Doris (Martin) & James Sass

                                                               1930               

 

            Doris was our baby sister.  Kenneth and I were uncertain about her ability to play boy games and viewed her with some skepticism.  We would have to admit that we were a bit jealous of all the attention she received.  In a short time we were given some responsibilities for her care, like it or not.  She soon won a place in our hearts and became an important part of our lives, even though she never did share our enthusiasm for sports.

 

            The year was 1930.  U.S. farmers were producing more than the country could use.  Farmers in foreign countries were also experiencing high productivity, producing food sufficient for their domestic needs.  As a result, surplus U.S. farm produce could not be sold abroad and farmers faced a drastic downturn in farm prices.  Similar trends were appearing in other areas of the economy, and the stock market crash of 1929 had marked the start of the Great Depression.  Over-speculation helped bring about the collapse of the stock market.  World trade decreased rapidly, businesses closed, and farm prices continued to fall.  The people were afraid.  There were "runs" on the banks as people hurried to withdraw their deposits.  It was a time of great uncertainty.  Some became instantly wealthy, while others lost everything.  Overnight the savings of individuals, rich and poor, as well as corporations might be lost.

 

            In spite of these worldly problems, there was happiness in the Roy Martin home on April 26, 1930 as their first baby girl was born.  She had brown eyes, an abundance of black hair, and her feminine influence offered our parents a welcome change from a household that had been filled with rowdy boys for 10 years.  The troubles around us didn't seem to enter our home.  Even though money was scarce, we felt secure. Grandmother Bird Martin owned the farm we lived on free of debt.  We knew we that we could produce enough food to eat, and that we would never be turned out in the cold.

 

            Doris was a good baby who certainly received her share of the family's attention. Ma thoroughly enjoyed her little daughter, and went to great lengths to make her feminine in every way.  Auntie and Richard had not had any children, but this one they would have been happy to have claimed as their own.  They seldom passed the house without stopping to see Doris and making a big fuss over her.

 

            Doris' childhood was a pleasant one.  She began singing in public at a very early age.  Ma could play the piano, so was able to cultivate her talent.  She also showed an early interest in cats, and would bring them in the house at every opportunity.  Ma would tolerate most anything for her children's happiness, but when it came to cats in the house, her tolerance was not so good.  The Cabbage Patch Doll craze wouldn't have affected Doris in the slightest.  She had absolutely no interest in dolls.  The new doll she received for Christmas was seldom, if ever touched.  She was fortunate in having her cousin, Evelyn living in the other house on the farm, and although somewhat older, Evelyn was a good companion for her.  The boy cousins didn't seem to want to play the same kind of games, but as they grew older the girls were able to participate in some of the many ball games.  

 

            Just like the rest of us, Doris faced the daily mile walk to school, and was the last of four generations of Martins to graduate from the Red School.  Her days in the rural school were quite typical.  She was the only one in her class for 8 years, and her only competition came when she entered the district spelling, writing, and arithmetic contests.  (To this day she uses the old system of adding by tens instead of picking up a calculator.)  The Christmas program was one of the highlights of her year during our rural school days.  It was an event on which weeks of practice were spent.  We were allowed to forget about the studies and just focus on the big night. 

 

            The rural school was not all fun and games, and at times the confrontations with other kids were just down right mean.  There were hair pulling contests with other girls, and those bullies, the Krantz boys, who would try to beat Doris and Bud up on the way home from school.  This included rubbing their faces in the snow, and throwing mud at them in the spring of the year.                     

                                 

            At the age of 10, Doris became a little on the plump side.  There were times in her life when this was a problem to her, but she has handled it well, and achieved her weight goal.

 

            Girlfriends out in the country were scarce, and it wasn't until Shirley Blum moved back in the woods that Doris was able to develop a lasting friendship with another girl.  The Blums lived just down the road from our house, so Doris and Shirley could play together almost whenever they wanted.

 

            Although she would probably never have admitted to enjoying his company, her most frequent companion was our little brother, Bud.  He was younger than she, but always ready to have fun.  Saturday night was the only night that the family went to Bloomington, so finding friends there was not always easy.  In those days, you couldn't just pick up the telephone and plan to meet.

 

            Winter was a pleasant time for the two youngest Martin children.  They enjoyed a variety of winter sports, but one of their favorite pastimes was to pull each other by horseback on their skies and sleds.  The Bloomington library was a good source of reading material, and reading her favorite books about animals was a good way to spend a winter evening - that is if Bud wasn't pestering her to play some game.  The radio was a good source of entertainment with drama shows, popular music, and programs such as "Let's Pretend". 

