Gertrude M. Muth

Gertrude Woltman was born on September 4, 1901 to Albrecht and Agatha Woltman. Both of Gertrude’s parents had emigrated from Germany to find a better life for themselves and their children. She grew up with four sisters (Sophie, Margaret, Barbara, and Theresa), as well as a brother, Frank. Their roots always were in the near West Side 22nd Place neighborhood of St. Paul’s Parish. St. Paul’s was the parish for German immigrants in southern Chicago. Gertrude grew up attending St. Paul’s Church with hundreds of other German families. One of these families was that of Johann and Magdalena Muth, whose son Bernard would later marry Gertrude. But, we are getting ahead of the story.

Life was not always easy for the Woltman's. She had three other siblings who did not survive until adulthood. One of these, a brother, died in a tragic fall at the family’s home at 2034 West 22nd Place. Infant mortality was one of the sad facts of life early in the 20th century. But Gertrude and two of her sisters (Theresa and Margaret) lived into their 90’s, with Gertrude leading the parade by living to a ripe old age of 104.

Gertrude’s parents both worked very, very hard to provide a better life for their children. Albrecht was a teamster, who drove a team of horses to deliver goods in a horse-drawn wagon. His grandchildren had the fondest memories of Grandpa – at family gatherings, he most treasured the company of his grandchildren. Everyone remembers how happy and gentle a man he was. When he died early in the 1930’s, he left us far too soon.

Gertrude’s mother Agatha was about 16 years of age when she emigrated to American from Germany. Her children never really learned why she had come to America at such an early age. She worked as a cleaning woman in downtown office buildings to help support her six children.

Family gatherings were where everyone really appreciated her mother Agatha. Everyone looked forward to the wide variety of tasty treats she cooked. After the food was eaten, the cleanup was for other ladies. Gertrude’s mother would pull out the pinochle deck, and play many games of “66” with all the men folk.

Gertrude was an outstanding student at St. Paul Grade School at 2114 West 22nd Place, a short block from her home. She finished her eight grades of elementary school in only five years. Those who knew her throughout her life could readily see what a sharp mind and native intelligence she possessed. The opportunities for the daughters of immigrants were limited in the early teens of the 20th Century. After finishing the 8th grade at about the age of 11, Gertrude worked as a teacher’s aide for the next three years, assisting the nuns of St. Paul in teaching the other children. Later, she took two years of business education, preparing her for a variety of office employment at which she was quite successful until she married.

In her later teen years, Gertrude went to work in the business world, holding a job for several years with Chicago Title and Trust. She caught the attention of Bernard Muth, who was one of eight children living behind their father’s grocery store. The store, located at 2110 West 22nd Place, was next door to St. Paul School. Ben and Gert, as they were known, were married on May 27, 1925, at St. Paul’s Church. Ben was a very kind and gentle man, very much in the image of Gert’s father Albrecht.

Ben was known jestingly as “Curly Muth” throughout much of his life. While the six Muth boys all had somewhat sparse hair, Ben led the way at an early age. According to well-attested family lore, before his marriage young Ben got his head shaved on a dare, along with several other friends. Unfortunately for Ben, his hair really never grew back. Gert used to joke that “I should have known then not to marry him.” She was only joking, since her love and devotion for Ben never wavered.

When they were first married, Ben and Gert lived on the north side of Chicago. In 1926, their first child, Dorothy, died after living only a few weeks. Dolores was born on February 3, 1927, Bernadine on August 23, 1928, and Robert on April 11, 1931.

Eventually, Ben and Gert moved back to their original neighborhood on West 22nd Place. They purchased the home Ben had grown up in. This is where Ben and Gert raised their three children. The children, like both of their parents, attended St. Paul Grade School. Dolores attended high school at St. Paul. Bernadine graduated from St. Stanislaus and Robert graduated from Harrison High School. Like their parents and grandparents, both Dolores and Bernadine were married at St. Paul Church.

