Aunt Elsie and Uncle Lou, who were actually my dad's aunt and uncle. Elsie, Gert, and Hilda
were the only Schmidt's alive at that time.
I think Elsie was the oldest and even after she died, Grandma stayed with Lou who was
very sick at the time. After he died, Grandma went on to live with a friend, Vera. After many
years, Vera also passed away and that is when she moved to the outskirts of Chicago on
Manheim Road, to live withher sister Gert. Uncle George and Aunt Gert lived on a tiny farm across from what is now O'Hare Air Port. Most people sold off their little farms in that area and were compensated very well. Uncle George Mischoff would not sell. Two things happened: things like motels and restaurants grew up around them and if you tried to talk it had to be in between takeoffs and landings.
After Uncle George died, Gert and Hilda moved back to St. Louis. They bought what Hilda called "a little bungalow" on Jamieson near Chippewa. They lived together for several years, and when Aunt Gert passed away, Grandma Hilda finally had a home of her own. She was the
last of the Schmidts and lived to be about 93 years old. One time, when she was at least
in her late 80's, we were talking about her family, and I was taking notes. As she told me
about each of them I could tell it was bothering her. I told her we didn't have to do anymore
that day, but she went on for me. At one point, I said, "It doesn't get any easier, even after
all these years, does it?" She shook her head no and dried her eyes with a handkerchief.
No comments:
Post a Comment