Marie H. "Babe" Johannpeter Kimker

Marie H. “Babe” Johannpeter was born in St. Louis, Missouri on June 17, 1903. “Babe” was the second child and first daughter born to my second great-uncle Julius “Uncle Jules” Johannpeter and his wife Bertha Johannpeter nee Horst. My grandfather Gilbert Ellis spent a lot of his time with Uncle Jules family, while he was growing up.

Vovô Ellis’ father died when Grandpa was only two years old. Uncle Jules was Great Grandma Ellis’ older brother. Uncle Jules was a surrogate father to Grandpa, Então, o tio Jules, as crianças eram irmãos e irmãs de aluguel para vovô também. While “Babe” foi 12 years older than Grandpa, he still spoke well of her and continued to see her until she passed away in 1994.

Lembro -me de uma viagem que fizemos para “Babe’s” house in the mid-1980s. “Babe” still lived in the same house she and her husband Elmer bought between 1927 e 1931. The house was in the 5000 block of Emerson Avenue, five blocks from her parent’s house at 5039 Thrush Avenue. A casa estava no bairro de Walnut Park East, which was becoming one of St. Louis’ highest crime neighborhoods. Lembro -me bem porque é uma das poucas vezes, Eu vi o vovô carregando seu revólver.

“Babe” was in her eighties at the time. I remember her as being a little on the frail side but very welcoming. I also remember an antique high back chair next to a window in her dining room. The house felt “old” to me in that most of the furnishings seemed to be from an earlier time. “Babe” também sentiu falta do marido Elmer Kimker, who passed away in January 1980.

A few years after we visited, a cowardly burglar broke into “Babe’s” casa, knocked her to the ground and took a few items of little street value but great sentimental value. “Babe” was already suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease. Devido a ferimentos na cabeça, “Babe” had to move out of the house she lived in for 60 years to a long-term care facility.

“Babe” and Elmer experienced tragedy in the home prior to the burglary, which forced “Babe” out of her home. Em janeiro de 22, 1930, Elmer and “Babe” welcomed a son, Robert G. Kimker. A few days before his first birthday, Robert began having trouble breathing. The doctor’s diagnosed emphysema in Robert’s left lung.

Elmer and “Babe” levou Robert para casa, Mas ele não se recuperou. Um mês depois, fevereiro 20, 1931, Robert passed away due to a collapsed lung. He was only 1 year, 28 days old. Elmer and Babe never had any more children.

Vovô e minha mãe continuaram visitando “Babe” no centro de atendimento, Mas mamãe disse que as visitas costumavam ser tristes. Sometimes “Babe” Vovô lembrado, Mas ela se lembrava dele como ele era quando ele morava com eles quando criança. Sometimes, she did not remember Grandpa.

Em Maio 20, 1994, “Babe” passed away a month before her 91st birthday. Marie H. Kimker was laid to rest with her husband Elmer, her son Robert, father Julius, mother Bertha and brother Eugene at St. Peter’s Cemetery in Normandy, St. Louis County, Missouri.

Infelizmente, I only knew “Babe”, when she was in her eighties after her husband passed away. Eu não tenho nenhuma das histórias sobre o que uma pessoa divertida ela poderia ser ou como ela cuidou do meu avô. Mamãe se lembra dos jogos de cartas na casa de Elmer e Babe como momentos divertidos. Eles foram muito acolhedores para ela e tia Maureen.

“Babe” poderia nos contar muito sobre ela 90 anos, Mas não temos uma maneira de encontrar aqueles fora dos registros oficiais. It is one of the challenges of genealogy.

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