Bernetta Catherine Noe |
Born: 20 Feb 1914
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Died: 22 June 2011
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Bernetta was the eldest of seven surviving children of Louis Lumbrezer and Anna Bauer. She was born at her parent's home on the east side of Fulton-Lucas County Road, between Frankfort and Bancroft Road. Her nicknames growing up were "skinny" and "lemon squeezer" (for "Lumbrezer"). The household didn't have electricity until she was twelve years old. She attended school for ten years at St. Mary's in Caraghar, Ohio.
Between 1930 and 1932, she lived and did housework at 2428 Scottwood Ave., Toledo, for David H. Goodwillie (1887-1952), the vice president of Libby-Owens Ford. She also accompanied the Goodwillie family on a trip to Atlantic City, NJ, during this period. She was paid three dollars and fifty cents per week, and was expected to send three dollars home to help her family.
She met her future husband, Francis (Red) Noe, at a roller skating rink in 1930, and they married on 30 June 1932 at St. Mary's in Caraghar. They spent their honeymoon visiting her Ruppel relatives in Indiana.
In 1935 and 1940, Bernetta and Red had two children:
Living {priviate} (b. 1935)
She married Living {private}
Living {private} (b. 1940)
He married Living {private}
Bernetta and Red first lived in a house on Cass Street in Swanton, Ohio that has since been torn down. In 1935, the family moved to 235 North Main Street in Swanton. Around 1936, the family moved to Carroll, Ohio (Fairfield County, southeast of Columbus). The family then moved back to Swanton in 1940, living at 102 Cass Street, across the street from Red's father. Bernetta's second child was born there. After that, they lived at 231 North Main Street.
Around 1958, Red sold the Main Street house, and he and Bernetta moved in to an apartment above the St. Richard school bus garage. They later lived at 124 St. Richard's Court in Swanton for a short period. Red then built the house at 124 Elm Street, which they lived in from 1962 onward.
In the early '50s, Bernetta worked at Judson's Food Market, and then at Smith's Drugstore (later known as J & J Drugstore) in Swanton. She also worked for many years in her son-in-law's flower shop.
Bernetta and Red celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1982, and the picture shown here is from that event. After Red died in 1987, she continued to live in their house on Elm Street.
Bernetta was a wonderful cook, and prepared many memorable meals for her children and grandchildren at Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. She was also an inveterate bowler and card player. She played euchre with her family, and pinochle with her card club for many years. She and Red often vacationed in Florida during the winter.
Bernetta had an infection after the birth of her second child that left her deaf in one ear, and her gall bladder was removed in the 1970s. Otherwise, her health was good up to a few months before her death. She was still living at home and driving herself to church and the supermarket at the time of her 97th birthday. Shortly after that, however, she suffered a fall, and complications from that incident, as well as congestive heart failure, led to her death.
Bernetta died at age 97, and was buried on 27 June 2011 in the St. Richard cemetery in Swanton. She was survived by her two children, seven grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.
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