 

            In the spring it was back on the horses to look for morels and to pick spring flowers.  Doris liked flowers and would enjoy arranging bouquets from the many flowers Ma had planted around the house. 

 

            Hunting goose eggs in the spring of the year was a special treat.  The eggs would be picked up and placed under a setting hen, and after a period of time would hatch into little goslings.  The "setting hen" was actually tricked into sitting on goose eggs.  The hen would sit on these eggs for about 21 days, also the incubation period for her own chicken eggs, leaving the nest only long enough to eat and drink.  At the end of this period the baby geese (goslings) would peck their way through the shell and come out into the world. 

 

            Gathering chicken eggs for Doris, on the other hand was not a pleasant experience.  The smell was bad, the eggs were dirty, and sometimes those fighting chickens had to be thrown off of the nests.  A far more pleasant spring-time chore was caring for the baby lambs.  It was typically Doris' responsibility to help Dad with these chores. 

 

            When she was about 12 years old, we found ourselves in need of someone to drive the tractor while we loaded loose hay, so we elected Doris.  None of us will ever forget her first attempt at that job.  It was a hair raising experience, not only for Doris, but for the men loading the hay.  She wasn't exactly sure that she could bring the tractor to a stop.  She was just learning to drive the tractor, and her previous haying experience had been in leading the horse on the hay fork.

 

            The highlight of the summer season was threshing.  The steam engine would be pulling the threshing machine up the road followed by a team of horses and wagons used for hauling in bundles, and hauling away the grain.  The food was excellent, and the men were a pleasure to have around.  Doris and Bud would ride their horses among the shocks of grain while they were being loaded.

 

            One of the responsibilities she enjoyed was cleaning the house.  She felt somewhat frustrated at times because of the lack of cooperation she received from Kenneth and Uncle Richard.  Kenneth would mess it up, and Richard would come in with his boots on.   The water and whatever else was on them would run all over the floor.  I couldn't be blamed for any of these nasty situations, for in that period of time, about the only contact she had with me was to read the letters I had sent home.

 

            In spite of the fact that Ma was an excellent cook, she didn't take the time to teach Doris the many things she knew about baking and canning.  I don't suppose she wanted her to do all of those messy jobs.  Ma was not one to give

her children unpleasant responsibilities while she sat in the rocking chair and read the paper.  At this point Doris' education was no doubt neglected.

 

            It was a pleasure to have Grandma Harris come to stay all night.  She enjoyed playing cards or any other game, and was interested in what the family was doing.  If there was work to be done, she was at her best, from baking an apple pie to putting shingles on the barn roof.  When night came, she would sleep with Doris, and when she changed into her night clothes, there was no exposure whatsoever.  Grandma's sister, Aunt Laura, was also a very welcome visitor.  She would bring presents for the children and this would make a big hit.

 

            From the little old Red School, it was on to High School.  She had been the only one in her class, but she now had many classmates.  Doris had the good fortune of being taken to school on the bus, but by the time the bus arrived at their stop, the seats were taken, so they were forced to stand up from there on in.  The bus was loaded with students from Glen Haven, and they were firm believers in associating only with their own.  The Glen Haven "click" was hard to break into.  She must have made some inroads there, for in her senior year she was elected class president.  Doris worked hard at her studies, and was particularly good in science and typing. 

 

            Doris had an aptitude and real love for music; she played the trombone in the band, and sang in the chorus and in various trios.  The band instructor was somewhat impatient with her at times.  She knew how to play the notes, but didn't know the names of them.  Her curriculum was chosen in such a way as to prepare her to take nurses' training.  As a result, she had to take Geometry in her junior year, and Richard was very helpful in giving her a better understanding of the course.

 

            After high school, it was on to nurses' training.  Dad was strongly of the opinion that it should be at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, although I am not sure that this is the way Doris felt about it. (However, she did learn to eat leg of lamb, which was a new experience for her).  She was late finding housing at the dormitory in Madison, and as a result found herself hanging her clothes in the hall.  Her roommates from New York City not only talked differently, but didn't exactly welcome her with open arms.  After due time, one of them offered to let her bring a few of her dresses from the hallway and put them in her closet.  Doris had experienced difficulty with migraine headaches in high school, and now with the stress of making the adjustment from a small high school, they were coming more often.  She found herself spending more and more time at the health center. 

