On October 2, 1924 I was born in a small house on Orchard Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After living there about one year we moved to Lisbon Avenue and my sister Joyce was born July 3, 1926. I was baptized October 2, 1925, at the Salema Evang. Church located on Brown Street. About the age of 3 we moved to West Allis and lived at 2016 South 74 Street. We then attended the United Presbyterian Church on 76th and Orchard Street and I was made a member April 12, 1936. I attended Jeffersen School, Kindergarten thru 6 Grade. I then attended Nathan Hale Junior and Senior High School and was in the first class to graduate from this school. I graduated June 10, 1942, and spent the next three months at Miss Brown’s Business College because I was only 17 and could not get a job until I was 18.
Our family attended Church quite regularly. I was in the Junior and Senior Choirs and was Superintendent of Junior Sunday School and also taught classes. I belonged to the Girl Scouts and went to camp two years.

After my eighteenth birthday I started to work at the Wisconsin Electric Power Company and worked there for about 8 years. I enjoyed dancing and roller skating and then met Roger Wangemann. We dated and were married April 9, 1949, at the United Presbyterian Church, West Allis, Wisconsin, by James P. Lytle, Pastor. We lived with my parents for awhile and then moved to 24th Place in Milwaukee. We lived in the rear upper apartment. We left there with four children and moved to our first Home at 2021 South 73 Street in West Allis, Wisconsin. Barbara was born July 23, 1950; George, December 7, 1951; Douglas, April 24, 1953; and Nancy, August 31, 1954. While in this new home Thomas was born on July 23, 1956. Paul, April 25, 1958; John, June 15, 1959; and Jean, September 8, 1960. School started for Barbara when she was five but the house was pretty crowded. It was a small house but convenient and it was easy to get to most places by walking. We enjoyed many happy times there together. Roger’s and my parents were close by and the children enjoyed their grandparents. Our children attended the same school as I had gone to.
In 1959, the Missionaries came to our home and baptized Roger in December. The following year in April, 1960, Barbara, George and I were baptized. Our family went to the West Allis Ward in the Chicago Stake.
Roger was advancing in his career from year to year and his family responsibilities were getting more demanding, but he always met his obligations. Our family spent many hours in the church and were happy together.
Barbara graduated from High School and went off to BYU to be an elementary school teacher. The others kept on going up the ladder. Roger received an advancement and off the family moved to Atlanta, Georgia. We bought another home and settled down. One year of school in Atlanta and George graduated and went off to BYU also.
Heavenly Father has blessed our family more than we can say. Roger is now Bishop of the East Point Ward in the Atlanta Stake and I will have 4 years of being Primary President with all of our children active.
Grandma, Tell Me Your Story
a guided journal written
for the Riedel great-grandchildren
during 2010
Note from Grandma sent with the book:
September 2010
I am returning your book and hope you can get the answers to your questions.
Memories will be the only thing we can take with us from this life so keep good memories of your family.
Love and blessings to all of you,
Great-Grandma Myrtle Wangemann
In a Nutshell
Your date and place of birth:
2 October 1924
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Your parents’ names:
Lester Elwood Omon
Florence Pearl Noll
Your brothers and sisters, from oldest to youngest:
Joyce Eleonor Omon Koenig
Names of other close family members:
Aunt – Loraine Noll Stendie
Isabel and Roy Noll
Grandmother – Lydia Meiner Noll
Grandparents – McKowen
Date and place you married Grandpa:
April 9, 1949 – West Allis Presbyterian Church
Grandpa’s parents’ names:
Theodore and Flora Wangemann
His brothers and sisters, from oldest to youngest:
Theodore Wangemann, Jr.
Faith Flora Wangemann Beierle
My parent’s birth dates and places of birth:
Florence – born July 26, 1895
Lester – born July 23, 1897
My aunts and uncles, from oldest to youngest:
Loraine and Henry Stender
Isabel and Roy Noll
Our Family History
Where is your side of the family originally from?
Germany and Holland
How did they get to this country?
Most of them came by boat and lived on the East Coast of America
What did they do for work once they came here?
Most of my family arrived here and started farms and later went into construction.
Where is Grandpa’s side of the family originally from?
Most of his family came over to America from Germany and Poland.
What are some of the biggest challenges or setbacks our family has faced?
Mostly getting together as transportation was not easy. Wanting to live close to each other and help each other.
How did our family get through them?
