Cousins From F. Gustav Ruth’s First Wife’s Side

Gustav Ruth’s first wife was Johanna Elwers.  These are all cousins of the Ruth sisters from the Elwers side of the family. 

TOP LEFT:  (L. to R.) Lena, Louise (Stacker) and Laura Ehrgott.  When we lived in Appleton, we lived next to the daughter of Marie Ehrgott Paris, Yvonne Sabien.  Then we’d occasionally visit Lena and Louise in Neenah.  Louise was a down to earth person who kept the house going smoothly.  Lena worked outside the home and had a terrific sense of humor.  She always wore high heels and the latest dress styles.

TOP RIGHT: (L. to R.) Lena, Laura and Louise (Stacker) Ehrgott.  Alma Ruth stands to the right.

BOTTOM PHOTOS:  Alma Ruth, Louise Ehrgott Stacker, Ione Houlehan (or Sister Raphael), and an unidentified cousin with Bertha Ruth, Gustav’s second wife.  The cousins stand together in the second photo.  Ione was known as Sister Raphael in the Catholic Church.

May I insert a personal note about Sister Raphael  at this point.  She was a lifesaver to me during my college years.  Aunt Rose Krieser was a public school teacher all of her life, and I majored in Montessori for my undergraduate degree.  Public school teachers didn’t usually think kindly upon the Montessori method at that time.  She was upset about my choice of majors and did not hesitate to to state her opinions to Mother Krieser.  It was understandably creating somewhat of a family problem for me until Mother Krieser drove Sister Raphael to the Clintonville Cemetery to meet Alma and me for a reunion there.  Sister Raphael was well acquainted with the Montessori method and was able to smooth a very rough spot in the road for me.  I will always bless her for her favorable comments on the subject.  Mother Krieser was able to hear the other side of that issue and better understood where I was coming from.  I felt that it would be a good major for working with handicapped children.  Anne Sullivan had used many of the Montessori math materials while teaching Helen Keller.  As an itinerate teacher, working one on one with my hearing-impaired and/or vision-impaired children, I was able to use many of her materials and methods with my children also.  I was always grateful for my Montessori training and also for Ione’s intervention with Mother Krieser on my behalf.  Another interesting point was that Mother Krieser always called Ione “Sister Raphael” but Alma always called her Ione, never Sister Raphael.  Perhaps Mother Krieser’s having lived in Kimberly, a Catholic community, for years helped.  Joyce Krieser.