Lucille Mary (Nathe) A.

September 2008

October 16, 1925 - October 24, 2008

Calvin Coolidge was president when Lucille Mary Nathe came into this world. With the aid of a midwife, at home on the farm in Elrosa, she was the pride and joy of Alios and Caroline Nathe. Lucille said her parents were hardworking, nice people that liked to joke around. She remembered her mother having a large garden that helped feed the family and attributed her characteristics to how her parents raised her. When she wasn't working hard to help the family, Lucille liked playing "Ring Around the Roses" and "Hide and Seek" with her four brothers and three sisters with whom she got along with well.

In a 30 student school house and "6 or 7" kids in her class she attended Unity School District 173. With one teacher for all classes she was taught Spelling, English, Reading, and Geography. Lucille was proud of her education however she felt she was "too old" to continue past the 7th grade. She walked two miles every day to get to school and seldom got a ride on the wagon sled that brought the teacher to school in the winter. She remembers it being "very cold to sit in a wagon full of blankets".

The family farm had 13 cows and they used six horses to plow and seed the fields. Lucille's childhood involved a lot of hard work and she remembered that they didn't have many toys like children do today. She and her siblings "did a lot of cutting out pictures from a catalog" and also commented "that was many cutouts". They "didn't get a snowmobile or not even a sled" so they "made [their] own play thing to play with." Lucille felt that kids today "are different then [she] was as a kid" with "too many toys" and "still getting bored". She also thought that kids these days traveled a lot more than she was able to as she "barley got out off the farm" when she was a child.

She loved Christmas and looked forward to "putting out a dinner plate that was filled with peanuts and candy." It was a time of year when she knew she would have "good eats and nice presents." A pull toy was a common toy received as a child but she would only get one toy a year. If she were to change one thing in her lifetime it would be "to be Santa Claus, a real one, so I would be able to get everything and anything in the world."

With no electricity until 1940, her and her family used lanterns for light. They also kept things cold in an ice box. She remembered "going to town to buy a chunk of ice, putting it on the top [and it] kept everything cold." They kept their home warm with chopped wood. They installed indoor plumbing when she was 15 years old. It was at 15 that she saw her first picture movie with her Dad and brothers. Roy Rogers and Dale Evans was her favorite actor and actress.

In 1950 she had a television and she loved to watch her favorite program "The Grand Old Opry". She was lucky to be able to watch the television or listen to the radio "whenever we pleased." Later in life she enjoyed shows like, Nashville, The Price Is Right, Wheel of Fortune and was a faithful fan of the MN Twins.

As a teenager, her Friday and Saturday nights were spent "listening to the radio or getting ready for Sunday Church". Amos and Andy was one of her favorite programs to listen to as she helped clean house and plan meals. As she got older, "planning to go to dances and [wondering] who would drive her and her friends there" occupied her mind. Sometimes they would serve a lunch at midnight and if you had any money left "you could buy a wiener hot dog."

In 1943, an 18 year old Lucille had a life changing moment when she saw the love of her life Wilfred Athmann, for the first time. She recalled the experience, "We met - I was working at Matt Krantz. They lived where Hortence Waltz lives now, Wilfred's place was next door. I just whistled to him as he walked in his yard with his white shoe's on. I thought that was neat. So he asked me out and all it took was a whistle. OK?" When asked if they liked each other instantly she commented mischievously, "I guess so, I stoled him from everyone else!" Lucille had many other boyfriends prior to meeting Wilfred but says she "didn't whistle at anyone else - enough is enough!"

Wilfred and Lucille dated for three years and June 17th, 1946 they were married at Saint Peter & Paul's Catholic Church in Elrosa. She remembers that they "had to be in the church at 9am to get married and people from all over came." Over 150 people to be exact. After the ceremony, visitors "threw rice at us at the end of the mass. The priest didn't like that. Supposed to keep that for the needy people..." When asked if there was a special moment from that day she responded, "Yes, we had five kids [Patrick, James, Sandra, Brenda & Marchell] and then here comes Lisa, Jacqueline & Nicole and so on and on and on..." Being a Grandparent was OK but it made her feel old. Even so, she loved her children and grandchildren all the same.

The hardest part of being married was living with her in-laws the first eight years of their marriage. "It wasn't a picnic, believe me, it was hell! It wasn't easy having sisters and brothers looking in on you." Despite the eight year hardship, they managed to start a family. Lucille was 22 years old when she had her first child. It felt "wonderful because it was a boy and Wilfred always said if this is a boy it will be named Patrick. So it was." She remembers that the children didn't have many clothes and what they did have, she made out of feed sacks. She made many clothes and bought very few. She wouldn't change a thing about how her children were raised knowing what she did later in life.

A housewife all of her life, cooking, cleaning, sacking grain in the fields and picking stones were a few things she was responsible for. Although she was exceptional with embroidery and quilting, she was most proud of learning how to make rag rugs. With Wilfred's help, she started making them in 1960 and "everyone loved them!" Lucille never learned how to drive and got along well without a car as she got supplies at the corner store and remembers that a loaf of bread cost $0.23 cents back in the day.

F.D.R was the first president she voted for although President Kennedy was her favorite. She remembers "just standing in the yard feeling kinda sorry for everyone" the day that President Kennedy was shot. She was "on the ground looking up thinking they were crazy" when the first man landed and walked on the moon. The furthest Lucille had ever been was Washington state to visit her sister and her family. She had visited Minneapolis and thought it was "very big and it wouldn't like to live there" as Spring Hill was her very favorite place to be.

If she had all the money in the world, Lucille would "buy Vegas cards (scratch off) [because she] she just loves them" despite claiming she never won. The most heartwarming memory she had during her lifetime was "the day I married my husband." This was no surprise as you could see how much they cared for each other even after over 50 years of marriage. Lucille grieved for the loss of Wilfred in 1999 and her daughter Marchell in 2001. Lucille believed that "we should be happy we are here" and thought that the meaning of life was to be "Joyful! Joyful! Make everything wonderful and keep it that way."

All quoted statements were taken from a 1998 questionnaire that Lucille filled out as a Christmas gift to her grand-daughter Jacqueline Athmann.

On a more personal note:

I can remember things about my Grandmother that will always bring a smile to my face. She was young hearted, child like with her enthusiasm, funny and she just LOVED to talk! She had a strong stature, a warm heart and always meant well. I remember visiting her place and smelling the wonderful aroma's of her famous chicken dumpling soup made with homemade egg noodles. Memories of watching her embroider, helping her make egg noodles and driving her motorized bike when she wasn't on it will forever be remembered. We knew we would always have something sweet when we visited because despite her diabetes, she had one heck of a sweet tooth. Candy, homemade apple strudel and her infamous 'surprise' chocolate cake where always choices after dinner. One could never tell what left over jelly or jam she would use in that cake but one thing was sure, it was always good. When we were younger, my sisters and I would gather around their 8-track player (with headphones even) and fight over who would be listening to the only 'cool' 8-track they had. To this day, each of us girls can sing every single word of Dolly Parton's most popular tunes.

Lucille and Wilfred had a love story. She grieved for her husband every day and talked of him fondly with tears of sadness. He was her everything. Our family will sheds tears of sadness for the loss of such an amazing woman, but we are elated, smiling and laughing even because we are overjoyed that they are together again.

We were lucky to have her as a part of our lives. She will be missed dearly.

Jacqueline A
Grand-daughter

My Grandmother and I in September 2008.