I believe the Lord helped all of those ancestors to get established and then provide for themselves. They recovered from fires and disasters and just kept on going.
Early Life
What were you like when you were a baby?
As a baby I was pampered a lot as first child, and was healthy and happy. I believe I was fat and active as my mother told me, but with age and activities I lost weight and had many friends to play with. My dad said I was more like a boy as I was always playing with the crowd.
What did you show an early talent for?
I have always liked music but never had an instrument to play on, so I listened to music a lot with my Dad.
Who were you told you looked like?
Most of my life, I have been told I looked like my mother.
Where did you live when you were a child?
I lived in Milwaukee in my early youth and then my parents bought a home in West Allis and lived there until I married.
What did your parents do for a living?
My mother was a stay-at-home one and always kept a clean home and good food. My Dad worked for the Railroad as a clerk doing a lot of paperwork, which he liked.
Did you have a nickname growing up?
Growing up I was always called Myrtle until I went to High School and then some called my Penny. I never learned why, but most answers just said that fit me.
Who gave it to you and why?
My friends where I went roller skating thought me generous. I could never understand but it stayed with me until I got married.
Who were your best friends as a kid?
I seemed to have many friends while small as all the children on our block loved to get together and play. Some of their names were the Bachmans, Hefty, Hein, Borgwardt, Heling, Smith, Krazeski, Mael, Fenske and more. Most families stayed in their homes a long time, so I went to school many years with them. Jane Borgwardt was probably the one person I played many years with, and I corresponded with her until her death.
Did you have any pets growing up? Tell me about them.
I didn’t have any pets while growing up as my mother didn’t like them, but my Dad always had fish. So we had several fish tanks and he kept increasing as some died. My Dad, sister and I would watch them swim. We helped to clean the tanks also and enjoyed doing things with my Dad as his day at work was long.
What sort of games did you like to play?
Growing up the neighborhood children played many games such as Kick the Can, Tag and Marbles. I liked to play baseball and fun games on the ice.
What were your favorite toys?
I guess I was a typical girl and liked to play mostly with dolls when I stayed in the house. My mother made clothes for them so we learned how to sew some. I didn’t have a lot of just toys, we did have a good collection of games so on cold or rainy days we played games. Many of those games are still played today.
What were your favorite books or songs?
I can’t remember any favorite book but my Aunt Loraine usually gave me books for Christmas presents: “Heidi,” “The Little Engine that Could,” “Nursery Rhymes.” Because my mother taught in the youth group at church, I enjoy the church songs for children.
Tell me about a time you got into trouble when you were a kid.
The only time I really got in trouble as I remember as a child was when my parents had company and wanted me in bed. I guess I made excuses of hungry, etc., but my mother gave me a piece of bread and I put too much peanut butter on it, so not too much later it all came up and I got scolded for it in front of people – never again! My parents didn’t scold my sister and me. They mostly took a lot of time to teach us well.
What did you fight about with your brothers and sisters?
My sister and I didn’t fight with each other as there were only two of us and we seemed to share without trouble.
What are some current inventions that you never would have dreamed of back then?
Most of the current inventions we are having now would have seemed impossible then. The computer and all that goes with it – the cell phones are very different than 4-party lines when I was small, and just fast production in manufacturing goods now. Speed is the world now.
Growing Up
What did your family do in the evenings for entertainment?
In the evenings for entertainment our family mostly listened to music, played board games, and sometimes wrote letters. We many times would go ice skating and stop in at the corner ice cream shop for a treat. My Dad enjoyed stage plays and musicals so we went to them occasionally and in the summertime we went to Concerts in the Park.
What’s a hard lesson you had to learn?
As a small child I guess my mother would tell me to help keep the house warm, so that meant for me to help put coal in the furnace and I just didn’t like getting dirty, but as I got older I had other jobs to do which I liked better.
Tell me a cherished memory of your mother.
I have many memories of my mother as she was always there for me when I needed help. She loved to cook and sew, so my sister and I enjoyed our time with her. I can remember many moments when she helped me even though she could have done something else. She always made sure I was learning in school and because she had a love for religion, she made sure I went to church and also went to Sunday School, and later I taught some classes.
Tell me a favorite memory of your father.
My father had a great love for the outdoors so I can always remember at Easter Time we walked from West Allis to Milwaukee for an Easter sunrise service. We always came home to a delicious meal my mother had cooked. My father loved flowers, so we had plenty to talk about while walking.
