It is now time to talk about Mother. Bertha Raith was born near Kotzting Germany on January 1, 1912. She was the daughter of Wolfgang and Anna Raith. I know little about Mother’s parents. (Hereinafter referred to as “Mom”. Wolfgang was a veteran of World War One. He served in the German Army. I know nothing of his service record. Anna was a housewife and mother. Mom had several brothers and sisters. Mom was a small child during the war. She did remember the poverty and hunger the children suffered during the war. She had a brother named Thomas, who died at a young age, but I don’t know when. Mom only went to eight grades of schooling. She may have worked as a domestic for rich people as a teenager. At age seventeen Mom immigrated to the U.S. The year was 1929. she was probably sponsored by her sisters, Fanny and Marie. I know nothing of the time Mom spent in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where her sisters lived. Mom went to New York City, where she had friends. They were named Helen and Katie. I don’t know how she met them. She most likely met them on the ship when she came over. Mother spoke often about ow she liked NYC. She worked for Jewish people as a nanny for several years. She took their two boys to see many New York sights and shows etc. Mom’s employers liked her. They owned a laundry business and provided her free laundry service after she married. Mom met Dad in the late 1930’s and they married in 1938. Mom had been introduced to Dad by my Aunt Theresa who knew Mom’s friend Katie. Theresa was married to Adolf’s half brother, Fred Wittmann. Mom and Dad honeymooned in Washington DC. After marriage the couple lived with Dad’s parents. My sister, Dorothy, was born January 22, 1940. Things got crowded and Dad bought a house in Hackensack, NJ in 1943 during World War II. Dad had a deferment while working in the war industry. His factory made bullet chains and a piece of the Atom Bomb! He said Generals would visit the factory. The Hackensack home, 448 Colonial Terrace was our only family home until Mom passed in 1970. Grandma and Grandpa would visit on weekends. Grandpa planted several fruit trees on his visits. He loved the home, which at that time a county atmosphere. Mom liked to garden and can. The New Jersey soil was rich and black and everything grew well. Mom was very close to her two children and cared to us in every way. Mother was a voracious reader and could read a novel in no time! She had an accent but spoke good English. She said she learned English by going to the movies! Both my parents loved jokes and laughter. Our neighbor, Art Clark, was a great storyteller and would tell Dad jokes when he came home from work. Dad would be sitting on the porch and just roar with laughter. All the neighbors could hear him laugh.
