As a teenager Gustav found himself working on the Hekla , a Norwegian freighter. The captain turned out to be a stern, harsh ship master and when they reached New York in 1900, Gus decided he had had enough and disembarked. He would never see his family again, though they did keep in touch by letters. From there he worked his way through Wisconsin to Washington and by the age of twenty two, he courted and married Mary Alice Laprath on 30 Jun 1906 in Montesano, WA. Within ten years five children were born.
In 1910 Gus and Mary were living in Satsop, WA with three daughters. Gus was working in a grocery store. Five years later, the last two, twin boys were born, the pride of the family. The family moved to Seattle before September 1918, and lived in Greenlake, first renting at 7849 Stroud Ave and then owning a home on 7450 Corliss Ave by 1930. Gustav went to work as a machinist for the Crane Company and later as an engineer for the Carnation Milk Co. His son-in-law, Howard Bennett helped his secure this work.
The love between Mary and Gus was a very strong bond. The warmth they had for each other permeated the family. Gustave had thinning black hair and worn gold wire rim glasses. He had a hearty smile and warm sense of humor. After Nana's death, Gus wrote my father:
"I miss your mother very much Dick, it seems to be worse now, than earlier, I come home from work, the house seems so empty, no one here to greet me with a kiss or kind word, Your mother and I were so congenial, a long and happy life together and to think I shall never see her again makes me feel very desolate and lonely. Everyone is very kind to me, more than I deserve, but there is no one (who) can take the place of a loving, caressing wife. She was a wonderful wife & mother, and they don't make them like your mother any more. I shouldn't complain, I have everything I want, only wish I had my Mary. Someday you will bury me up there on the hill alongside your mother and I shall be very, very happy."
As a teenager Gustav found himself working on the Hekla , a Norwegian freighter. The captain turned out to be a stern, harsh ship master and when they reached New York in 1900, Gus decided he had had enough and disembarked. He would never see his family again, though they did keep in touch by letters. From there he worked his way through Wisconsin to Washington and by the age of twenty two, he courted and married Mary Alice Laprath on 30 Jun 1906 in Montesano, WA. Within ten years five children were born.
In 1910 Gus and Mary were living in Satsop, WA with three daughters. Gus was working in a grocery store. Five years later, the last two, twin boys were born, the pride of the family. The family moved to Seattle before September 1918, and lived in Greenlake, first renting at 7849 Stroud Ave and then owning a home on 7450 Corliss Ave by 1930. Gustav went to work as a machinist for the Crane Company and later as an engineer for the Carnation Milk Co. His son-in-law, Howard Bennett helped his secure this work.
The love between Mary and Gus was a very strong bond. The warmth they had for each other permeated the family. Gustave had thinning black hair and worn gold wire rim glasses. He had a hearty smile and warm sense of humor. After Nana's death, Gus wrote my father:
"I miss your mother very much Dick, it seems to be worse now, than earlier, I come home from work, the house seems so empty, no one here to greet me with a kiss or kind word, Your mother and I were so congenial, a long and happy life together and to think I shall never see her again makes me feel very desolate and lonely. Everyone is very kind to me, more than I deserve, but there is no one (who) can take the place of a loving, caressing wife. She was a wonderful wife & mother, and they don't make them like your mother any more. I shouldn't complain, I have everything I want, only wish I had my Mary. Someday you will bury me up there on the hill alongside your mother and I shall be very, very happy."
Gravesite Details
b: Trondhiem, NORWAY Husband of Mary Alice Laprath