Thursday, June 12, 2025
Emma was the oldest of 4 siblings, and coming only 14 months behind her was her brother, Fred. Because the other girls, Lina and Gertrude, didn't show up for a few years later, Emma and Fred took on a lot of the hard work during the war while they were growing up in Germany. It wasn't easy, but they thankfully had each other. Some of the jobs while they were 8 or 9 years old included cutting down trees, dragging them home, and cutting them up into firewood; picking all kinds of berries in the forest like blueberries and raspberries and cranberries; harvesting potatoes from sunup until sundown during two-week school vacations; standing in bread lines; picking mushrooms in the forest.
There wasn't much occasion for fun, but together they banded to make breakfast for their mother on Mother's Day. In another kitchen adventure, and being competitive, they both dove for something that had dropped, but Fred got there first. After he picked up the item and headed back up, Emma was still on her way down, and they ended up colliding. One time they joined their father and little sisters for a ride on a toboggan. A great idea, except after careening down the steep hill, they couldn't stop, shot across the main road AND the railroad tracks at the bottom of the hill, and just missed a train that had just passed before them. That was a close call!
As teenagers, they occasionally found fun joining other kids at their church for youth group meetings, and Fred was the one that took Emma to the train to begin her journey to a boat that would take her to Canada when she was just about 17. Emma stayed in Winnepeg for at least a year to satisfy a year-long commitment of domestic work. Meanwhile, during that year, Fred and the rest of the family made their way to Canada, and Fred eventually took the additional step of moving to Toronto. After Emma made her way from Winnepeg to Toronto, they banded together again and lived together for a short while.
Emma's talents were many, and her most memorable are the flavors she could cultivate in soups, so many salads, and incredible baked goods. Eating around her table was like eating around her mother's--the table would be loaded with an amazing variety of delicious foods. She also had a flair for painting beautiful pictures, and producing beautiful flower and vegetable gardens.
Fred remembers one funny story from the farm in Picton, Ontario, when Opa (their father) sat in the passenger seat while teaching Emma how to drive in an old Model A or Model T Ford. While Emma was practicing on the main road in front of the farm, and while she was tightly gripping the wheel, the car headed toward the ditch/culvert beside the road. Emma was strong, and she was determined, and even though Opa tried to grab the wheel to redirect the car, Emma's focused attention and solid grip was no match, and the car went into the ditch, back out of the ditch, and finally--somehow--made it back up to the road without ever slowing down!
Our conversations, whether in person or over the phone, were always filled with laughs and reminiscences, especially during the past few years when the subject of the childhood trials made it to the table. Those conversations were rich and healing, and they will be missed. We were so grateful for the phone and the ability to talk even when travel was limited and a border stood in the way.
Much love for Emma, and to Nan, Deb, Serenah, Troy, Huntter, and Roger.
Fred, Mike, Barb, Josh, Justin, Linnae, Jon, and Jewel
