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A LOVE STORY. SORT OF

by Marie Schafer Kerbs Heath as told to Betty Miley Ashley

[Note from Betty Ashley:    From 1982 until 1985 I corresponded with Mrs. Marie SCHAFER KERBS HEATH of Moab, Utah. Her parents were born in Wiesenmuller, and I wanted to find any relationship which might exist between our SCHAFER families. We found no positive connection, but Mrs. HEATH was a fountain of interesting information about families known to both of us. She told me this story in a letter written 27 Nov 1982. Freddie SCHAFER was a first cousin of my grandpa George SCHAFER. For more information drop me a line [Betty Ashley, 30500 Watts Valley Road, Tollhouse, CA 93667J The following is what Marie wrote... verbatim! ]

 
"When I saw Freddie last he had a restaurant in Windsor Colorado in the 50s. He was (once) my sister's sweetie, because they worked together at the Fred Harvey House in Hoisington, Kans.

"Now that story as I remember it. My father and family with FREIDENBERGER family came to America on the same ship on the SS St Louis and the story went that the children played together. There never was enough food, so Fritz (FREIDENBERGER) always shared his food with Katie my oldest sister who was then about 12 years old. And she never forgot him. When Katie and Fritz were of age Fritz wanted to marry Katie and the 1st World War broke out and my father would have no part of it. Father remembered the hardship during his war years in Russia But Katie and Fritz kept in touch all during his years in service. And so did our whole family with the FREIDENBERGERs (who lived in Rocky Ford, Colorado while the SCHAFERS lived in Kansas.)

"But before Fritz went to service he came to see Katie once more at Hoisington where we lived to tell Katie good bye. Also wanted a promise if he came home he wanted Katie's promise thal srlt:: would marry him.

"At that time both my brother Christian and Katie were working with Freddie at the Harvey House Freddie became very fond of Katie and they became friends. As time went on, Freddie became serious. But Katie only wanted to be just friends. She was really in love with Fritz, her first love.

"Fritz was wounded and didn't write for a long time. Katie got worried thinking that he might be lost in action. During all this time when Katie wouldn't say yes to Freddie he got discouraged and left his job at Hoisington and went to Kansas City to work 'with George SCHAFER [Betty's note: his adopted brother, not my grandpa]. When Fritz was released from the hospital, he did not go home but came straight to see Katie at work, which was a shock to Katie to see him walk in from the train in his uniform.

"But just two nights before Freddie had called Katie from Kansas City to see if Katie had changed her mind. And Sis told him he could come over the weekend, and they could talk about it not knowing that Fritz was on his way home to see her. So Fritz F. arrived on Friday night and Freddie came into Hoisington on Saturday P.M. 8I1d when he heard that Fritz had arrived the day before he never spoke to Katie or saw her He took the next train back to Kansas City And Katie didn't find this out until Brother Christ told her.

"Now isn't that a love story. It had to be true because I heard that over and over again." (Note from Betty Ashley: I saw Freddie two tunes at family reunions when he was very elderly. I sent the story to another cousin who often saw Fred and his brother Hank - all of whom lived in the L.A, California area. in the 1980's. The cousin, Evelyn SHEFFIELD, told me that by 1983 Freddie had forgotten all about ever having had a crush on Katie. But the fact is, when he died about 1985... he was still a bachelor.  [Hmmm........]

Frederick "Freddie" SCHAFER b 1895 Wiesenmuller and d @1988 L.A County. CA. Freddie was the s/o Heinrich SCHAFER b @1865 in Russia and d 1925 Windsor, CO and his wife Magdalena "Lena" MAl b 1871 in Russia and d 1925 Windsor, CO Heinrich was s/o Adam SCHAFER S1' and his wife Anna Marie JUNG.

Katherine "Katie" SCHAFER b 9 Dec 1895 Gnadenthau and d 10 Mar 1933 Windsor, CO. She was the d/o Christian SCHAFER Sr b 8 Jan 1873 Friedenberg and his wife Katharina (Katrina) JUNG b 7 Mar 1873 Wiesenmuller and d 1929 Windsor, CO. Christian was the s/o Fredrich SCHAFER d 1905 Friedenberg and his wife Marie Katherine BUSCH. Kathrine JUNG was the d/o John JUNG and _?_ MICHAELIS.

Friedrich Fritz FREIDENBERGER b 10 Dee 1894 and d 5 Dee 1921 La Junta. CO. Fritz vas s/o Johann. Frederick FREIDENBERGER b 29 Jun 1872 Friedenberg and d 3 Oct 1956 in La Junta, CO and his wife Eva Kathrine KINDSVATER b 4 July 1876 Wiesenmuller and d 8 May 1948 La Junta, CO. Johann was s/o Jacob FREIDENBERGER b Schwab and d Russia and his wife Amia Elizabeth WUNCSH b Golga and d Friedenberg. Eva Kathryne KINDSVATER was d/o Peter Jacob KINDSVATER b Wiesenmuller and d USA and his wife Anna Elizabeth EHRHARDT b Friedenfeld.