraid to sleep in a tent overnight to the point that one of the kids who was homesick at camp, got married at camp. It has definitely affected them and made them more mature and grow."
He said it’s a bittersweet goodbye, but something he still plans to keep as a small part of his life.