|
Ralph Heiden - Did
Sally
Eipperle live at Grandpa’s house for a while? I guess I
never knew that.
Norma "Jeanie" Heiden - Yes, she lived there about 7
years. John and her moved in after her mother,
Mildred’s, death.
He used to listen to the radio show, The Inner Sanctum,
on Sunday nights and I would be so scared.
Mildred (Roggerman) Heiden - Everybody liked John.
 Helma
(Heiden) Nickel - John (left) and Jeanette (John's second wife) were always good to
the folks too. They would take them places in John’s car.
Norma "Jeanie" Heiden - Ma and Pa never got to go
anywhere so John took them up north one time. He took them up to
Cedarville. There was
Uncle Fred,
Aunt Emmie
(Rambow), Ma and Pa and Sally and me.
We
had three flat tires on the way. We stayed in a tourist home
just over the straits. I don’t think there were any motels then.
I slept on the floor.
 Aunt
Emmie (right) brought a big can of Crisco oil to fry the fish in.
They all went fishing and we all ate our fill of fish that
night.
On the way up, we stopped in Cheboygan and we
had dinner in a restaurant. I don’t remember Ma and Pa
eating out very much around home. Ma order ham and she was
shocked at the size of the portion they served her.
This would have been about 1940 or so. With all the people
in the car, no wonder we had so many flat tires.
Mary Lou (Heiden) Opfermann
- Remember how fast John used to drive? I can remember John and
Mildred, and my
Mother and Dad and I went down to Elkhart,
Indiana. Mother kept telling him to slow down!
Norma "Jeanie" Heiden - The more she would holler,
the faster he would go, too!
 Mildred
(Roggerman) Heiden - He took us up north one time and, by
gosh, nobody was going to get ahead of him! Jeanette was
sitting in the back telling him to slow down. I think I had the
floor board nearly pushed through trying to hold on.
Mary Lou (Heiden) Opfermann - Remember, Jeanie, when
John took us down onto the river ice pulling us on a sled behind
his car?
Norma "Jeanie" Heiden - The river had to be frozen at
least a foot thick before Pa would let us skate on it. One
Sunday while Ma and Pa were at
Grandma
Rambow’s, John let us hook the sled behind his car. He would
head down the river and then he would slam on the breaks and
yell, “Hang on back there!” The snow was flying in our
faces and we were just airborne. We could have been killed
but it was a lot of fun! Mildred (Roggerman) Heiden
- He was something else!
Mary Lou (Heiden) Opfermann - We used to stay over to
John and Mildred’s when they lived on
Dunbar Road and she would help us make popcorn and Kool Aid
or lemonade to sell out by the road.
 Norma
"Jeanie" Heiden - That was always a highlight when they
would come over to play cards. I would be sitting there and
Mildred would tell me to ask if I could go over to their place
for a few days. They took me to Woodland Beach which was a big
deal in those days. They had a week’s vacation and they used to
stay down there at some relative’s cottage. There was this girl about my age there and she said, “Let’s take a walk around the lake.” I looked at the lake and thought I couldn’t walk that far. So about half way around, I started back and I got lost and I was praying and everything because I didn’t know where I was. Finally, I got back and Mildred said, “Where have you been?” I just said, “Oh, out walking.” I was so darned scared but I didn’t dare let on. We went out on a raft in the lake and John asked if I could swim. I said, “No.” So, he threw me in the water. He pulled me out quickly but I don’t like the water ever since. |
Pictured
is what was called a cassette tape back in pre-digital
times.
[Mary Lou (Heiden) Opfermann arrived
and joined the discussion]
Helma (Heiden) Nickel - No, there was an old house down by the ditch that crosses
the road east of Ma and Pa’s farm.
Ralph Heiden - Do you recall any stories about your grandfather,
Marie (Heiden) Tommelein - They were always there at the reunions.
Here’s an idea that I’m starting to wonder about. August, my great
grandfather, had a half sister. In the 1920's, her granddaughter
sent a 
Actually, the members of the Laas' family were related to August Heiden's wife, Rika
(Knaack) as shown on the following chart:
Helen (Henning) Heiden - Was your brother,
David, born here, Mary Lou?
Marie (Heiden) Tommelein -
Over
the years, we have also received written memories and
remembrances about this person or topic from various family
members. 
Wilma, Jeanie, Wm Frank, Helma & Marie were
children of 
