Lasst uns unsere Herkunft nicht vergessen! Let us not forget our origins!
Day 2 of the Roederer Family Reunion completely embodied this motto which is prominently displayed at Louisville’s German-American Club. There is so much to tell all of you ― it was an action-packed day full of fun and surprises. Stay with me until the end to hear about the most wonderful surprise of all!
Saturday morning began with many of our out-of-town family members touring Louisville. While others took the more relaxed approach spending quality time connecting and re-connecting with family members they met the night before.
Meanwhile, back at the hotel’s Pegasus Room, seventeen enthusiastic cousins joined Linda and me for our two-hour genealogy seminar “Looking into Your Past”.We learned how to start climbing your family tree, what online records are available, mysteries of DNA, preserving family treasures, how to bring your ancestors to life and so much more!
How many of you have boxes similar to this tucked away and forgotten in closets, basements and attics? Unfortunately, this is too familiar a sight… I am guilty, as well. We began the class with this picture and accompanying poem, “Strangers in the Box”, by P.A. Harazim. I find this poem quite powerful and thought-provoking and just had to share. Hopefully, this will convince others to do their part in preserving family history… before it’s too late.
The last stanza sums it up beautifully!
Take time to save your memories,
Seize the opportunity when it knocks,
Or someday you and yours
Could be strangers in the box.
Not only did Linda and I share our knowledge and passion for family research, but she and I both learned from others in the class. We appreciate everyone’s participation and making this class a huge success. Everyone took home a booklet with the PowerPoint presentation so they could dive right into their own family discoveries.
Aaron Lowe, owner of Real Tek Solutions, was the hero of the day for donating the projector, screen and his IT services. Aaron, husband of our cousin Jennifer Sawaya (Christian clan), can help you with network design, security, custom software design, hardware upgrades, disaster recovery and more. Visit www.realteksolutionsinc.com.
Shortly before 4 o’clock, everyone started arriving at the German-American Club. As you walk in, this wonderful venue makes you feel like you are back in the Old Country with its Maibaum-like chandelier, Bierstube, German flags and beautiful murals of German scenes, making the perfect stage backdrop.
Everywhere you looked, you couldn’t help but embrace your German heritage and ooze with pride. The banner of this newsletter depicts the scene gracing the right-side wall as you enter. If you look closely at the map, notice the two red plaques next to each other in the SW corner, near Freiburg. At the 2010 Reunion, we proudly added Diersburg and Friesenheim to the wall! Looks like we need to make two more for Oberschopfheim and Strassburg/Strasbourg. We can let our French cousins decide the appropriate spelling.
What better way to embrace the Germanic culture than to don a Dirndl or Lederhosen? A little family trivia… our cousin, Laraine Hauschulz Rank and her husband, Steve, were official German dancers at their California German-American Club. Laraine’s grandmother, Karolina Roederer Hauschulz, left Diersburg in 1910 and settled in North Lake, ND.
Most of the crowd had already picked up their registration packets and merchandise, so the bartenders went right to work pouring those hearty German beers and tasty wines for our thirsty guests. All of the tables were decked out in German-color table cloths, beautiful floral arrangements (courtesy of Janet Raderer) and a few extra Mardi Gras beads that were not allowed to return to New Orleans. To say this is the perfect place for our Reunion is an understatement!! It would not have been possible without German Club members and family extraordinaire, Tom and Janet Raderer. There are no words to express our appreciation.
RAFFLE… DOOR PRIZES… AUCTION!
Before feasting on Jägerschnitzel, there was a lot of activity to work up everyone’s appetite. We were pleased to so many of our local sponsors donated tickets to area attractions for us to give as door prizes. Some of our generous sponsors… Corvette Museum, Farmington, Thomas Edison House and Churchill Downs!
Nearly everyone purchased a ticket for a chance to win our raffle item, a large, framed “Roederer Immigrants of Diersburg” family tree. The ticket-selling ladies were easy to pick out in the room! They were wearing special Roederer Reunion 2018 aprons, courtesy of Linda Pennington. The raffle winner was Todd Roederer, sporting the lucky Lederhosen and looking like he stepped right out of scene behind him. Congratulations Todd!
Now for the much-anticipated auction…we had a perfect space to display the items for viewing and placing bids. A spacious room across from the dining area held the 20+ items for auction. A special, unexpected donation came from the Louis Roederer Champagne Company. They pulled promotional items from both their West Coast and East Coast offices just for us! When I opened the boxes, I couldn’t believe my eyes! They sent engraved cuff links, pen sets, leather-embossed key chains and a cool Roederer Champagne poster! The silver Roederer champagne bucket put this auction bundle in a different league!
There was something there for everyone… a 150-year old German cookbook, antique beer steins, Diersburg wine glass, hand-made quilted purse, gorgeous hand-carved cross, a doll and the hot item of the night with fierce bidding… the bourbon basket. A huge thank you to those who generously donated so many wonderful items for the auction: Chris and Anita Roederer, Steve Roederer, Marilyn Moser, Janet Raderer and Brian Broussard.
Our special French cousin, Diane Roederer, graciously donated a basket of culinary delights. Her truffle products made one lucky cousin VERY happy! For those of you who lost that bid or didn’t have the opportunity to bid, you can still indulge yourself with a number of truffle products from which to choose. Looking for a unique gift to give a loved one this Christmas? How about exquisite truffle butter, caviar or even edible 24K gold flakes! Visit www.drdelicacy.com for a culinary experience you soon won’t forget!
