John Kucko, two years ago with daughters Natalie and Caroline. Credit: Family photo

Natalie and Caroline Kucko told me the following stories, through email, about their father’s immediate response after a crisis. Not quite a month ago, John Kucko was on the way home from photographing a double rainbow at Letchworth State Park. He had a seizure as he drove toward Rochester. His vehicle crashed.

When Kucko woke up at the hospital, his daughters noted he had two things on his mind. One regarded Caroline, who was marrying her high school sweetheart, Max Hoadley, that Saturday. Kucko said he intended to be there, and he was.

The other imperative involved the Union Pacific “Big Boy” 4014 locomotive, which would soon cross Kucko’s beloved railroad trestle at Letchworth. He had planned on sharing that moment with his massive social media audience.

This one turned out to be impossible. The doctors discovered a brain tumor. Kucko required brain surgery at the University of Rochester Medical Center, only days before Big Boy rumbled through Letchworth.

John Kucko with daughters Caroline and Natalie, on Caroline’s wedding day, Credit: Courtesy Kucko family and Trading Vows Photography

Natalie — a television news anchor — described how she was there to cover it, thinking of her dad.

My Father’s Day column, then, is a surprise for Kucko, a guy whose work and passion I deeply appreciate. With the she-put-it-together help of his wife Charla, I asked his daughters for some reflections about their father. My goal was a simple one.

After the car accident, I wrote a column recalling Kucko’s story, how a longtime sportscaster transformed himself a decade ago into a beloved digital traveler. That column was one small piece of an extraordinary international deluge of love and concern and support, for Kucko.

His audience — roughly 745,000 followers on Facebook alone — is global, though his focus is essentially the natural and historic magnitude of the landscape surrounding the western Thruway corridor anchored by Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo. Thousands upon thousands within that giant audience reached out to Kucko and his family.

Since his work is such a unifying gift, I tried to think of what approach might matter most to him right now. The reflections of his daughters — Caroline, I note with gratitude, responded from her honeymoon — seemed a clear best choice.

Before I share their notes, here’s Charla’s update on her husband’s progress. Any editing for space in these messages is extremely light:

A John Kucko image of a lily, taken this weekend. Credit: Courtesy John Kucko Digital

 (John’s) brain surgery at URMC, performed by neurosurgeon Dr. Tyler Schmidt in partnership with the Center for Translational Brain Mapping, was highly successful. We are deeply grateful to the entire team at URMC Strong and the Wilmot Cancer Center for their exceptional care.  

The outpouring of love, prayers and support for John and our family over the past three weeks has been incredible. It has been such a huge comfort to our family. It’s been astounding to see the thousands of messages of support on John’s Facebook page. The stories that people have shared about their own medical struggles have been so touching. Many have overcome impossible obstacles and are thriving now.

Charla and John Kucko, at Letchworth State Park. Credit: Family image

John has a positive and optimistic mindset. He’s on a healing journey and that will take time. With his doctors’ approval, we are living our lives each day, getting out and experiencing the beauty around us. The difference is now I’m in the driver’s seat. 😊  I love seeing him light up when we go on outings together to his favorite spots nearby. We’re taking it slow and enjoying the time together. It really is a gift to have such beauty all around us here in Western New York. We’re determined to embrace each day and not take anything for granted.

Thanks to Charla, I connected with both daughters, who wrote beautiful replies. This Father’s Day tribute is courtesy of Natalie, the older sister: 

John and Charla Kucko. Credit: Courtesy John Kucko Digital

My dad wears many hats. I think the community has come to know him as ‘the sports guy’ or ‘the nature photographer.’ But really, he’s so much more than that. Above all, he’s a dad — and the best kind. I’d call him multiple times a day, if not more, and it didn’t matter if he was in the middle of a gorge shooting waterfalls with limited service. He’d answer. He’s the type of dad to drop whatever he is doing to be a listening ear to support and guide you in the right direction.

