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A Sad Day
By nottryingforaboy | August 12, 2008
My Oma died 6 years ago today. She was 89 years old. I along with LushMan and the rest of my family (mom, dad, sister & her family) was with her when she passed away. I was 6 weeks pregnant with TheOldest when she died and now my daughter bears her name as her middle name. It breaks my heart that my Oma would never see her great-children from me. I know she would have adored them and they would have adored her.
I know 89 years is extremely old, but it still hurt to lose her. I think what makes it worse is that she had a hard, hard life. She was Austrian and lived outside Vienna when the Nazi’s came through. Although she and the rest of their village weren’t Jewish, they still took the men into the army and put the woman and children in a concentration camp. My mom was 4 years old at the start of the war when she was put into the camp. She was lucky to be with her mom, my Oma. My mom’s three cousins were separated from their mothers who were in a different camp, but the cousins ended up with my mom and Oma. To this day, they credit my Oma for keeping them alive.
My Oma’s mother died in the camp. She didn’t have a coffin, so before they came and took her body, my grandma sewed her mom’s body into a blanket so she’d had a coffin. She was probably around my age when she did that. I can’t even imagine.
After the war, she was blind from malnutrition. She was hospitalized and eventually recovered. She and my grandfather were eventually reunited after giving up her wedding band to a man who helped find him. They immigrated to America. When they went through Ellis Island, their would-be sponsor decided her didn’t want them because they had a child. They had nothing- one suitcase between the three of them and the clothes they were wearing, couldn’t speak the language and had no idea what to do.
My Oma and Opa decided to go to Chicago. They settled here and worked as janitors, a cleaning lady, factory-line workers. My mom went to high school here without knowing English. Working over-time and covering their friends’ vacation, my grandparents saved enough money to buy their own six-flat. Shortly before I was born, they sold that and bought a 24 flat. I grew in the building right next door to her. They then sold that one and bought a new building which my parents still own today.
She was a remarkable woman and I miss her dearly.
Topics: family |
August 12th, 2008 at 5:37 am
How truly inspiring and wonderful that story is! I am sure it was hard to share, but thank you so much for doing so. I know you are missing your grandmother today. Sending you virtual hugs today….
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August 12th, 2008 at 6:05 am
What a wonderful tribute and a powerful story. Thank you for sharing your heart.
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August 12th, 2008 at 7:12 am
Wow. You come from an amazing lineage! What a beautiful tribute to her.
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August 12th, 2008 at 8:15 am
Your Grandparents sound incredible! Happy Birthday Oma! My Grams was one of a kind as well . . . she will be gone 13 years the end of this month. I still miss her.
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August 13th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
What a life, what a story. Your entire family is probably incredibly strong because of what happened. You are fortunate to know the story, thank you for sharing it with us.
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August 14th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
What an incredible and inspiring story - your Oma was truly an amazing woman.
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