Marie H. “Babe” Johannpeter Kimker

Marie H. “Babe” Johannpeter yug hauv St. Louis, Missouri rau lub rau hli ntuj 17, 1903. “Babe” yog tus me nyuam thib ob thiab thawj tug ntxhais yug ntawm kuv ob great-uncle Julius “Txiv ntxawm Jules” Johannpeter thiab Bertha Johannpeter Horst nee nws tus poj niam. Kuv yawg Gilbert Ellis siv ntau heev ntawm nws lub sij hawm nrog tsev neeg txiv ntxawm Jules, thaum nws loj hlob.

Yawg Ellis’ txiv tuag thaum yawg nyob xwb ob xyoos. Dab laug Jules yog yawm Grandma Ellis’ tus tij laug. Jules txiv ntxawm yog ib leej txiv surrogate rau yawg, so Uncle Jules children were surrogate brothers and sisters for Grandpa as well. Chim “Babe” yog 12 xyoo laus li yawg, Nws tseem hais zoo txog nws thiab tseem saib nws kom nws tso tseg nyob rau hauv 1994.

I remember a trip we took to “Tus babe” lub tsev nyob rau hauv cov mus-1980s. “Babe” tseem nyob rau hauv tsev tib yam nws thiab nws tus txiv Elmer ntawm yuav 1927 thiab 1931. Lub tsev ntawd nyob rau hauv lub 5000 thaiv ntawm Emerson Avenue, tsib blocks ntawm nws txiv lub tsev nyob 5039 Qhov ncauj tawm Avenue. The house was in the Walnut Park East neighborhood, uas yog qhov ib tus me nyuam. Louis’ qhov kev ua txhaum ntau tshaj neighborhoods. I remember it well because it is one of the few times, I saw Grandpa carrying his revolver.

“Babe” nyob hauv nws tus eighties lub sijhawm. Kuv nco nws yog ib tug me ntsis rau sab tiv tab sis cuag heev. Kuv tseem nco ntsoov txog qhov antique siab rov tom qab lub rooj zaum ib sab ntawm lub qhov rais hauv nws chav. Lub tsev muaj kev “laus” Kuv nyob rau hauv uas feem coob ntawm cov phau seemed ua los ntawm ib lub sij hawm ua ntej lawm. “Babe” also missed her husband Elmer Kimker, leej twg tso tseg nyob rau lub ib hlis ntuj 1980.

Ob peb xyoos tom qab uas peb mus xyuas, ib tug neeg tsoo cowardly roo “Tus babe” lub tsev, knocked nws rau hauv pem teb thiab muab ob peb yam khoom uas muaj tsawg txoj kev tus nqi tiam sis sentimental tus. “Babe” yog twb nyob tsis nco qab. Due to head injuries, “Babe” yuav tsum tau tsiv tawm ntawm lub tsev uas nws nyob rau 60 xyoo rau kev pab tu mus sij hawm ntev.

“Babe” thiab Elmer tej qee lub tsev ua ntej tus burglary, uas yuam “Babe” tawm hauv nws lub tsev. Nyob rau lub ib hlis ntuj 22, 1930, Elmer thiab “Babe” txais tos cov tub, Robert G. Kimker. Ob peb hnub ua ntej nws lub ntsis, Robert pib muaj teebmeem ua pa. Tus kws kho mob yuav kuaj as emphysema hauv Robert cov ntsws.

Elmer thiab “Babe” took Robert home, but he did not recover. A month later February 20, 1931, Robert tso tseg vim lub ntsws collapsed. Nws tsuas yog 1 xyoo, 28 hnub qub. Elmer thiab Babe tas tej me nyuam.

Grandpa and my mother continued to visit “Babe” in the care facility, but Mom said the visits were often sad. Tej zaum “Babe” remembered Grandpa, but she remembered him as he was when he lived with them as a kid. Tej zaum, nws tsis nco yawg.

Saum ntuj 20, 1994, “Babe” tso tseg ib hli ua ntej nws lub hnub yug 91st. Marie H. Kimker raug nteg mus pw nrog nws tus txiv Elmer, nws tus tub Robert, txiv Julius, niam Bertha thiab Eugene ntawm cov me nyuam hlob. Petus lub tojntxas nyob hauv Normandy, St. Louis County, Missouri.

Hmoov tsis, Kuv tsuas paub “Babe”, thaum nws nyob hauv nws lub eighties tom qab nws tus txiv tso tseg. I do not have any of the stories about what a fun-loving person she could be or how she took care of my grandpa. Mom remembers the card games at Elmer’s and Babe’s house as fun times. They were very welcoming to her and Aunt Maureen.

“Babe” could tell us about a lot from her 90 xyoo, but we do not have a way to find those outside the official records. Nws yog ib tug ntawm txoj kev sib tw ntawm genealogy.

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