After Ben’s parents retired, their grocery store was converted to a funeral home. A previous funeral director was a Polish man who was unable to “make a go of it” in a predominantly German neighborhood. He suggested to Ben’s mother Magdalena that one of her sons should “take over the business.” He advised her that a “German undertaker” could succeed at this location. In this somewhat serendipitous fashion, Ben was selected to become a funeral director. The family home at 2110 W. 22nd Place became Muth Funeral Home after Ben graduated from the Worsham School of Mortuary Science on Chicago’s West Side. Later, Ben also began to work in downtown Chicago for American Brake Shoe Company (later know as Abex, which became part of IC Industries). However, the Muth Funeral Home remained a neighborhood business until the early 1980’s.

Ben and Gert’s hard work kept food on the table and a roof over their family’s head as they raised three children through the Great Depression. The lessons of thrift which they learned were passed on to their children and grandchildren.

When he was about 13, Bob had a severe fall from a neighbor’s roof, where he had gone to fetch a ball. The resulting fracture was so serious that he was hospitalized most of the summer. He recovered, although he walked with a limp afterwards. This, however, did not keep him from being physically vigorous and participating in a variety of athletics. When asked in later years what his first thought was when he fell from the roof and knew that he was seriously injured, he said that his first reaction was that, “Oh no! I tore my pants – mom will really be upset.”

Ben and Gert loved to socialize. Ben was an outstanding dancer, very light on his feet. Gert used to recall how often younger women would ask her if she minded if they had a dance with Ben.

Both Dolores and Bernadine lived with their parents until, like their parents and grandparents, they were married at St. Paul Church. Dolores married Frank Piekarski in 1947, and Bernadine married Donald Grovak in June of 1952. Robert married Dorothy Maslinkowski in 1955. At that point, Ben and Gert were in their mid-50s, and looked forward to enjoying their grandchildren. As circumstances would have it, their responsibilities in this area would be far more significant than they had imagined.

In the spring of 1959, their daughter Bernadine became seriously ill with Hodgkin’s disease. In spite of vigorous medical treatment, she died in November of 1959. At her death, she had three children – Michael, age 6; Donna Marie; age 5, and Mark; age 2. Their father was unable to care for them; within the year, he left their lives and would not be in contact with them until they were adults.

Michael, Donna and Mark’s relatives all initially felt that it would be too much to ask of any one person to take on the parenting responsibilities for three young children. The plans were that each of them would be cared for by a different relative. They would have the opportunity to see each other frequently at family occasions. However, Ben stepped in and said that he and Gert wanted to care for all three of them. He believed that “They are brothers and sister, and they need to grow up together as brother and sister.” When Ben was 61 and Gert was 59, they readily undertook the rearing of their three young grandchildren. Within a short time, they became the legal guardians to Michael, Donna, and Mark.

Ben and Gert lived just down the street from their three grandchildren. Living with their grandparents did not seem at all unnatural to their grandchildren. Bernadine and her children used to have lunch with Grandma Muth nearly every day. Many afternoons, Michael would knock at the side door at Grandma’s house while she was watching one of her favorite afternoon serials, the Edge of Night. He knew that a dish of ice cream would be awaiting him. Grandma and Grandpa Muth seemed like a natural harbor from the storm of loss which was besetting their three grandchildren.

Uncle Frank and Aunt Dolores were a second set of parents to the Grovak children. They had lived in the upstairs apartment above the funeral home since their marriage. Frank and Dolores had no children of their own, and they stepped right into the role of assisting Ben and Gert with many tasks which raising three young children required. The children also traveled extensively with their Aunt and Uncle. Many of these trips were in conjunction with conventions of the American Legion, in which Uncle Frank and Aunt Dolores were very active.

During the years when most couples enjoyed being empty nesters, Ben & Gert coped with everything from the chicken pox to asthma attacks to young boys who knocked the knees out of their school dress pants. During all this time, you never heard them complain – never. It was very important that the children in their second family have as normal a life as possible. They attended St. Paul School, which was right next door to the funeral home, just as their mother and grandparents had before them.

Ben continued to work at Abex Corporation for several years after normal retirement age, in order to better be able to support his family. Ben was a lifelong Chicago White Sox fan, and one of his joys in life was attending many Chicago White Sox night games with old friends from the neighborhood. Once in a while when there was an extra ticket, one of the boys would be able to attend with grandpa. It was a treat which they remembered ever since. When the White Sox won the World Series in 2005, everyone could picture Grandpa Muth with his somewhat boyish smile, happy that his beloved White Sox finally had done it.