What is one of your favorite memories of your grandma?
My Grandmother lived with my Aunt Loraine so our family visited them on all holidays. My uncle and aunt lived downstairs so it was the whole family together. My Grandmother always seemed old so we played many board games with her and sometimes while my Aunt Loraine played the piano, we sang songs. Grandma was always happy and gave us a lot of love all the time. My sister and I were always glad to take a bus or streetcar ride to visit her.
What is one of your favorite memories of you grandpa?
I never knew my Grandfather as he died before I was born.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I don’t remember any special thing I wanted to be but just wanted to be like my mother. As I got older I seemed to enjoy secretarial work so since my parents worked in offices, there is where my heart was. I always remember helping my Dad each Christmas sending out Tuberculosis Seals and then counting the return contributions later.
Who were your heroes?
As a small child my heroes were mostly Bible story people as my Mother told my sister and me many stories. As I grew older movies came into my life and I liked Alan Ladd, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and Sonja Heine, and others.
What were your favorite subjects in school?
My favorite subjects in school were math and spelling. These subjects came fairly easy to me and I could always rely on my parents to help me when in doubt.
What did you dislike about school?
I enjoyed going to school and having friends, but sometimes I wished I was more knowledgeable to keep up with all my friends. Sometimes I disliked sitting so long in class and later in life enjoyed changing classes and different teachers. I liked to hear different opinions about what I was studying.
On an average day, what did you do after school?
Most days after school, I came home and played until dinner time and then did my homework. I enjoyed games and later in life my mother taught me cooking and sewing so days seemed to go fast for me.
As a teen, what sort of music did you listen to?
As a teen, my taste was for popular music. I enjoyed spiritual music sometimes as my father always listened to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
Who were some of your favorite actors and actresses?
Shirley Temple. Sonja Heine with her ice skating and Bob Hope as well as Frank Sinatra.
What were some of your worries as a teen?
I don’t remember any specific worries as a teenager as my parents seemed to help me feel loved at all times and they were always there for me.
Describe what you’d do on a fun night out as a teen.
My fun night out as a teen was mostly ice or roller skating and going with my parents to stage and musical shows.
Where did you go on your very first date? Who were you with?
I’m not exactly sure, but in High School I went with a neighbor boy to a school play. Chuck Fenske only lived a few houses from me, so I had played with him after school a lot.
Starting a Family
How did you meet Grandpa?
I met Grandpa through friends of mine, the Pfeiffers. We all went roller skating and I usually took the bus but Roger drove, so he gave me a ride and then we just kept going until we got serious.
What were your first impressions of him?
He was shy but polite and he treated me kindly.
If someone had told you that you were going to marry Grandpa, what would have said?
When I first met him I didn’t think of marriage but as time went on we enjoyed doing things together, and got older and found interest in each other.
What did you and Grandpa do on your first date?
I don’t really remember, but expect it was roller skating or a movie. We seemed to double date a lot, so we enjoyed groups. Roger had a friend who didn’t seem to date much, so we went out often as a threesome.
How did Grandpa pop the question?
He came to my house and asked me what I was sewing some pillowcases for, and then it went on from there and he gave me a cedar chest for Christmas so it wasn’t long after that and we made wedding plans.
Tell me about the wedding ceremony.
We were married at the United Presbyterian Church in West Allis as he did not attend any specific church and I was active in mine. It was a short ceremony, but we had friends and relatives there for us. We had my sister Joyce and his brother Ted stand up for us.
After the ceremony, how did you celebrate?
After the ceremony, we went out to eat and then had a reception with music, dancing and beer. Roger’s father played the accordion and a few friends helped out. Later, Roger and I left for the honeymoon.
Where did you go on your honeymoon?
We went on a honeymoon to Northern Wisconsin and Michigan. As we didn’t have a lot of money, we did a lot of just seeing the world.
Where did you live as newlyweds?
We lived with my parents for about 6 months and then moved to a Milwaukee apartment. We had 4 children there until we were able to purchase a home in West Allis.
Did you work? Where?
I worked for the Wisconsin Electric Power Company in the secretarial department in Milwaukee and Roger was helping his father try to sell Real Estate. Since he didn’t pay too well, he got a job at a Filling Station and later at a Leather Company.
How did you celebrate your first anniversary?
Our first anniversary was celebrated at our apartment with family visiting us.
