Margarete Malvena Sophia Gensler was born September 17, 1905 in St. Joseph, Missouri at home like most children of that time; but I'm not sure where Minnie and Mr. Gensler were living at the time.
I was fortunate to meet Margarete in the Summer of 1989. She was back from California to visit family still living in St. Joseph, Missouri. Her cousin, Anna Marie, brought her over to my Mother (her cousin), Helen Louise's apartment. She was a short, very animated, very healthy in mind and body for her 84 years. I actually took her to be in her mid-70s. She talked a blue-streak (just like me and my mother!) and I liked her immediately very much.
She and Anna came in and she gave me a big hug and commented on my height. She was very pleased that I was wanting to know about the family. There were so many questions that I had, but since time was short for the cousins to visit; I tried to keep quiet and listen carefully so I could write down notes later. So many of my impressions of her Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles came from that visit and are scattered throughout this website on their family pages.
Margarete was the eldest grandchild. I do remember asking her about
Adelheida being the kind of Grandma that I imagined from her picture - the jolly
cookie-making kind. I laugh now remembering her expression which told me -
not hardly. She loved playing the piano like her Mother. She said
that she lived for a while in her Aunt Clara's Plaza Hotel in Torrance, CA when
she was a school girl
and took lessons on her Aunt Clara's upright piano. The picture shows Margarete
standing at the entrance of the Hotel with her Aunt Clara and Uncle Earl.
She played piano for women and shiner's clubs for twenty years. She said
that she also worked as a dental assistant for many years.
Margarete married in 1931 and had a long and happy marriage to Mr.
Christian Dobrick.
Virginia Dobrick, Louis Gensler, Minna Kerber Gensler,
Margarete Gensler Dobrick
This picture was also taken in St. Joseph, Mo in
1974 I believe.
Left to right sitting on couch: Minnie Gensler,
Louise Kerber (Herman's wife), Gladys Kerber (Herman Jr.'s wife), Margarete
Dobrick. Left to right on floor: Robert Kerber (Herman Jr.'s son)
with his wife Judith and Helen Louise (Herman's daughter) and I am taking the
picture.
Left to Right: Margarete visiting Kerber kousins (me,
Sharon Roberts Patching and my mother, Helen Kerber Roberts Orem) still living
in St. Joseph in the Summer of 1989