For Better or Worse: A Glimpse at Family Health

Zielke Family; Early 1950s
Back Row L-R: Helen, Dorothy, Henry, Ray, Grace & Marge
Front Row L-R: Bertha, Reinhold, Martha & George

You know that feeling when you go to a new doctor and they hand you that paper (or tablet) asking you about your family health history? Most of us know the basics about our parents and siblings, but as scientists learn more about DNA and ancestry sites link us to more family members with genetic connections, maybe we all need to  know a little more about our total family health history.

With that in mind, a few weeks ago, I put Aunt Grace to the task of remembering what she could about the health (and cause of death) of her grandparents, parents and siblings. Not a very pleasant topic, mind you, but one that proved to be interesting and, hopefully, beneficial for each of us! Here we go! 

William Zielke
24 Mar 1843 to 14 May 1929

Great-Grandpa Zielke lived to be 86 years old. He suffered from dementia in his later years. Aunt Grace remembers him becoming quite senile and actually came after Ray and her one day when he was quite grouchy. He ultimately died of a stroke, probably a complication of his "hardening of the arteries." (Alzheimer's is the term more commonly used today for hardening of the arteries.) He was a large man; between 6' and 6'2" in height. One fun, fond memory she  has of him was his ability to scoop his peas onto his knife and slide them into his mouth!

Bertha Guse Zielke
30 Mar 1845 to 12 Jan 1938

Great-Grandma Zielke lived several years after William passed away; living to the age of 92. Aunt Grace remembers that she had come down with pleurisy or pneumonia and suspects she may have had congestive heart failure. After William's death she lived alone until she moved in with her son, Rudy in the fall of 1937. The home where she lived until moving in with Rudy had no bathroom, no hot running water and no furnace! In spite of all that, Aunt Grace fondly remembers that whenever they went to see her, she always had cake to offer and there was ALWAYS green Jell-o!!! Not an easy feat since her only oven was in the wood cook stove and she had no refrigerator!

Wilhelm Staffeldt
20 Dec 1850 to 27 Jan 1919

Aunt Grace isn't able to offer a lot of information about Great-Grandpa or Great- Grandma Staffeldt as they had both passed away prior to  her birth. Grandpa died at the age of 68, very possibly due to some complication of  his alcoholism. He was blind from drinking wood alcohol in desperation. He always worked on farms before his blindness, but never had a farm of his own.

Wilhelmina Arndt Staffeldt
7 July 1852 to 24 May 1922

Great-Grandma Staffeldt also died fairly young, at the age of 69. Aunt Grace assumes she had diabetes and may have died from complications. She remembers hearing about Grandma's "open leg" and assumes that was in reference to ulcers on her leg, that would typically be attributed to diabetes.

Reinhold Rudolph Zielke
30 May 1880 to 10 Apr 1961

Grandpa Zielke was almost 81 when he passed away. He suffered from Parkinson's Disease the last 7-8 years of his life. He shuffled his feet when he walked (possibly related to imbalance from the Parkinson's), which led to frequent falls. Aunt Grace believes he also had hardening of the arteries. Ultimately, he died due to a fall down his basement stairs, which resulted in a broken back and neck. He lived for ten days in the hospital, but was delusional from the medications. They had to put sheets over the mirrors in the room to prevent him from seeing things that were driving him crazy. Aunt Grace believes that he may have also had several mini-strokes to further complicate his situation. 

Louisa Staffeldt Zielke
14 Dec 1880 to 7 Mar 1917

Grandma Louisa Zielke had pneumonia at the time she gave birth to her fourth child. She and the baby died. She was 36 years old. Unfortunately, we don't have any additional information about her health prior to her death.

Martha Staffeldt Zielke
18 Dec 1890 to 7 Mar 1972 

Grandma Martha Zielke was 81 when she passed away. She suffered from rheumatoid arthritis in her back from the time she was 12-years-old. The arthritis apparently spread as Aunt Grace doesn't remember her ever being able to get down on her hands and knees. Apparently the last time she was down on all fours was when she refinished the floors in the farmhouse where they lived in Plainfield where Grace was born. Unable to get down, she did all her work/ gardening by bending over at the waist. It's hard to imagine continuing to work so hard with such limitation. Grace remembers that one time she mutilated a new can of baking powder just trying to get it open. She would have arthritis flare-ups that would put her in bed for 2-3 days at a time. She wore orthopedic shoes and "big" Emily always had to cut her hair and nails. 

