West Bend, WI – The holiday rush is on as people prepare for Christmas with gift buying, travel plans, and family get togethers as we await the annual celebration of the birth of Christ. Elizabeth Feith was born in 1925 in Germany. She remembers dreams of getting a doll but being happy to celebrate Christmas with family, a platter of fruit and nuts and possibly a fresh orange.
Feith is a resident at Cedar Community; she recalls a time when the simple things meant so much.
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Elizabeth Feith grew up near the Rhine River in Germany during World War II. Born in 1925, Feith recalls her Christmas wish for a doll. “I wanted the doll so badly, but we couldn’t afford it,” she said.
“Since there was no money, everything was practical at Christmas,” said Feith. “We would get for the winter long stockings, and they were so itchy; but, you know, these are things you don’t hear of today.”
“It was a beautiful Christmas, and we were always surprised because my dad would fix up the Christmas tree during the night and we would get up in the morning and go into the living room and there was the tree with the real candles on and the table was all set with platters with nuts and fruit and we were so happy.”
Feith said in the center of the table would be a wonderful platter of fruits and nuts. “We were happy to get an orange,” she said.
”We would also decorate the tree with pinecones from the woods and we’d have some colored balls.”
“When I finally got a doll, and I was so happy. It was the beginning of plastic, but her face looked like leather, but I was so thrilled,” she said.
Questioned whether her doll had a name, Feith said that was a long time ago.
“I don’t recall it was so long ago you know. I’m 98 years old I have to go back almost 100 years.”
Feith recently took a bus trip to look at all the outdoor lights in the area.
“I was just so thrilled how beautiful I would want to see that electric bill can you imagine how much money that is with all those thousands of lights.”
Elizabeth was born in Germany’s Rhine River Valley near Holland. They were both in their early teens when World War II began. They each had families and friends who experienced the horror of war in both Austria and Germany—witnessing bombings, air raids, occupation, and the death of so many innocent people. By the time the war was over, they had both lost everything. They are so thankful they survived and were able to come to America, where they enjoyed freedom and peace.
Elizabeth was the youngest of four brothers and one sister—her mother was widowed at age 35. She remembers at the age of 14 she was walking her dog when their town was attacked with bombs. She was thrown into the gutter and the air went black with smoke and soot. The city was burning. People were hurt and screaming, but there was no one to help. Within a half hour, more than 6,000 people died and life was never the same. Her four brothers died in the war.
Elizabeth met John Feith in Heidelberg, Germany, where he was serving as a translator for the U.S. Army.
Originally from Hungary, John spoke English and had been recruited to assist the American forces during the war. They were married in 1947.
Read more Elizabeth and her deep bond of friendship in Cedar Community’s Live More magazine by clicking HERE.