From 2022-2023, my dad and I referred to each other as ‘co-anchors.’ We became only the second father/daughter anchor team on record nationwide, and we had a lot of fun doing it. The experience was met with some challenges, as you might expect when a family starts working together. It was a dream neither of us really thought would come to life embarking on our own separate careers in broadcasting, but it did. 

My family is overwhelmingly grateful for the support we’ve received since my dad’s diagnosis. People we’ve never met have sent quilts, prayer blankets that have been blessed at local churches, countless cards filled with inspirational messages, and more. I think it speaks to the influence my dad has made on our community. He looks for the good, and he wants to pass that good forward. That, I believe, is his true life’s mission. 

It’s no secret that Letchworth State Park is my dad’s favorite place to be. The historic crossing of Big Boy 4014 was on my dad’s calendar for a year or longer. When my dad woke up in the ICU after his crash, all he could tell the nurses treating him was how badly he wanted to get out and photograph this train.

John Kucko and his daughters at the Letchworth train trestle, 16 years ago. Credit: Courtesy John Kucko Digital

During my dad’s recovery, my news director at WROC called me in and asked if I’d be interested in covering the big event. It wasn’t in my original plans, but I couldn’t say no. My photographer, Eric Schedlbauer, and I left first thing in the morning and we waited hours for the engine to cross the Genesee Arch Bridge. I ended up running into my dad’s park buddies. They made me feel right at home, carving out a spot to place my camera and tripod as it was so crowded.

I got a bit emotional that day, realizing I was quite literally following in my dad’s footsteps. That’s been the story of my life though, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

John and Natalie Kucko, together on the desk, WROC Rochester. Credit: Courtesy John Kucko Digital

This companion reflection from Caroline, a publicist at Sirius XM Radio, builds into a perfect ending for Father’s Day:

My dad devotes 110% of himself to everything he does, especially his role as a father. I can’t say enough about his influence in my life. First and foremost, my dad is my best friend. The time I spent with him throughout my childhood felt like pure magic. Whether it was our yearly trips to Pittsburgh where I fell in love with the city that would eventually become my home for four years or the time he pulled off the impossible by orchestrating a chance for me to meet my favorite Steelers player, Antonio Brown, my dad added so much color to my life and really put in the time and effort to make every moment a lasting memory, all while planting the seeds for my future.

His favorite line was, “One day, you’ll tell your kids this story.”

My dad has always had a deep love and appreciation for the beauty of this region. I accompanied him on many of his early shoots when he got his first Canon camera and I noticed something in him started to shift.

What initially began as his first hobby outside of his non-stop sports career to relieve stress quickly transformed into his life’s purpose… his true calling. He was totally transfixed. Suddenly the endless Bills trips gave way to an entirely new dream. It caught us all by surprise, even him. But that’s one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from my dad — dreams can change and it’s never too late to pursue a new path. Good things await beyond your comfort zone. 

Credit: John Kucko Digital

The outpouring of love and support over the past few weeks has been such a gift for our family and a testament to my dad’s impact. I knew he meant a lot to people for various reasons but wow. Whenever I had a moment of hopelessness throughout the last few weeks, I’d just scroll through the endless messages of support and success stories and it would instantly restore my faith and optimism.

I couldn’t be more proud of my dad. His unmatched resolve and courage is what is saving his life day by day and making a difference in his recovery. It’s truly remarkable. I have full confidence that he will dominate whatever lies ahead because that’s the nature of who he is. He’s a go-getter. He doesn’t take no for an answer. He defies the odds.

Charla and John with Caroline, on her wedding day. Credit: Courtesy Caroline Kucko and Trading Vows Photography

His presence at my wedding is a perfect example. The moment he woke up in the hospital, he was insistent that the wedding would proceed, that he would make it there, and that it would be spectacular. Of course, he was right. As he likes to remind me, he’s rarely wrong!

I caught my dad’s eye a few times throughout the night and he just couldn’t stop smiling. He did it. It was truly miraculous. I have faith that the miracles aren’t over just yet. 

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Sean Kirst is a columnist with The Central Current. He has been an Upstate journalist for more than 50 years. He held his first reporting job as a teenager and worked for newspapers in Dunkirk, Niagara...