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More Musings
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ANN EMILY OLGA
GROEBE HAYDEN PRANGE (HERSELF)
Born “ANNA”, she decided early
in her life, to be called “ANN” and then it was ever so.
She would not respond to her birth name.
Ann was my oldest sister, born
May 5, 1915
, and our family’s world was better because of her appearance.
When our dad, William Charles Louis Groebe,
divorced our mother, Anna Provan Kier Groebe, in 1932 or 1933, Ann took
her side of the conflict and went out on her own,
Independence
became her watchword.
Ask anyone.
Ann worked as a beautician for a beauty salon to make a living and use
that talent to earn extra money all her life.
She even had a facility installed her home in
Palos
Park
when she and her husband had it built. I
am her brother, Gordon Alexander Groebe. I don’t recall very much about her
when we were all together as youngsters in
Chicago
at
10916 S. Artesian Ave.
, except that she would wear a green sweater with the letters EMPHI on the front
of it, and carrying a load of school books in
her arms under the letters. She
would walk about two miles to
Morgan
Park
High School
at 109th and
Church Street
. Oh, she would help me feed my
voracious appetite for reading by getting me books on her library card.
She could take out five and I, only two.
She adored and cared for our mom all of Mom’s life.
Mom worked as a resident housekeeper in
Beverly Hills
in
Chicago
after the divorce, keeping Beverly Mildred Groebe Hoffmeyer, our youngest
sister, with her. When Mom could no
longer work, Ann took her into her home. In
the making of peace with Dad later in
her life, she insisted that he pay Mom all back alimony he had never paid, and
made him accept that Mom would be invited to all family functions.
She finally responded to his love of her, admired him, and was overseer
of him and his fourth wife, Louise M Campbell Groebe, for the last twenty years
or so of their lives in
Florida
.
Let me go back. Ann married
her high school sweetheart, Robert Hayden, and they raised two wonderful sons,
Paul and Mark. I remember that Paul was ill as a youngster and Ann set up his
bed in the dining room at their home at 107th and
Maplewood Avenue
in
Chicago
so he could look out the window. I
can still Paul jumping up and down while looking out the window.
He was carefree, outgoing and active.
Mark, however was more of the serious type of child, seemed to enjoy
school and regimen, like Ann. Perhaps
his career in the Marines reflected these traits.
(I hope the boys will forgive me if my impressions don’t match their
views of themselves). Ann loved them
dearly, however her independence and need to be near and care for Dad,
apparently distanced her geographically from them.
She loved the attention she received from them, although she didn’t
like to exhibit it to anyone.
Ann was distraught when Bob died suddenly of a heart attack. Bob
and Ann had sold their dream home in
Palos
Park
and were living in an apartment at 61st and Artesian when Bob died
while on a fishing trip in
Northern Wisconsin
. He and our brother, Warren Philip
Groebe
were at their summer cottage near Delta,
Wisconsin
. I was so sad, as really I loved
Bob. He and I had worked together
and were great friends. I had to
drive over to their apartment at
2:00 AM
in the morning. As she opened the
door, she said, “It’s Dad” and I had to tell her that it was Bob who had
died. My consolation was that next
to Ann and the boys and most, people,
Bob loved the North Woods best.
2.
Ann needed to care for someone, so she and our brother Bill, William
Arthur Groebe, moved together in a townhouse in
Oak Lawn
,
Illinois
. He worked at Dreis & Krump at
74th and Loomis and she at
Mercy
Hospital
at Ogden and Kedzie. As Bill was a
bachelor and not very good at things other than his job and caring for animals
he owned, he needed someone to take care of his earthly chores..
She loved to direct him, make all his decisions, buy his clothes, feed
him and hug him. She never thought
that she would remarry she would say, however she met Jack Prange and fell in
love again. He was a contrast to
Bob. He was forceful, direct and she
seemed to avoid trying to steer him a she had Bob.
She and Jack moved into a mobile home in
Florida
, just a block from Dad and Louise, whom we called “Momma Lou”.
To her despair, Jack died after five years of marriage to her.
She spent the rest of their lives, caring for them and ultimately, as
fate or she would have it, she was alone again.
Ann told me that she had offers of marriage several times, but that the
suitors were too old for her and all they wanted was someone to care for them
until they died. I would bet that
she would have remarried if she had found another Bob or Jack.
My last recollection of Ann was when she stood outside our niece’s
house in a
Northern Illinois
suburb waving goodbye to me as I drove away.
I was so elated that she had come north to see us.
She said she had come to see me, but I’m sure she told others the same
thing.
Ann finally moved from
Florida
to be near Mark and his family in
Virginia
. She complained of the supervision,
fighting hard to be independent, but the time had come when she needed all the
help she could get. She never
admitted this to me, but I’m sure she knew it.
So, she left us to take care of ourselves now.
We love her. Bless her!
Gordon A. Groebe
March17, 2007
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