Living across the street, Marge saw to most of Grandma's needs through the week, but toward the end of her life, her other children took turns staying with her on the weekends. She had a commode in her bedroom, but when Grace was staying with her the 6th/7th of February in 1972, Grandma really wanted to use the bathroom instead of the commode. The bathroom in Grandma's house was quite small and hard to maneuver. Grace lost her hold on Grandma and she fell, breaking her hip. They were unable to set the hip and Grandma remained in the hospital for a month with nurses turning her every two hours. Eventually, pneumonia set in and Grandma passed away. 

If you're able to curl your tongue, you can thank Grandma for that genetic trait! I remember being fascinated at her ability to hoot like an owl through her curled tongue. I can do the curl, but have never been able to do the hoot; I just blow air!

George Zielke
2 Apr 1905 to 22 Aug 1992

George lived to the age of 87 years old. He was quite healthy his whole life with the exception of some spots of skin cancer on his face. He developed blood clots in his lungs and was hospitalized. On Easter Sunday, March 30, 1986 George suffered a stroke which led to rehab and stays in a couple of different nursing homes until he passed away. (Update provided by Heather Roth Swenson, granddaughter)

Henry Zielke
27 Aug 1908 to 5 Nov 1976

Like George, Henry was healthy his whole life until the illness that caused his death. He was the first of three siblings to die at the age of 68. Henry attended a family reunion in August of '76. He had lost a lot of weight and Grace told him he needed to go to a doctor. Later, he and Aunt Emily (aka Miem) were at the cabins in Cornucopia, Wisconsin, but they came home in early October because he felt it was too cold. When he came home, he was treated for ulcers until October 17th when he had been laying down and came out of the bedroom, complaining that his right side hurt. In early November he went into the hospital for surgery when they discovered he had pancreatic cancer. He passed away shortly thereafter.

Bertha Zielke Wood
6 Dec 1911 to 26 June 1980

Aunt Bertha (aka Berdie) was the second sibling to pass away at the age of  68. Unlike her older brothers, though, Berdie was not blessed with good health. She suffered from diabetes and high blood pressure. The diabetes led to diabetic ulcers on her legs and in 1974/75 her leg was amputated. She never mastered the use of her prosthetic leg, so spent her days in a wheelchair. She began to exhibit symptoms of problems with her pancreas and went into the hospital for a few months. Grace went to see her over Memorial Day weekend in 1980. She had been experiencing elevated blood pressure and shortness of breath and they had installed a pacemaker per Uncle Burdette's request.  She passed away less than a month later.

Helen Zielke Hudson Skeeters
15 May 1919 to 2 Apr 1988

Helen was the third sibling to die at the age of 68. Other than a ruptured appendix that almost took her life about 1950 and diabetes that she was able to control with diet and medication (did not require insulin), she was fairly healthy as well. Penicillin was still a fairly new discovery and not readily available at the time her appendix burst, but they were able to fly some in to treat her before it was too late. 

Helen had come home to Oswego in September, 1987 for her 50th class reunion and wasn't feeling well. She got in to see the doctor and she was found to have pancreatic cancer too. They began giving her radiation treatments and chemotherapy, but the treatments made her so sick, she told the doctor to stop. She was in a lot of pain. They had a hospital bed moved into the dining room of her home. Janet was there to help much of the time, but Aunt Helen couldn't stand the smell of meals being prepared, so Margie Lou would do most of the cooking and take it to her mom's house. She lived about six months after her diagnosis.

A memory of Aunt Helen: Helen and Garnett always had a large supply of ice cream in their freezer. She made the first biscuits and gravy that I (Tina Kaetzer) ever had. When Jim's brother Tom was getting married to Catherine in Alexandria, LA, Bob and Marge in one car and Jim and me, plus baby Tim (1985) in another car, stopped in Louisville to pick up Aunt Helen. She rode with Bob and Marge and we traded Tim between the two cars. If they had Tim and he needed a change, they'd pass us and hold their noses.