Growing up, the three Grovak and five Muth children (Mary, Debbie, Robert Jr., Bernadette, and Richard) spent many happy days together – just playing as cousins, sometimes taking family excursions in Uncle Bob’s station wagon to the Indiana Dunes. The way in which eight kids and several adults were crammed into that station wagon surely violated many of today’s seat belt laws. All survived, and we have many fond memories of those excursions.

There were many traditions in the Muth household. Sunday dinner, always held right at 12:00 noon, almost always featured Grandma’s home-made chicken soup, roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and creamed spinach. Everyone looked forward to Sunday dinner, and there always were leftovers. Often, her family would eagerly look forward to Sunday’s soup served up again on Monday and even Tuesday; that rich mix of chicken, tomatoes and assorted other vegetables seemed especially soothing on a cold Chicago winter day.

There always was plenty of food at the Muth household. Grandma was a wonderful cook, and served up a variety of dishes. Her favorites, though, were German staples which Grandpa really enjoyed. In time, her children and grandchildren really learned to enjoy potato pancakes, pork loins, liver and bacon, ox tail soup and Grandpa’s favorite, pot roast. While they were raising their second family, dinner was every evening promptly at 5:00 pm. Grandpa did not have the kind of high-pressure job which demanded he work long hours. He walked into the house every evening at about 4:55 pm, and everyone was ready to sit down at supper a few minutes later. This enabled his family to feel secure in knowing when supper would be every evening.

Dinner was not just a quick five or ten minutes like so many families today. It was a full half hour, and there was no television in the background. Ben and Gert wanted to know what was going on in the lives of their grandchildren, and supper was a relaxed atmosphere where the events of the day were told and retold. Grandma’s cooking was the delicious glue for these occasions.

Grandpa and Grandma Muth’s home frequently was the headquarters for the family’s holiday celebrations. Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving often saw thirty or forty cousins, aunts, uncles, brothers and sisters gathered together. On Christmas Eve, the older relatives would look out the front window of Grandpa’s office and inform everyone of Santa Claus’ “progress” in bringing gifts to all the homes down the street. When he was only a few doors away, the younger children would be hustled to the back rooms. When they would return, there were dozens of Christmas presents under the tree, with a good-natured older relative in the role of Santa Claus handing out the presents.

If good food (and lots of it) was the norm at Ben and Gert’s – the holiday times were a veritable horn of plenty. Grandma’s large dining room table was just covered with food. Everyone took their time to eat it, and when we were at the desserts, everyone was really stuffed. Then, in those days before anyone had heard of women’s liberation, all the adult men would find a convenient couch or chair to take a nap to “sleep it off,” much like a python resting to digest the prey it had devoured. When they would stir two or three hours later, the womenfolk would have transformed the ham or turkey which had been the noon’s entrée into a delicious array of sandwiches. Then, the feasting started over again, along with plenty of good conversation and laughter.

Life has its transitions. When they involve the passing of someone dear to us, it doesn’t ever seem to happen at the right time. In late 1971, just after seeing his oldest grandson Michael off to college, Ben was diagnosed with a serious illness which would take his life by the following September. After initial attempts to stem the course of his disease, he learned that there was little more which could be done for him. Uncle Bob would later recount the conversation with his dad at St. Anne’s Hospital when they “got the news.” After the doctor left the room, Bob asked his father, “Well dad, what are you going to do?” To this Ben replied, “Do? I’m putting my pants on, and we’re going home.” Ben did not complain – he simply wanted to set an example for his family about how to accept even the end of your life.

Ben made the most of his remaining months, and during that time his thoughts were with his beloved wife of 47 years. More than one of his children or grandchildren were reminded, “I’m not going to be here much longer. When I’m gone, make sure that grandma is taken care of.” No one realized how many more precious years we would have with Grandma Muth after Grandpa Muth left us on September 30, 1972.

After Grandpa was gone, Grandma continued to manage their funeral home for about another decade with the help of her son Bob. She still was responsible for one grandson (Mark) who was in high school. About this time, the first of the many great-grandchildren began to come along.

