Three Pines Restaurant
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Three Pines Restaurant is today’s Mobile Quarry Mart
Posted Living Sussex Sun, Feb. 28, 2012
The Sussex Lisbon Area Historical Society recently had a three-fold storm of events in January and February gaining artifacts and memories dating back more than a quarter century that connect with a Lisbon business today. The circle of history involves Donna Zimmerman of Good Hope Road in Lisbon, Francis “Sonny” Mehringer of Highway K in Lisbon and the owners of the Mobil Quarry Mart on Lisbon Road, Amid and his wife, Najwa.
The Mobile Quarry Mart was built in 1994 in the place of the Three Pines Restaurant – a favorite lunch stop for Sussex-Lisbon residents from the late-1960s until its demise in the early-1990s.
Mehringer donated two November 1993 photos of the Three Pines to the historical society plus a few other historically significant items. In return he asked the museum if copies could be made of the photos to share with Amid who was delighted to have them as he is interested in the history of the piece of land he now owns.
Zimmerman also made a donation to the museum of a collection of patches that were worn by two Sussex bowlers of the late-1950s to the 1970s. They were Charlie Woodchick and his wife, Retta Stone White. They were relatives of Zimmerman’s and owners of the former downtown Sussex Dew Drop Inn most famously renamed the Sussex Sweet Shoppe. Charles Woodchick was the son of the Templeton Bugline Railroad depot agent, Henry Woodchick who actually started the Dew Drop Inn next to the Podolske Hardware building (1915-66). The Podolske Hardware store was an important destination for Sussex and Lisbon residents for more than a half century.
One of the patches was from the Three Pines Restaurant. It is a green and white felt patch designed with three pine trees in descending height. Mehringer gave a Xerox copy of the patch to Amid along with the two photos. Later I visited Amid and his wife and gave him a photo and inscription about the William Graves/John Lauer farm house that once was immediately west of the Quarry Mart. A conversation sparked up and Amid shared his life story.
A Jordanian, his family came to America around 1912 when his father immigrated and then served in the U.S. Army during World War I ultimately earning his citizenship. However, during the Depression after 1929, he returned to Jordan because of financial difficulties. He married there and Amid was born who soon returned to the U.S. with his father. Amid became a small businessman in Milwaukee.
In 1992, he was up north and on his way home on Highway 41 when he took a short cut on Highway J (today Highway 164). When he came to Lisbon Road, he turned east stopping at the Three Pines for a snack. He found out that it was for sale and made a deal with the owner purchasing it for $115,000. There was a tenant with a lease who had the legal right to continue the business. However, after a few months the lease holder asked if he could get out of the commitment with no financial repercussions and Amid allowed it tearing down the Three Pines in November of 1993 and immediately building the Mobil Quarry Mart with his wife’s help opening in July of 1994.
Amid and Najwa moved to the area and in 1998, he joined the Lannon Lions Club participating in many of the club’s community betterment projects and fundraisers. Amid particularly participated in the construction of the Richard Schreiber Memorial youth baseball fields and park that now belong to Lannon.
The Quarry Mart is a popular pit stop for Halquist and Vulcan quarry truckers for their coffee, doughnuts and other refreshments.
Mehringer, whose initial donation of the old Three Pines photos, remembers the cook at Three Pines, Ollie Krueger. She and her husband, Bernie, ran Krueger’s Tap in Sussex in the late-1940s/early 1950s. Ollie brought her cooking skills to Three Pines when she needed a job. The museum also has in its collection a menu from the restaurant circa 1992. Krueger’s Tap is today Tailgators at Waukesha Avenue and Main Street in Sussex.
Abram, Helen A.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (WI) – Friday, October 19, 2012
Author: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Staff
(Nee Smiljanic) Of Menomonee Falls. Born Aug. 29, 1925, in Oakfield, WI to John and Helen (nee Radeck) Smiljanic. Found peace on Thurs., Oct. 18, 2012, at the age of 87 years. She is survived by her son Ty Abram, sisters Jean Nack, Rose Smiljanic (Charles Alexander) and brother Doug Smiljanic. She is further survived by many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Helen was preceded in death by her husband Howard Abram, brothers Roko and John Smiljanic, sisters Martha Schafer, Alice Halverson and Lucille Kisser.
In the 1940’s Helen worked at MasterLock and G.E., winning Miss G.E. 1949. In 1956 she built and ran the Three Pines Restaurant in Sussex . She also began flight training at Capitol Drive Airport gaining numerous hours of solo flight time in pursuit of her pilots license. In 1972 Helen opened Town & Ranch Realty. She ended her career with Wauwatosa Realty, retiring in 1985. Helen was a longtime active member and past president of the American Legion Auxiliary Post 382 of Menomonee Falls.
Helen was a truly special person, never turning from any of life’s challenges. She faced everything with courage, grace, and class, never giving less than 100% to her friends and family. Helen always made a point of sticking up for the “underdog”. She was loved dearly and will be missed tremendously.
Visitation on Monday, October 22 at the FUNERAL HOME from 3PM until time of Funeral Service at 5PM. Private entombment will take place at Wisconsin Memorial Park in Brookfield, WI. The family would like to give a special thank you to Aurora VNA Hospice, especially Forest, for their kind and compassionate care of Helen.
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