Ray Zielke
27 May 1922 to 31 Mar 1975

Ray was the first and youngest of the siblings to pass away at age 52. Like his brothers,  he enjoyed good health most of his life. He had his tonsils out as a child and got false teeth in his mid-40s due to the gum disease, pyorrhea. About 1973-74, he began to suspect he had arthritis as he began having problems with his legs and knees. His work as a contractor was becoming increasingly difficult, especially in the winter months. The fall of 1974, he had gone hunting with friends in Colorado, but was having back pain, so they made him the "lookout" by a tree. When he got back from the hunting trip, his friend, Ralph Weber, arranged for him to see a doctor friend of his in Chicago. Ray was unaware that Ralph had warned the doctor that if Ray had cancer to not tell him, because he had said that if he ever got cancer he would kill himself rather than go through everything Mary Ellen had experienced with her cancer treatments. He was diagnosed with arthritis, given medication and sent home. 

From there, Ray reached out to a hospital in Ottawa, Illinois that specialized in the treatment of arthritis. He was told he'd be there 2-3 weeks as they worked out a treatment plan, but he was sent home after just a couple of days. The medication that the doctor in Chicago had prescribed was not for the treatment of arthritis. Ray had prostate cancer. Ray was hospitalized a couple of times before his death in March, 1975. Between hospitalizations, he was cared for by his fiancee, Ethel McDowell, at her home in Genoa. 

Grace Zielke Pope
Born 23 Apr 1925
Alive and Kicking at 95!

Fortunately for all of us, Aunt Grace was blessed with very good health until age 75 and has only suffered manageable health issues for the past twenty years. Over the years, she suffered some residual effects, mostly discomfort, from the broken hip she had as a toddler. She has lipodermatosclerosis in her right leg. A form of lupus, it has caused a change in the skin color of her leg. In more extreme cases, it can result in pain, hardening of the skin, swelling and a tapering of the legs above the ankles. It can also lead to venous insufficiency.

When she was 75 and preparing to go to Texas, she wasn't feeling well and had no pep. She went to the doctor to get some cough medicine and they were going to do a stress test. She went to Texas, but was still having problems with her energy levels. As they would take walks on the beach, Uncle Austin suggested she not go so far so that she wouldn't get so worn out, but her response was "How do I know when I'm half-tired?!?" Good point! They then discovered a mass in her chest and thought she might have pulmonary fibrosis. She started seeing an Ear-Nose-Throat doctor who sent her to a specialist at Loyola. They learned that she had a goiter that was internal presenting, rather than external like the goiters we may be more familiar with. Upon removing the goiter, they learned that it was cancerous, but they were able to remove all of the cancer with the goiter and she was sent home with a drain. The doctor told her that she had gotten the opposite of her sisters who had diabetes and that it was a good thing. She then went on to the Wisconsin Dells on vacation and had a good time.

The things she deals with on a daily basis today is her sleep apnea, arthritis and a restrictive lung disease for which she does have an oxygen tank, but does not need to use it at all times. She does use it at night and has found that it helps with her sleep apnea as well. I'm sure you all join me in praying that her health continues to hold out!

Marge Zielke Kaetzer
29 July 1927 to 15 Apr 2004

Marge, who lived to be 74 was also in good health overall until her later years when they moved to Arizona. She was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes sometime after 1995, but like Helen, was able to control it with medication. She had high blood pressure and wore hearing aids since her mid 50s. After moving to Arizona, she began having severe back pain and was initially told to live with it. The pain was so severe, she would cry because of it. She was finally diagnosed with Spinal Stenosis, which is a degenerative process (as arthritis), typically found in the lower spine or neck. It is a narrowing of the spaces within the spine and can put pressure on the nerves in the spinal column. This disease can resolve itself over time or with the help of medication, but, unfortunately, this was not the case for Aunt Marge. Her husband, Bob, drove her around "desperately looking for some procedure that would provide relief." She lost three vertebrae and eventually was on a respirator until the decision was made to remove the tube. She passed away with the family and her pastor by her bedside. (Updates provided by Beth Kaetzer Froelich, daughter and Tina Kaetzer, daughter-in-law)

Dorothy Zielke Hendrickson
22 Dec 1933 to 21 July 1994

Aunt Grace commented that at times it seemed like Dorothy had the bad health for the rest of the family. Born later in Grandma's life, she sometimes wondered if perhaps Grandma's body just wasn't able to give Dorothy everything she needed while she was carrying her. Living only to the age of 60, Dorothy suffered a multitude of health problems. She had high blood pressure and diabetes as well as pancreatitis between her pregnancies with Jayne and David. Her diabetes got worse after that and she began having problems with her eyesight and her legs. Finally, her kidneys began to fail and she went through dialysis for 5-1/2 years, before she passed away.

