'I closed Wolski's' sticker creator remembered at celebration of life

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Dozens came together to celebrate the life of Milwaukee legend Mike Bondar, who died earlier this month. 

He was a long-term bartender of Wolski's Tavern on the city's lower east side. Bondar started the "I closed Wolski's" stickers back in the 1970s. 

Bondar's family says the sticker can be seen from Milwaukee all the way to Europe. 

Mike's brother, Bernard, told us how those iconic stickers started. 

"So, closing time at 14 hours they said, 'well you should give us something, we've been at your bar for 14 hours,'" he told us. "So, my brother, Mike, printed these stickers 'We've closed the bar' so we gave them out to those people and at closing everybody wanted one, so we just continued it and here it is." 

Mike and his brother, Bernard, took over the family business in 1973. Mike retired 16 years ago. 

Bernard told us their nephews will be taking over Wolski's, keeping the family in the business for five generations now.