Geraldine M. Maier

Geraldine M. Maier, 100 of Waunakee, passed away Friday, August 5, 2022 at her home surrounded by her family. 

My father was a carpenter and my mother worked at home, taking care of the eight kids. She was a simple woman but was lots of fun, always pulling jokes on people. They had four boys and four girls -- the girls were Josephine, Pauline, me (Geraldine) and Maryline. The boys were Raymond, Herman, Rolland and Robert. We were one of the poor families, so the Depression didn't bother us as much as the rich people who lost their money. As kids, we didn't have any special toys, so we made up a lot of our own games. I can't say that our folks went to church, but they always saw that us kids went. I was born in Jamestown, Indiana. I went to a one-room schoolhouse there before we moved to Fremont when I was about six-and-a-half. That's where I went to grade school and high school. I actually didn't live at home a lot. In Fremont, my mother's cousin only had one daughter, so they wanted someone to stay with them. It was only a couple blocks away and it worked out fine. I lived with relatives in Ann Arbor for a while, too. 

I wasn't the best student. Reading and history was interesting but I hated math. I dropped out of school at 16 and went to work, mostly for private families, taking care of their kids. From January to July of 1943 I worked at the Ford plant, that was converted to build bombers in Detroit, Michigan. Remember Rosie the Riveter? That's what I did. I worked on the wings. 

I joined the Army on Feb. 24, 1944, mainly because I was looking for something to do. I did my training at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, then moved to Maxwell Field outside of Montgomery, Alabama. First I was a "runner" taking messages from one office to another. Then I got into the hospital as a "medical technician," mostly in the children's ward. I was part of the Women's Airforce. It felt good to be in there, doing something. 

I was discharged Feb. 3, 1946. I had a boyfriend in the service who was killed in an airplane, so after I got out of the service I went to his home in Washington state to visit his grave. Not long after that Norbert came into the picture. We'd met in the Army. Norbert worked in surgery on the same floor as me, and one day I was standing in the kitchen and someone came in. I thought it was one of my friends. I said something about going for a walk, and he said, "Well that's a good idea." I turned around and there was Norbert, He took me back with him to Wisconsin. We got married May 1, 1946. And I've been stuck in Wisconsin ever since! 

I proceeded to have 13 children, which pretty much took up my life. My first born was in February of '47 and my last was March 6, 1963. Six boys, seven girls. In order, they were John, Ruth, Lucia, Mary, Timothy, Robin, Danial, Theodore, Grace, Jeanette, Cynthia, Raymond and Jane. My only work outside of home was summer work at a canning factory in Waunakee. Norbert drove truck for a gravel company and was a welder on their machinery. Later on he worked in their shop in Waunakee. He was always busy. 

Early on, we moved to a new home in a little village called Martinsville. But then we moved to the farmhouse about two miles outside of Waunakee. We went back to an outside toilet for a while until they put in a bathroom where the pantry had been. 

Cynthia (daughter): There were three bedrooms, and only one bathroom - that was the tricky part. I remember five of us girls sharing one bedroom. But the older kids moved out pretty quick when they got old enough: I guess they wanted space of their own [laughs). 

Geraldine: The girls were good at helping. We didn't eat fancy. My husband had a big garden, so we'd have fresh vegetables. We didn't have much meat. Cynthia: I remember at least once a week we'd have pancakes for supper. Mom would grind up some sausage in it sometimes. I remember canning a lot of tomatoes too. Or mixing ground hamburger with a can of beans or soup, putting that over toast -- she stretched a lot of meals that way. 

Geraldine: But we all survived. We've been here 60-something years now. There were three of us families who lived about a block apart. The Schwoeglers and the Giecks and us. All our kids played together good. We all got along and had fun. Cynthia: I think she learned how to tune out us kids and shove us outside. 

Geraldine: Norbert and I were married 50 years. He lived his last five years with Alzheimer's and died in 1996, right after our 50th anniversary. We did a little traveling before he got sick. We took a couple trips to North Carolina. I had sisters out in Tuscon, Arizona, so we went out there too. 

Cynthia (daughter): My brother Danny and I live in the home here with my mother now. My youngest brother lives next door. Another lives a few miles away. The oldest brother and sister live out in the state of Oregon. Two sisters are in Mauston and another's in Stoughton. Four of my siblings are deceased. I think mom has 13 granddaughters, five grandsons and 15 great-grandchildren. Geraldine: I'm now a great-great grandma to three more. And I have two brothers living yet that I talk to on the telephone. 

I didn't expect to be living this long. I don't do too much now. I get my own breakfast and lunch and try to keep my room straightened up, that's about it. Cynthia: And she helps with the dishes, too. Geraldine: Yes. I'm content to stay home now. 

Story written November 2020 

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