I always remember Aunt Dorothy as having an infectious laugh and I credit her with teaching me to see things practically, with a bright side. One time when Beth and I were staying with her, we were taking a bath, horsing around and using the back slope of the tub for a slide. At one point, I noticed a razor blade had fallen into the tub. It was Beth's turn to slide, but I told her to wait while I picked up the blade. In doing so, I cut my finger and began to cry. Aunt Dorothy came to see what was wrong and saw my bleeding finger. After cleaning the cut and putting on a band aid, she wiped my tears, smiled at me and said, "It could have been worse. You could have cut your butt!" 

As I've been reviewing Aunt Grace's memories and writing this blog, I've gained an appreciation for the overall healthy stock we come from! Most of the family has enjoyed good health until their later years or the onset of a terminal disease. Cancer has taken too many of our family. Symptoms of diabetes and arthritis are things we all need to be aware of and ensure our doctors know the family history. As the awareness of genetic health becomes more prevalent, perhaps oversharing with our doctors could become important in diagnoses. Doctors rarely ask for family health histories beyond grandparents, yet diseases of great-grandparents are now being diagnosed in some our children! I hope you'll all find this information interesting, helpful and, although no one has sneezed, I'll add gesundheit! 

* Corrections and updates provided by other family members are written in red with the source of the correction at the end of the paragraph. Thank you to those who are helping to ensure the accuracy of this post!

                                                  "I've Still Got My Health"

School Days Part 2

Previously, as we learned about school days in the 1930s and 40s, there was no mention of sports, events or discipline! Time to correct that...

A 1940s Classroom

When I initially asked Aunt Grace about discipline in school, she seemed to be a bit taken aback and really needed to think about it. It may be difficult for a lot of you to imagine, but kids then were generally well-behaved and respectful toward their teachers and one another! Possibly because they knew misbehavior and disrespect would not be tolerated and there would be accountability or punishment. She remembered that, occasionally, someone would be threatened with a trip to the principal's office, although she has no idea what would happen when they got there!

Paddles, hung in a prominent place
to make  kids "sweat," had holes drilled in
them to cut down on air resistance as 
the paddle was swung.

One time, in Ila Harris' class, Principal Clayton came into the classroom and batted Kenny Tower around! Mr. Clayton hit him with an open hand and Kenny fell on the floor. It's hard to imagine that kind of behavior from a principal in today's world, but I'd be willing to bet that Kenny never committed the offense that had Mr. Clayton so angry again.

Reeve Thompson

There was a music teacher in Oswego, Reeve Thompson, who now has a school named after him. He apparently had little or no use for Ray who had no use for school. Aunt Grace remembers Mr. Thompson telling Ray that he'd "never be anything more than a ditch digger." That comment seemed to have a considerable impact on Ray. I remember him saying, on occasion that he was never going to be any better than a ditch digger.

1940s Prom Dress

None of the Zielke girls had the opportunity to shop for the perfect prom dress. Dances, in general were not allowed at Oswego High School. The reason is not really known; all Aunt Grace knows is that the school board wouldn't allow them. 

1930s Christmas Pageant

They may not have had dances, but the schools did hold other activities and events, like Christmas pageants. Aunt Grace remembers one in particular when they were all lined up on the stairs to go sing, when that snotty kid, Richard Young (who was dressed as a shepherd, so kind of like a dress) decided to slide down the banister! "Poor" Richard got a splinter in his butt and she remembers thinking that he deserved it!!! The splinter must have been embedded pretty deeply because they had to call Dr. Weishaw to come remove it. Old snotty Richard later became a conservationist and there is a park on Nelson Lake Road in Batavia named after him.

Atomic Bomb

Remembering old classmates, Aunt Grace remembers the Young family of three boys and one girl whose dad, Dwight, was frequently gone out of town. They didn't know it at the time, but found out later that he was in New Mexico working on the atomic bomb!

