Standing beneath a sign hanging on the back wall that reads ‘Tony’s Shoe Hospital,’ Tony Bonczewski recently said after 76 years, he had a good run and will retire. Bonczewski died Monday night at the age of 91.

Standing beneath a sign hanging on the back wall that reads ‘Tony’s Shoe Hospital,’ Tony Bonczewski recently said after 76 years, he had a good run and will retire. Bonczewski died Monday night at the age of 91.

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WILKES-BARRE — On the night before the doors of his shoe repair shop were to close for the final time, Tony Bonczewski died at home. He passed away at 91 on Monday night.

Bonczewski, who worked repairing shoes since he was 15 years old, turned 91 on Super Bowl Sunday — he picked the Tampa Bay Bucs to win. His Jordan National Shoe Repair shop in the Bicentennial Building on Public Square was cleaned out and Bonczewski was set to begin his retirement.

Last month, Bonczewski, known affectionately as “the shoe guy,” said it was time for him to retire.

“All I’ve done for all of my life is work, work, work,” he said.

Rob Finlay, President/CEO of Humford Equities, said Bonczewski was the first tenant in the Bicentennial Building.

“Tony took the worst space in the building,” Finlay said as he fondly remembered Bonczewski. “I’ve known him all my life. He was there every morning to greet people with a smile. He loved people.”

And, Finlay said, Bonczewski was the best at his trade.

“I have a pair of shoes I’ve been wearing for 15 years, thanks to Tony,” he said. “They still look like new.”

No details regarding Bonczewski’s death were available, but a private funeral service is being planned by his family.

Former Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton, whose office — C.A. Leighton Co. Inc. — is on the second floor of the Bicentennial Building, said he had a weird feeling walking in Tuesday morning.

“I received a call telling me Tony had passed, “Leighton said. “I walked over to his shop and looked in and all that was left were a few shoes that were never picked up by customers. Tony would always wave and say good morning. He was a friendly guy who never said a bad word about anybody.”

In 2020, when Bonczewski was celebrating his 90th birthday, he had made plans with his son, Mark.

Bonczewski, a resident of Plains Township, said he planned to enjoy a lobster tail dinner with his son — and maybe a beer or two.

Jordan National Shoe Repair at 15 Public Square has been where Bonczewski has plied his trade for the last 44 years. Before that, he had a shop on North Main Street, next to the former Times Leader building, which he opened in 1962. And before that, he was learning his trade at other shops even before he graduated from Coughlin High School in 1947.

And every day — Monday through Friday — Bonczewski opened his shop at 6:15 a.m. and left promptly at 3 p.m.

“I love this business,” Bonczewski said in 2020.

Recently, Bonczewski was sorting through items he found while cleaning out the shoe shop — a couple of rosary beads, a pouch with a ten dollar bill inside and a pair of stylish Italian leather boots.

“So many people have dropped off gifts, sent me cards or have called to wish me well,” Bonczewski said. “They almost made me cry.”

Bonczewski said he had gotten his first COVID and said he would be going for the second one in three weeks.

“I’d like to go back to Aruba, but I can’t go there now because of the pandemic,” he said. “I guess I’ll just take it day by day.”

Bonczewski said he was going to miss repairing shoes and the customers he served.

“My customers are loyal,” he said. “I’ve always enjoyed what I do. I really mean that.”

When asked a year ago how long he would keep repairing shoes, Bonczewski said, “I’ll be here until the man upstairs takes me, or if the machines stop working.”

Not surprisingly, the machines were the first to go.

“I always wanted to walk out of here when I retired,” he said. “I got to do that.”

Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.