No. 6, May 2008
Journal
The Hired Girl - 1954 PART TWO
by Delores Miller
Three weeks ago Gert Mielke passed away. In the summer of 1954 I was the 'hired girl' for the Mielke family where I earned a dollar a day to baby sit those four naughty boys, cook, scrub dishes, clean the house, wash the clothes with a wringer washing machine, hang outside to dry, cut their huge lawn with a push type mower. Earl and Gert had an active social life, so often I had to babysit at night, giving the children baths, reading them stories and putting them to bed.
Other commitments forbid us to attend Gert's funeral, but now just three weeks after Gert died of Alzheimer's, her 83 year old husband Earl passed away suddenly. He was residing in an assisted living facility, where he had all his faculties, he played cards, told jokes, enjoyed going for rides with his many children. He died of a broken heart, could not go on living without his Gert.
We were not busy the day of the funeral for Earl, so made the 50 mile journey 'up north' to St. John's Lutheran Church. Sang the usual songs: 'How Great Thou Art', 'Eagles Wings', 'Just a Closer Walk With Thee'. The 23rd Psalm, Bible Readings. Two elder sons gave eulogies on both their parents, some stories had us all laughing, saying only two things matter in life - death and taxes. Earl passed away April 15, 2008 - the day income taxes were due and the date of his death.
The six children were pallbearers, waltzed him the last mile to the cemetery in the rain. 175 friends and compadres stayed for lunch and fellowship, ham buns, scalloped potatoes, jello, salads, cake, coffee and milk.
It seemed to be a reunion of the former 'Hired Girls' and 'Hired Men'. Oh, what tales we told. Pat Adams who worked during the 1953-1954 school year said she got paid $5 a month, to work before and after school and weekends. So the dollar a day looked mighty big thinking now about it. A hired man said he received $100 a month, but worked 14-16 hours a day on that dairy farm, milking cows, doing field work. Especially hard he said was forking pea vines on a truck to take to the cannery. Earl was a wheeler-dealer and was not often at home.
So it was an end of an era for us hired girls and hired men. Now we are all creeping to the age of 70, and most of us went on to lead productive lives, probably because we learned young how to work hard by the farm of Earl and Gert Mielke.
May we let them rest in peace.
copyright 2008, Russell and Delores Miller