1940s Basketball

Finally, we come to sports! Oswego didn't have a football team or girls' teams. Basketball was the big sport for the school and Aunt Grace used to go to all the games! She'd ride the bus to the away games and she had a good, loud voice for cheering her team on! Apparently, she could become quite animated in her cheering as well. She used to have a little, round drawstring purse with a mirror on the bottom. In the winter of '43, she was at the Yorkville vs Oswego game and was approached by a referee. He came to tell her  that he had received a complaint about her from a spectator on the opposing side. It seems that, in her enthusiasm, waving her arms about, the mirror on the bottom of her purse would catch the light and blind people on the other side! She found out years later that the complainer was none other than Austin Pope! Some people are just destined to connect! 

Grace and Austin Pope

 

Oswego High Fight Song

Do you remember when.....?

I don't know what it's like for you when the kids get together, but when my kids get together, I ALWAYS learn something that I never knew about when they were growing up! It's like all the pacts they made growing up have no bearing anymore; like they aren't afraid of getting in trouble anymore! The stories frequently begin with "Do you remember when...?" I imagine it could have been similar with the eight siblings whenever they got together.

Aunt Grace doesn't remember many conversations that began just like that, but there were a few. Frequently, as I'm talking to Aunt Grace, she'll have a side memory that she'll throw into a memory. They don't always fit into the conversation we're having, but they are definitely worth sharing! 

1927 Ford

1927 Chevy

"Do you remember when Ray said, 'Hey Berdie! Can you put a Chevy tire on a Ford?" The family had two cars at the time. A 1927 Ford and a 1927 Chevy. Apparently one day, before she was married, Aunt Bertha was going to take Grace (about age 4) and Ray (about age 7) somewhere. They were going to take the Ford, but it had a flat tire. Realizing the dilemma, Ray came up with a solution... that he was teased about for the rest of his life.

"How about the time Grace nearly drowned?!?!" Uncle George worked at the gravel pit and one day the family went there to swim. Henry and Emily took Helen, Ray & Grace; George and Emily and Bertha and Burdette were all there. Everyone was having a good time and Aunt Grace remembers running down the sand into the water. Suddenly she slipped and remembers seeing the bubbles in front of her face as if it was in slow motion. She was going down for the third time when Burdette saved her! She always gave him credit for her life. After that, all the kids went for swimming lessons. Grace went for lessons four times, but couldn't get the hang of it. She couldn't handle the water in her face. After the fourth time, she was asked not to come back.

Then there was that time that Ray fell out of the cherry tree! "Ma" had sent Ray out to pick cherries for a pie. He fell out of the tree and landed on a spike from the picket fence next to the tree. Grace found him bleeding from a gash in his side. Although he begged her not to "tell Ma," she did. Fortunately, they were able to patch him up at home and didn't have to take him to the hospital, but it's still a mystery as to what he was doing that he didn't want Grandma to find out about. Maybe he spilled the cherries?

How about when Dorothy was about 2 years old and she cried and cried over her first haircut? She had straight, thick hair that was apparently getting in her eyes. Poor Miem (aka Big Aunt Emily)! She was only cutting her bangs!!!

What about the day the cobbler (shoe repairman) thought George was Grace's FATHER?!?! George had taken Grace's shoes in for repair and when it was time to pick them up, Grace couldn't find the ticket. When the cobbler couldn't find the shoes, Grace told him that her brother had dropped them off for her. Familiar with George, the man replied that it was her father who had dropped them off, NOT her brother.

Grace in Wedding Dress

If you think that's bad, remember when Berdie took Grace into Chicago on the bus to shop for her wedding dress at Marshall-Field? As Grace was trying on dresses, the saleswoman would tell Grace to go show her "mother" and see what she thinks! They laughed about that one for years!

Try Corn Silk!

And how about the way Ray was always begging Grace, "Don't tell Ma!!!" like the day she caught him and his friends smoking corn silk in the pig barn? That was one time Grace kept his confidence and never did say a word. To Grandma, at least. Times like that are the times that probably did a lot to grow trust between the siblings.

Think about it. You all have dirt on your siblings. I know I knew things about my brothers that I never told my parents; especially Al (sorry brother!). These memories are the things that cement the trust and make for some good laughs in our old age. Those were the days...