May 10, 2020 – Washington Co., WI – In an effort to pay tribute to moms on Mother’s Day, neighbors have written brief stories about their moms. Some have focused on cherished memories and while others recall the grief they realized they caused. All said and done, the stories come from the heart.
Paula Catarozzoli Anderson of Hubertus remembers her mom’s patience especially when her ‘goofball kids had little supervision.’ “Back in the 1970s my mom, Mary Catarozzoli, would often let us sit in the big purple station wagon (rather than drag 4 or 5 of us in with her) while she would run into the bank or grocery store. I wonder how much time we actually gave her before we all took turns blowing the horn and laughing. That woman IS a saint,” wrote Anderson.
Former Assembly Representative Patricia Strachota of West Bend said a large family is proving to be a big challenge for her mom. “My Mom, Theresa, lovingly displays her favorite family photos on her refrigerator. This became a challenge as her seven children led to 28 grandchildren and 23 great grandchildren. She now needs a second refrigerator to display all her favorites and many more magnets,” Strachota wrote.
Lee Krueger of Little Cedar Lake said he had many fond memories of all the things his mother Theo would do her children. “Saving a few cents here and there was important during the days of WWII,” wrote Krueger. “One thing I remember well is our mom spending hours sewing and creating clothes. A favorite source of sewing material was the colorful patterned Purina chicken feed bags that my grandparents would get from the West Bend Feed Mill. We would pick through stacks of 50-pound sacks finding the right patterns.”
Ellen Delworth O’Meara remembered her mother for her sewing skills. “My mom Harriet would use ends of other peoples yarn balls to lovingly knit my pre-Barbie doll designer outfits, as I would sit patiently for her to complete her vision. They would have a hat, bag dress and coat,” wrote O’Meara.
Mary Lynn Bennett of Jackson wrote about growing up as farmers in a small town of 450 and how her mom would go the extra mile for her family. “For a special treat occasionally my mom, Pauline, would get out her cast iron skillet, scoop in the Crisco, and make us her homemade raised donuts dipped in white frosting. So when my Senior Class needed money for our senior trip, I volunteered my mom to make 50 donuts every Friday after our school basketball games. When I told her what I did, she never said one word, just helped us raise monies every Friday, one white dipped, homemade donut, 25-cents at a time,” Bennett wrote.
CUTLINE: Today’s c. 1937 photo, courtesy the Washington County Historical Society, is from the township of West Bend and pictures Olive Lang with her children Lawrence, Jr and Dorothy.