Memories of Oma: Jerry Liepert

by Jerry Liepert

OK Jim, you asked for it!

I was stationed at Camp Polk, LA when Oma and Hanni arrived in Spencer. My mother (Ida) took the bus to Spencer for a few days that week. Her letter to me after seeing her Mother (after 29 years) described her experience: "We talked and talked and talked and my jaws are so tired from all our talk."

[Gathering of members of the Herman Graupner Family at the Willard Liepert Farm on the occasion of the vist of Oma Graupner and Hanni Graupner and our cousin Else Dauer (Eichstedt), who had newly arrived from Schlangenbad in 1952. Ida may have taken the photo, but the photo shows Oma (Anna Glaser Graupner), her son Hermann, granddaughter Else Dauer, and daughter Johanna (Hanni) Graupner, positioned in the row below Jerry Liepert and his father, Willard.]

Of course I first met Oma when I came home on leave and picked up Oma and Hanni in Spencer. Of course Ida had a full round of people for them to meet, not the least of which were the Wendels. I believe it was Luella Wendel (an Ida best friend) who introduced them to the card game canasta. They loved it and took decks of cards with them back to Schlangenbad. (They were still playing canasta when I got to Schlangenbad in 1952-53.)

One of the incidents that occurred involved everyone around the supper table one evening. I believe Ida had made a chocolate cake for dessert with rich chocolate frosting. Will kept the frosting on his plate, saving "the best to last." Chappy kept teasing him by threatening to take that frosting. Mom told Will to get the coffee pot from the kitchen, but he procrastinated because he worried that Chappy would get that frosting. Finally Willard thundered for him to get the coffee pot. Will then quickly went back to his plate, spit on the frosting, and then got the coffee.

Now comes that part that involves Oma. As Will took the coffee pot around the table to refill cups, he came to Oma. Motioning to ask her if she would like some, she responded something like "Ja, schütte noch ein bisschen drin." (Yes, pour a bit in.) Will, about 10 years old at the time, was shocked, turned to Dad and said "Did you hear what Oma said?" Everyone at the table found it necessary to stare at our plates withholding a laugh while poor Oma had no idea what caused it all. Hanni may have explained it later.

My best memories of Oma in Schlangenbad were those times that I came on a three day pass. When everyone else went to work, I would meet Oma and we would walk up to the cemetery and visit Opa's grave. On the way back we would stop at the Metzger and get some well trimmed pork chops. Oma made dinner for me; hot from the stove on to my plate. Then she would take the daily paper (Wiesbaden Kurier) and read a column to me. Then I was expected to read it back to her. Occasionally she would correct my pronunciation. (Actually, if one knows the German alphabet, the language is quite phonetic. I do believe that one might read a sentence reasonably correct without really knowing the meaning!)

If I were in Schlangenbad on a Sunday, I would usually go to church with Oma. She was proud that I could sing from the hymnal! Think about it, slow word progression, and I probably did not know exactly what I was singing! On Sunday, we usually had afternoon coffee with Oma. (Coffee was not still not readily available and very expensive on the economy. My ration always went to Oma.)*

*It is probably important here to point out that Germany at that time was still under occupation although non-fraternization had long been forgotten. GIs were still paid in script (to keep the dollar away from the Germans) and we had ration cards that allowed us to buy up to a carton of cigarettes and one pound of coffee per week. The official dollar to DM ration was $1 = DM 4.30 but the black market rate paid at least 5DM to a dollar of script. Not long after arriving in Germany, a sudden edict cancelled all leaves and passes. A day later we were told to turn in all ofld script and receive a new script - dollar for dollar. There were many Germans stuck with the old script they had acquired which now was no longer valid.

I spent Christmas leave in Schlangenbad in 1952. Erika spent the day decorating the tree. Christmas eve services with Oma. Christmas eve the "Christkind kommt," and we celebrated at the Dauers. Somewhere I have a photo of Oma who put all of the pretty ribbons and bows around her neck! Of course Onkel August made a Feuerzangbowle. On Christmas morning it seemed that everyone in Schlangebad "visited" each others homes for a Christmas greeting, some goodies, a glass of punch, etc. Of course we too made the rounds.

In 1960 when Judy and I took the first group of Muskego High School kids to the Rheingau, we lived in Schlangenbad. Tante Elsa and Erika had come to Rhein/Main to meet us. When the kids were finally allocated to homes that evening, Tante Elsa told us that Oma has been "cooking coffee" since 2 o'clock in anticipation of our arrival. Oma gave Judy a couple figurines to take home. Years later (1976)Tante Anna & Onkel Adolf visited us in San Antonio. Tante Anna saw the figurines and said: Oh, Mother had some just like that, but they did not survive the war! When I protested that they came from Oma, Tante Anna said: "No, they can't be the same because one of them was broken and repaired with heavy paper glued inside." And then we examined and found the repair!

By the time we arrived with a group in 1963, Oma and Hanni and Anna and Adolf had moved into the new house in Bärstadt. (Judy and I lived in Niederwalluf.) At the farewell party for the 1963 group, I had managed to have Oma, Tante Elsa and Onkel August present. They seated Oma in the front row next to the Landrat of the Rheingaukreis. When it was my turn to speak, of course I introduced my guests, but Oma was special and I took special pains to get it right! "Und es gibt noch eine die ich vorstellen möchte; meine Oma, die Mutter meiner Mutter. Vielleicht ist sie stolz auf ihren Enkel, aber gewiss nicht annähend so stolz als ich auf sie bin."

Indeed, there are more memories, but this should do for now. Jerry