MEMORIALS
Since our 2010 Reunion, we lost far too many loved ones. Even though they were not with us physically, they certainly were all there in spirit. Becky Ettel Burnard, made sure of that! She made the most beautiful, memorial tributes to 16 of those dearly departed family members. Becky and her parents, Calvin and Annabel Ettel, were all with us in 2010 and I still remember seeing their infectious smiles like it was yesterday. I thought Becky was the perfect person to take on the task of putting together a tribute to those lost since she was the only person to lose both parents in that time. I n
ever would have imagined anyone taking this task to the incredible level that she did!
Becky made personalized 2′ x 3′ memorial boards for all 16, giving each one as much care, respect and attention to detail as she did for her parents’ memorials! These boards were beautifully displayed along an entire wall in the auction room. These were Becky’s gifts to be taken home by the family. The picture and my words cannot appropriately describe how incredibly moving this labor of love truly was. Becky, thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
Another special gift of Becky’s… a living tribute to Art Raderer, our only living Roederer centenarian. Art turned 100 years young this past May and over 250 of his dear friends and family gathered here at the German-American Club to celebrate his life’s accomplishments. At 100, he still drives, doesn’t use a cane or walker, mows the lawn at his lake house, and has a
memory that is sharper than people half his age! Unfortunately, three weeks before the Reunion, Art fell and broke his hip. After surgery, he powered through PT several times a day to get stronger as fast as possible, just so he could attend the Reunion. We are all so delighted that he was able to join us that day! One particular moment that is burned in my memory… I asked for all of the veterans to stand and be recognized so that we could thank them for their service. I glanced to my left and got a lump in my throat as I saw Art slowly stand up from his wheelchair, all on his own. A truly remarkable man in so many ways!
GUTEN APPETIT!
Our catering team, A Full Plate, outdid themselves with the delicious menu, presentation and service. The German feast included apple/cranberry/pumpkin seed salad, Jägerscnitzel, Garlic/Paprika Chicken, Spätzle with peas and carrots, red cabbage and the special item featured in the new Roederer Cookbook… Sauerkraut Balls. Chef Maureen graciously shared her “secret” recipe so the Roederer family could make this wonderful dish for their own family gatherings. A German meal is not complete without a dessert… the Black Forest Cake was to die for!
SURPRISE OF LIFETIME On April 16, 2016, I receive a captivating notification through Ancestry.com. This special date will remain etched in my memory forever, as it started an incredible adventure that was life-changing for me and for many others. Here’s how it all began…
My name is Daniel Critser. I am very new to this genealogy process and I promise to keep it short. According to my DNA results from Ancestry, you and I have a common match (I believe 4th cousins)… Just a little about me, I don’t have anything to go on as I was adopted at birth from Louisville, KY in 1971. Critser is my adoptive name. I did request and receive a short non-identifying letter pertaining to my birth parents from the Archdiocese of Louisville… Both where white and listed to be of German descent and that’s about all I have… Anywho, I apologize if I’m bothering you. I’m not trying to solve a life’s long mystery of ‘my lost family’ I am just curious as to learning a little about my roots… Without any blood relatives to go off of, this can be quite a task… I greatly appreciate your time in reading this and hope to hear from you. Best regards, Daniel
This adoption mystery intrigues me and I immediately respond…
You have presented me with a challenge and I want to help you in any way I can! Please feel free to contact me via my email… Looking forward to hearing from you and helping to solve your mystery.
Your new-found cousin (degree to be determined),
Rhonda Roederer
It took a little over a year to solve the mystery of Daniel’s parentage. He and I spent countless hours on the phone and exchanged hundreds of texts and emails. Along the way, Daniel and I discovered we had so much in common, aside from the mysterious familial connection. For starters, we have the same birthday, Nov. 28th, we both work in the oilfield, been married twice, no children, left-handed… and the list goes on and on. Another crazy coincidence is that I met his grandfather about 23 years prior!
Daniel and I formed an immediate bond the moment we met in person. Our spouses, Michelle and Brian, felt the same. Since that time, we have had 8 or 9 face-too-face visits and we happen to live 6 hours apart!
It’s hard to explain the range of emotions that I felt when I had the privilege and honor of publicly introducing Daniel to everyone that day. There at the reunion, Daniel got to meet three aunts, a great aunt and several first cousins along with over 100 other blood relatives. Everyone welcomed him with open arms!
To bring this story full circle… along his round-trip travels from Houston to Louisville, he was also able to meet both his birth mother and half sister in other states. Unfortunately, circumstances were such that neither was able to make it to Louisville, but they were there in spirit. Through the wonderful technological advancements, his birth family and adoptive family have now all connected and are overjoyed to celebrate this new chapter in Daniel’s and Michelle’s lives as one family.
It is difficult to explain the profound impact Daniel and his story has had on me. To have the opportunity to be a part of something so personal… so raw with emotion… so life-changing… well, it’s just an incredible feeling! Daniel and Michelle have become more than just “cousins”, they have become the dearest of friends. I am also thrilled that his “new family” has embraced me and Brian totally and completely, making us feel like an extension of their families! I never dreamed so much joy could come out of a random email from a stranger.
REUNION STORE
The response continues to be great with the reopening of the Reunion Store. Unfortunately, there is not time to get items in before Christmas, but family treasures are a treat anytime of year! Get them while they last! Click Roederer Reunion Store.
Stay tuned… you’re not going to want to miss the wrap up party newsletter to this unbelievable weekend!
Cousin Rhonda
Rhonda@RoedererReunion.com
504-452-4370