There also was a new person in her immediate family. Her son Bob was now married to Faye Metcalf. With Faye came more grandchildren (and eventually great-grandchildren and even great-great grandchildren) who would all come to love Grandma Muth, as well as be loved by her. Whether they were children she had known from birth, or others she came to know only later in life, she was a loving grandmother whose love was returned in kind.

Grandma lived on West 22nd Place until 1983. At that point, she finally “retired.” She closed the funeral home, and with her daughter and son-in-law Dolores and Frank moved to 9227 S. 55th Court in Oak Lawn. Even though she was 81 when she “retired,” her retirement would last another 23 years. Oak Lawn became her new home.

Grandma loved to have her many grandchildren and great-grandchildren come to visit. There were some, like her granddaughter Donna and her family, which lived in the same community. Other lived further away, and some lived hundreds of miles away. Visits from any of her family, whether from far or near, were also very welcome and appreciated.

Life slowed down for Grandma a little bit at a time during her later years. She traveled to both the east and west coast for various occasions. Generally, these occasions were when the grandchildren in her second family were graduating from college, being commissioned as military officers, or were starting their own families in marriage. Grandma did not fly in an airplane until rather late in life, and she was reputed never to travel without her rosary.

As each year went by, the gift which Grandma Muth gave to us by her presence seemed to just grow and grow. For many years, it was a tradition to gather at her home every year during the Labor Day Weekend to celebrate her birthday. Then, as some major birthdays came along, they were very celebrated in very festive banquet style. The first was on the occasion of her 90th birthday. At that occasion, she was surprised by the arrival of her sisters Margaret from South Bend, Indiana and Theresa from Florida.

The grandest celebration of all was on the occasion of her 100th birthday. It was held on the Saturday of September 1, 2001 at the Oak Lawn Hilton. Many dozens of relatives and friends celebrated the happy occasion with her.

Throughout her entire lifetime, Grandma Muth’s mind never clouded. She was able to recall the events of yesterday with equal clarity as the events of 70 and 80 years ago. While the ravages of age afflicted her body, they never affected her mind. Perhaps what her family will most miss about her is just the pleasure of sharing conversation with her. With her age, her experience, and her wisdom, she was an unmatched source of guidance. Well into her 100’s, she was someone you could go to and receive good advice.

All good things must come to an end in this life. For Grandma Muth, that end came amid the kind of circumstances which she would have wanted. Just one week before her death, her home was the scene for a wonderful family gathering, a surprise 79th birthday party for her daughter Dolores. Grandma Muth was able to spend time with dozens of the people she loved, with good food, good conversation and good people. She was able to enjoy this occasion, as she had enjoyed so many occasions for over 100 years.

For Grandma Muth, her Christian faith was her foundation. It governed how she lived her life, how she raised her children, how she treated her friends and neighbors. It also gave her the hope and assurance that this life, as long as it was for her, was to be just the prelude to an eternity that she planned to spend with those she so dearly loved. So as we look back on her long and most wonderful life, we anticipate a future eternity with her when we all will be free of the limitations of this physical life. We truly may look to her life for strength and an example.

Gertrude M. Muth, nee Woltman, 104 years old, died February 25, 2006 in Evergreen Park, IL. Beloved wife of the late Bernard L., former owner of Muth Funeral Home. Loving mother of Dolores (the late Frank) Piekarski and the late Baby Dorothy (1926), Bernadine Grovak (1959) and Robert (the late Faye) (2002). 2nd Mom and guardian of Michael (Michelle) Grovak, Donna (Jerry) Aguiar and Mark (Mary Ann) Grovak. Proud grandmother of 9, great grandmother of 27 and great great grandmother of 8. Mother-in-law of Dorothy Muth. Dear aunt of many nieces and nephews.

Funeral Thursday, March 2, 2006, 9:15 AM from Blake-Lamb Funeral Home, 4727 W. 103rd Street, Oak Lawn to St. Gerald Church, 93rd & Central Avenue, Oak Lawn. Mass 10:00 AM. Entombment St Joseph Mausoleum, River Grove, IL. Visitation Tuesday, February 28, 2006, 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM and Wednesday, March 1, 2006, 2:00 PM to 9:00 PM.

For information call 708.636.1193.