 

            After successfully completing a semester at Madison, she decided it was all too much of a strain and decided to move back to the comforts of home.  During this interlude, she was a big help to us while Lew was pregnant with Sandy.  Doris stayed with us in Elgin, Illinois for a week or two until Sandy was born.  Lew taught her some of the fundamentals of sewing during this time of waiting.

 

            Doris, later in 1949, got a job at Porter's General Store in Bloomington, which included being a cashier, stenographer and orderer of supplies.  She sent out statements and at times, chased after some kid that appropriated things that didn't belong to him.  Foster Porter was a very successful business man, was active in state government, and was highly respected.   She started working there in September of 1949 and received $20 per week for six days a week, working from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM.  Meeting the people was the most pleasant part of the job.  By the time she quit to get married, she was earning $35 per week.

 

            During the time Doris was working at Porter's store, Kenneth and Arv decided that she needed some improvement in her social life.  On one hot June night, they decided that Doris and Shirley Blum should go to Prairie du Chien with them to the dance.  Little did she know that this would be the night that would change the rest of her life.  Jim Sass from Marquette, Iowa asked her to dance, and after several dances decided he would take her home.

 

             Jim was born March 29, 1929 in Marquette, Iowa.  His father died on his 13th birthday.  Consequently, Jim's mother, Ella, was responsible for much of his up-bringing.  He was the youngest of four boys.  His brothers were 10 to 13 years older than he. Jim was a tall thin boy with much better manners than her brothers, and she was impressed, but cautious.  They agreed to have another date, and Jim again found his way to the Martin farm from Marquette, Iowa.  Twisting and turning around the side roads in the country at night is not always easy. 

 

            Doris thought that the name Sass was the funniest name she had ever heard.  It was peculiar to her because in our family the term "sass" was used as it related to talking back to our parents.  Knowing Jim's mother, I doubt if she ever took much of that from him. 

 

            Ella was a very cordial and

warm person who had had a difficult childhood.  She had a very deep strength, and was used to hardships.   Ella was left without parents at a very early age.   Early in her marriage, she was widowed, and Jim was one of her favorite people. 

 

            Problems aside, it didn't take Jim long to decide what he wanted to do in his relationship with Doris, and on the 5th date he proposed marriage.  Doris wasn't quite sure at this stage of their relationship, but it wasn't long before she said yes, so they boarded the Burlington Zephyr at Prairie du Chien and went to Dubuque to buy the ring.  This proved to be one of the best decisions she ever made.  Jim is a very dedicated husband and father.                                    

 

            Doris had some problems in their courtship.   Whenever Jim would come, Bud would drag him off to play Russian checkers or pool.   After that, much of their courtship had to be done at long distance.

 

            Jim was inducted into the army in December, 1950 with the 2nd Army Division at Fort Hood, Texas.  He was sent overseas to Mainz, Germany for 18 months.  Jim traveled to Germany on a troop ship which had smooth sailing for ten days.  After they arrived in Germany, they lived in tents for about 6 months, and later were moved into more permanent barracks.  The surrounding area was still showing the affects of the bombing and shellings from World War II.  Parts of buildings were still standing, but were in the process of being knocked down.  Jim was stationed about 2 hours from Weisbaden, Germany, a resort area, where he was able to visit while off duty.  Doris wrote him a letter every day while he was in the service. The return of Jim's troop ship to the U.S. was quite the opposite of their trip going over.  They were aboard a Kaiser Liberty ship that encountered a terrible storm that blew them 100 miles off course.  It was impossible to walk on the deck, and they were in fear of losing their life boats in the storm.  

 

            Jim was discharged in December, 1952, and on December 21, 1952 they were married.  Marsha and Sandy were flower girls at the wedding, doing the job perfectly.  But after the wedding they got in a fight over a necklace, and it was taken away from them.  They were a sad pair at the picture taking ceremony.                        

                                 

            Jim had been working as an apprentice machinist at Marquette Iowa, and shortly after their marriage they moved to Milwaukee so he could go on to vocational school and work in the Milwaukee Railroad shops.  Getting adjusted to living in the city was a difficult adjustment for both of them. 

 

            On June 27, 1954 their daughter Diane was born - a pretty little thing with blue eyes and an abundance of black hair.  When they brought her home for Christmas at about 6 months of age, Ma sensed that something was wrong.  She had a bad cold, was pale, and had bruises on her body.  They took her to Dr. Desslock in Prairie du Chien, and he advised them to take her to Madison.  They diagnosed the problem as severe, acute leukemia.  This is a disease that causes a disturbance in the normal equilibrium of white blood cells.  After the diagnosis was made, Diane was in the hospital in Madison for seven weeks, and then returned home for 2 months. The chances of her surviving very long were not good.  With heavy hearts this young couple took their baby daughter home.   