What did you learn about marriage and relationships that you would recommend to any young couple?
Mostly just learn what each one wants from life and the way they hope to accomplish it. Our religion was an important difference at first, but with time and patience we got to be in harmony with each other.
What was something about marriage that you didn’t expect?
I guess I didn’t realize how expensive it would be and just what the future was going to be.
Where else have you lived in your lifetime?
In my lifetime I have lived in Wisconsin, Georgia and now Utah.
A New Baby
How did Grandpa react when you told him you were pregnant with Barbara?
I don’t think his reaction was too different than most people only he didn’t think it would happen so fast.
What was the best part about being pregnant with Barbara?
Probably the best part was that I was healthy and with our income it sure helped. I only regretted living on the second floor and having to climb stairs every day.
How did you choose Barbara’s name?
I don’t think it took much effort to choose a name for Barbara, as we decided I would pick out the girls’ names and Roger the boys’.
How did having a child change your life?
I guess it only changed my life because I started being home and not going places all the time. All of our children were good and easy to take care of, as they were healthy. I only found we didn’t visit our friends as often and enjoyed our family life at home.
Did you have any jobs while you were raising children? What were they?
I never worked while married, except when we only had Jean at home, and then we needed college money. Roger always made sure we had the necessities so I took care of family while he did his part.
Did you have any me-time during those years?
I didn’t have much me-time as eight children kept me on a 24-hour schedule. Most days were filled with family life.
What activities or hobbies did you pursue?
Most of the activities during marriage were first family games and sports. I didn’t have hobbies as sewing and cooking kept me busy with learning new things.
When your children were babies, who did they look like?
Most people seem to think our girls look like the Omon side of the family, and the boys like the Wangemann.
What were your children’s first words?
I think I could easily say most of our children said “Ma-ma” first.
What were your children’s favorite childhood toys?
Most of the childhood toys were dolls and cars or trucks. I would say I enjoyed them having a swing as it entertained them for a long time. Uncle Ted bought one when Barbara was born it got a lot of use.
What were some favorite stories or songs?
“Heidi,” “The Train that Could,” The Lone Ranger, Poems and Verses
Songs: Jesus Loves Me, Away in a Manger, Nearer My God to Thee, Onward Christian Soldiers
What’s a fun, little-bit-embarrassing story about your children that you love to tell?
I don’t think I have told embarrassing stories about my children, but do remember telling how Tom set a field on fire only to learn it’s harder to put it out.
What were some lessons you had to learn as a parent?
As a parent, I learned to be patient and always learn the detail of all circumstances. It appeared that each person concerned had a different interpretation of what was happening. I also had to learn to stick by what I said and not change my mind so get the information correct first. I had to learn to make sure everyone in the family was concerned with what was going on in the family. I needed to make everyone happy and remember not to leave anyone out.
What career path did you think Barbara would pursue when she grew up?
Barbara, being the oldest, thought she knew everything first so as a small child she wanted to be a teacher and teach what needed to happen in their lives.
As a kid, how did Barbara get into trouble?
I don’t remember much of her getting in trouble, only feeling she was the oldest and wanting more privileges than her brothers and sisters.
What was Barbara like when she was a teen?
As a teen Barbara was just like most, always wanting to go places. Being she wore a brace, it confined her to some activities but she was always willing to try activities.
Tell me about a time when Barbara made you proud.
I think I would have to say the long period that Barbara had to wear a brace was not easy for her as she seemed to want to do things that it restricted her from, but she kept a good attitude most of the time and felt it was a blessing to improve her health. It took patience on her part but today she doesn’t wear a brace.
A New Generation
What did you think when my parents announced they were getting married?
I have always been very happy when I learn my grandchildren are trying to follow a wonderful path to eternal life. So obeying God’s laws made Roger and me happy.
What was the most memorable part of Rob and Barbara’s wedding ceremony?
I think I would have to say the temple ceremony and instructions they were given. I only regret that Barbara’s father was not able to come to Utah.
How did you feel when you heard they had children on the way?
Roger and I were very happy. We only felt concern about the expense of it as the parents were still in school, and concern for where they would live.
What sort of parental advice did you give my mom and dad?
I don’t expect we gave them a lot of advice as we knew the future for them would be different as to “what comes next.” We tried to hold on to advice of “Stay out of debt” and just live within their means. Good Education is great opportunity and just plan ahead.
