Marie Rose Miller
By Michael R. Reilly
Mom
(View some of Marie’s class pictures here)
Marie in 1st Grade, 1933
Marie Rose Miller was born on October 16, 1927, theyoungest childof William Jacob Miller Jr. and Margaret Mary Semrow. Since she was born too late to start the1st Grade right away in September , 1933, she was home-schooled by her familyuntil after her 6th birthday, then attended 1st grade in November, 1933 at the old two-storywooden Lannon State Graded School house.
Marie’s niece, Shirley Ann Arnold (nee Miller) recalledhow she and her Aunt Marie would sit under the two mulberry bushes around thehouse and play dollies (probably around late 1930’s to early ’40’s). FriendShirley Wandsneider said that she and Marie also did this as children; she alsomentions that they both helped Marie’s father up at the school, probably hermother too in the library, and that Marie’s father was very good-hearted, butMrs. Miller would scold at times. They were both happy-go-lucky kids; and in the3rd or 4th Grade they found another good friend – Lauretta (Loretta) Kolbeck neeSchneider.. Shirley Wandsneider also said that the Millers weren’t the socialtype, belonging to Clubs and such, but neither did her parents.
They moved over to the new school in 1939 tobegin 7th grade. She graduated from 8th Grade in 1941 but continued hereducation through Lannon’s 9th & 10th Grades. Marie didn’t stop at 8th Gradenor did she after attaining her 10th Grade diploma; she went on to graduate fromMenomonee Falls High School in 1945.
Marie and best friend, Shirley Wandsneider, joined theSchool’s Marching Band, under the direction of Mr. Phillips, during the Springof ’41 (band was started in 1939?) while still in 8th Grade. Marie played the clarinet. Shirley saidthat Mr. Phillips formed bands in Merton, North Lake and Sussex as well, butLannon was the center of activity. The combined school bands played at variousevents in other communities and in Lannon during Advancement Association/firedepartment parades and picnics. They both continued playing in the bandthrough Lannon 10th Grade graduation, then joined the Menomonee Falls HighSchool band and Pep Club. As Shirley relates, “Playing in the Band andbeing in Pep Club wasn’t like playing football where you only played threemonths out of the year; what we did was a full year’s commitment.”
Marie and her good friend Shirley, visitedMarie’s sister Margaret in Chicago in 1942 and ’43, staying there for about aweek. After Margaret graduated (10th Grade at Lannon) she got herself a “government job” through some programassisted by the high school and went off to Chicago for about three years.
Picture above was taken Aug. 1945, printed by Guaranteed Photo Service, 30 W. Washington St. Room ?, Chicago, 2 Ill. Shirley Wandsneider on the right, Marie on left.
.Picture (actually a postcard, no date) to left–> Shirley, Margaret (in back), and Marie on the right
During the Summer of 1944 (between their Jr. andSr. years at MFHS) she and friend ShirleyWandsneider, and others, worked for the Snow White Garment Manufacturing Co. inMilwaukee making nurses’ and Catholic school uniforms. The summer before,in 1943,she was too young to work with Shirley, Marie Schultz and Shirley Risey at the Purity Treets Potato Chip factory,also in Milwaukee. Shirley explained that a local gentleman ( Mr. Mienyer?) drovethem into Milwaukeeeveryday, picking the girls up in Lannon, and droppingthem off at work. He would then go out of his way to wait for them and pick themback up, after he got off work, and drivethem home.
After Marie graduated from high school, she worked for theAmerican Appraisal company in downtown Milwaukee. later she switched jobs andwent to Northwestern Mutual. She joined the Company choir late in 1945 (?) andsang with them until around 1952. When I interviewed my father in March 1994,one of the things that really impressed him was going to Christmas Eve midnightmass with her family, and Marie sang a solo. He said it was just beautiful, andhe was so proud of her. Marie didn’t only sing but played the clarinet as well.While still at Lannon, she played in Mr. Philipp’s schoolmarching band.
Shirley DeLorm (nee Wandsneider, parents Otto G. andViola) told me that she, Marie, and some others always did some nutsy things. In1948, Wisconsin was celebrating their Centennial Anniversary (100 years ofstatehood). Marie, Shirley, Loretta (often times spelled Lauretta) Schneider(?),and and a friend from Northwestern Mutual decided to dress up, decorate herdad’s ’34 Chevy as a float and be in a Menomonee Falls parade. They all votedeach other in as different characters; Shirley dressed as Miss 1848, one dressedas a fireman, another as a businessman, and Marie was “Miss Lannon1948”. Marie’s mother made the costumes for the girls. Shirley saidthat she and Marie dressed up like this once again (this time using sisterMargaret’s car?) and rode in a Lannon parade. Marie was unanimously voted”Miss Lannon 1948″ by she and her friends, the first and only time theVillage of Lannon had a “Miss Lannon”.
When I asked Shirley DeLorm if there was anything unusualabout Marie, she said she didn’t have any quirks, except for skating without anyice skates, just in her shoes. Shirley also mentioned that Marie’s olderbrothers, Bill and John always looked after her (with Johnny being special toher), but always teased her as well. They would call her “Schpandy”,a nickname she hated, and she would call them “dandy dotillum dinks”.(If what I heard from Shirley translates correctly)
Marie first saw Robert (Bob) E. Reilly in the late Summerof 1950 at a baseball game in Lannon. She is supposed to have turned to herbrother Bill and his wife Florence, and say something like, “That’s the manI’m going to marry.” About ten days later they met again at Ischy’s Tavernin the Falls. Bob was trying to avoid a married woman from Milwaukee he had beenseeing, so he, Marie, Joe Stitchen and his wife slipped out the back. This begantheir dating and courtship. For a while Bob stayed with Marie at her parentsLannon Home. Bob said it had three bedrooms upstairs and he was always being fedtoo much by Marie’s mother. Her father was still trying to work as a janitor upat the school with help from his grandchildren; from Erv’s (Marie’sstep-brother) and Hattie’s marriage.
Marie Rose Miller married to Robert Emmet Reilly, June 30, 1951 at St. James Church, Lannon, WI.. Front (left to right) – niece Shirley Ann Arnold nee Miller, Loretta Kolbeck nee Schneider, nephew John (Jack) J. Miller, niece Sandra (Sandy) Miller, Maid-of-Honor Shirley DeLorm nee Wandsneider, Mary (Mimi) Cermak nee Reilly; Back row (left to right) – brother John J. Miller, Thomas (Tom) Reilly, sister Margaret Nowakowski nee Miller, Best Man (?), Marie, Robert (Bob), Roy Nowakowski, nephew Don E. Miller (Donny).
After Marie and Bob married they took her car, a ’47Mercury, and headed up to northern Wisconsin, Upper Michigan and Minnesota fortheir honeymoon. Bob always said his first born son, Michael Robert, had alittle Minnesota in him, being born nine months to the day. Afew weeks before he was born, Marie’s mother, Margaret Miller (nee Semrow) diedon March 3rd. it was a tough month on her.
Their first home was on Water St. in Menomonee Falls,north side of the street just up and over from Elmer Schneider’s Tavern. Theylived upstairs in a rented flat that just had a toilet and sink. The followingyear, they were able to move downstairs, after Laverne and Ellie Burg and familymoved out. Ellie was a sister to Mary Burg who had married Bob’s oldest brotherBill, so they were connected and got first dibs. They had Danny James Reillylater that year.
<–Picture to left shows Bob and Marie Reilly, son Mike in front of Bob, and Marie holding Danny (Dan), circa Spring of 1954. Salty had passed on, and Margaret and Roy Nowakowski were renting the old family house on Main St. in Lannon.