 

1955

DIANE SASS - 9 1/2 months

 

            These were dark days, for every time they looked into that little crib, they knew that their baby would not be with them for long.  She became more pale and weak as time went on.  Her temperature rose to 106, and she died in Madison on April 22, 1955.  After her death, Ma carried Diane out of the hospital, placed her in the back seat of Dad's car, and they took her to the funeral parlor in Bloomington, a distance of about 100 miles.  Diane was buried on the Martin plot on Blake's Prairie alongside Grandmother Bird Woodhouse Martin.  Doris and Jim were emotionally and financially exhausted (but the hospital was very lenient with the terms of payment on their account. 

 

            Fortunately, Doris was now pregnant, and she would soon have another baby to hold in her arms.  After Jim finished his apprenticeship training in Milwaukee, he transferred to the shops in Winona Minnesota, because neither of them cared for city life.  That move proved to be of short duration, because the shops soon closed there.  Although city life was not their preference, they now headed back to Milwaukee where the jobs were.

           

            Linda was born in Prairie du Chien on August 4, 1955, a specimen of health.  As she grew up, she was a model child.  She did exactly as she was told, and it was difficult for Doris to understand why her brother's children didn't do likewise. 

 

            Gail came along on May 14, 1961, and they found out that all children are not the same.            Their life in Milwaukee began to take shape.  Doris and Jim bought a large house at 3915 W. Cherry St. with an apartment upstairs to be used as rental property. 

 

            The rent from the apartment made up a substantial amount of the house payment.  Jim supplemented his income by working part-time as a church janitor, and Doris was employed by Weight Watchers.  By now Doris had adjusted well to city life, in spite of her very rural  background.                      

                                 

            She had to give up the horse, but never gave up the cats.  She even converted Jim, and her daughters to being cat lovers.  The church played a big part in their lives, and they were diligent workers in whatever they were asked to do.  Doris has kept active with her singing, and always strives to improve her talent.

 

            In spite of the fact that Linda and Gail have been subjected to some unfavorable environments in the neighborhood and in the schools, it is amazing to me that they have been able to hold to the values in which they believe.  They have also chosen husbands  of the same caliber.  The girls are college graduates, Linda in Home Economics from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and Gail with a degree in nursing from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. 

 

            It would have appeared that Doris, Jim, and their family would continue to live in Milwaukee, but this was not to be.  The Milwaukee Railroad, Jim's long-time employer, sold out to the Soo Line with headquarters in Minneapolis.  The shops in Milwaukee where Jim had worked as a machinist were closed.  He was not yet old enough to retire, so like it or not, they moved with the company on to Minneapolis.  They had lived in Milwaukee for over 30 years where they had many friends.  The house where the children were raised was sold to the lady who rented their apartment.  After selling their house in Milwaukee, they moved temporarily into what they thought was a better neighborhood.  While

 

living there, however, the house was broken into twice, once while they were sitting in the living room, and on one occasion a television set was stolen.

 

            The adjustment to Minneapolis was difficult for both Jim and Doris.  They were used to city life, but this was far away from familiar surroundings.  Linda and Tom had moved to Minneapolis and built a new home shortly after their marriage. They were a great help in making the adjustment to the new city.  Doris and Jim were able to find a town house in a quiet neighborhood close to Jim's work, and near a nature trail which they use daily.  Jim's fellow workers did not welcome him with open arms, in fact they did everything possible to make life miserable for him.  This was no doubt aggravated by the fact that he had more seniority, more vacation time, and was on a higher wage scale.  Jim told them not to worry about him taking their jobs because as soon as his time was in, he was going to retire.

 

It was difficult for her to adjust to life in Milwaukee, she enjoyed raising her family, and the social life she developed there.  Jim and Doris have enjoyed moving back to Bloomington where she was once deeply rooted.

 

            Doris is dedicated to her husband, her children, and her cats.  She is a meticulous housekeeper, like her mother, with a disposition similar to that of her father.  The loss of her baby, Diane, was truly one of the dark

days of her life.   Although it

 

            They have bought a nice home in Bloomington and enjoy being back in the rural area

where they spent their early years.  They keep busy with gardening and participating in the many family activities.