The story of my "rather homely, undeveloped, and uneducated great great grandmother Minnie Katzenberger is posted below. Born in Bavaria in 1867, Minnie went on to marry a Voll, my dad's mother's name. Christina Voll married George Meiners in 1912 and they had 10 children, one of whom was my dad Mel Meiners. So how did the Meiners family name launch in America? My son Simon turned up this research: "The oldest ancestor I can find is Mel’s great-grandfather, Johann Gerhard “George” Meiners (1835-1909). Came on a ship from Germany to New Orleans in 1857. First looked for work in Saint Louis but later settled in Louisville. Married Mel’s great-grandmother Maria Lemke in 1859. After she died of dropsy in 1884, he
Tag: norma meiners
Since I am not a woman or a doctor, I’ll let John Franklin Stephens be my voice on abortion
I am one of 14 children born to Norma & Mel Meiners. Mom delivered 15 babies over a span of nineteen years. Baby Dennis died several weeks after his birth in the mid-50s. That loss of life spun my parents into an emotional freefall. Nonetheless, they went on to accept the blessing of 12 more children. I was the fifth (technically sixth) child born to Norma and Mel and they never stopped loving, encouraging, and leading all of us. Both of them have been gone for over a decade. The one mission that their Catholic faith led them to pursue above all else was the protection of life. My parents marched every year on January 22, my birthday
A loving eulogy for my parents
My mother passed away 10 years ago and my father died two years later. My brother Chris found the eulogy I wrote and delivered at my father's funeral in February 2008. I have very little memory of writing or delivering it, proving that the heart and brain can push past fear, sadness, and severe emotional trauma. ----------------- THE EULOGY Mel Meiners funeral, February 18, 2008 This very room is the epicenter of Mel & Norma Meiners’ legacy. The Roman Catholic Church was the guiding light in every Meiners moment. Mom & Dad met through church activities at St. Elizabeth. They raised their children across the street from this church property. Both passed away at the sacred Nazareth Home, just
Trailblazing random acts of kindness
A little over two years after my mother Norma passed away, my father went to Heaven to be with the woman he cherished. He was never the same once mom was gone. For Throwback Thursday, I thought I would share this incredible note sent to me shortly after dad's death. --------------------------------- Thank you, Mr. & Mrs. Pollard. Your words gave all fourteen Meiners kids some comfort as we struggled with the loss of our guiding lights. --------------------------------- (transcript of note) Terry – Your dad was our milkman, our paper man, a wrestler (we all knew), and a devout person we all admired. He paid unpaid milk bills for Germantown residents rather than stop their orders. Your mom baked them cakes. How do you follow parents like