Full Circle

Renata Reber

Description

I wake up in the middle of the night, reach for my writing pad and start writing in the dark. It is difficult to figure out all the scribbling the next morning.
If I would turn on the light, these thoughts would disappear in a hurry, reality will set in. My best thoughts are at night, my brain is clear and I can remember the smallest details. Mostly about my early childhood, my war experiences and the struggles that accompanied that period of my life.
During the daytime these thoughts are tucked away, deep in my brain and I avoid remembering those years. It’s now all in the past, but it should be remembered, because if I don’t remember my past, I cannot enjoy my future.

Sujets

• Biography
• Autobiography

Informations

• Publié par: AuthorHouse
• Date de parution: 26 janvier 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781665579124
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

Full Circle
“A Memoir and WW2 Survival”
 
 
 
 
RENATA REBER
 
 
 

 
 
AuthorHouse™
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.authorhouse.com
Phone: [phone]
 
 
 
 
© 2023 Renata Reber. All rights reserved.
 
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.
 
Published by AuthorHouse  01/26/2023
 
ISBN: 978-1-6655-7910-0 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6655-7911-7 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-6655-7912-4 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022923963
 
 
 
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
 
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
Contents
PART 1: AS I REMEMBER - THROUGH THE EYES OF A CHILD
An Ordinary Life
How It All Started
Then Came The War
Wo Meine Wiege Stand
The Early Years
The Night Of The Destruction
And The War Was Not Over!
Summer Of 1945
The Post War Years
My Father Returns
Back In Wuerzburg - 1950
Getting Married
PART 2: MY NEW LIFE
Bad Kreuznach
Keep Singing
The Piano
My Family Is Growing
My German Bond Is Broken
Barbados
And Than The Music Stopped
My Second Chance At Love And Life
A Trip With Reilly
Our Golden Years
My Bonus Years
The Pandemic
Robinella
The Pandemic Goes On
Full Circle
One last look back … Afterword
Acknowledgements
PART 1
As I Remember - Through The Eyes Of A Child

RENATE RUPPRECHT R EBER
Originally, I started to write my memoirs strictly for my family. Friends thought it was a rather interesting story and persuaded me to let others walk along with me down memory lane. Looking back, I had a good and interesting life. My memoirs are intended mainly for my family and future descendants to understand where they come from. Other readers may have similar recollections.
The script comes strictly from my recollection and memories, no specific research has been done. Dates and locations are true as I remember.

My Parents’ Wedding 1934 – Therese (Resi) and Theodor (Theo) Rupprecht

An Ordinary Life
An ordinary life! What is an ordinary life? I thought about it…… No life is ordinary! Every life has a purpose, every life is special. If we only knew what the purpose is. My life certainly was not ordinary. At least I don’t think so. Even so I did not achieve awards or great riches, it was an interesting ride. I grew up in Germany during World War 2 which was an experience I don’t wish on any one.
Children who grow up in the United States of America have no idea what a war is like, to live in it, to live with it and to grow up in it.
In America children go from infancy to Kindergarten, to grammar school, to High school, and maybe on to College. They play sports, date their classmate, go to dances, marry, have babies. Nothing wrong with that.
Then the circle starts all over again. Most people have siblings, stay connected with their classmates and have lifelong friends which bring them back to their school years. Some may never move out of their neighborhoods, their towns and/or States. Many never even travel to another country or have any interest what the rest of the world looks like or is all about. They live the “It’s a Wonderful Life” type story.
I thought about this for a while and came to the conclusion (at age 81) that most of the above mentioned experiences don’t fit my life. As I am on the down side and in my early 80’s, I am looking back to see if I can make any sense of it. I certainly don’t have the ability to change any of it. It is what it is and was.
Is anybody going to miss me after I pass?
What will I be remembered for by my children, my grandchildren? Why am I here in this world?
I turned out to be a pretty good cook. Oma, can you make potato salad for us, the grand kids ask?
I do make a great German Potato Salad, and a fabulous whiskey sour, I might add. (not to be paired, please)!
No, there was more to my life and my family needs to know about it. There never seems to be enough time for my children to listen to my stories, to my life experiences and why this was not an ordinary life.

From left top down. Emmi, Marga, Rudi, Resi and Hans Schuller
I was born at the beginning of World War 2 and experienced the first five years of my life under the Fuehrer’s regime. Adolf Hitler was his name. I am sure you all heard the name before. These first five years and the next five years that followed, shaped me into the person I have become.
There were good times and very loving times, however the atrocity of a war leaves lasting impressions. Survival is pounded into you and shapes you into the person you will become. I don’t want to remember yesterday, but it is always there. Somewhere in the back of my head, these war memories are stuck and it took many years for them to emerge.
In my early years, only tomorrow mattered, only tomorrow counted. I was caught in a black tunnel for years and could not see the light. I was existing in that tunnel.
After I got married and had children, my life became a somewhat normal routine. I managed successfully to forget these early years. These memories were in my brain somewhere, but not quite ready to emerge.
It was better for me not to remember the years from 1943 to 1950, so I blocked it all out.
Little by little however, pictures started to appear in my head and I began seeing frames which had been blocked and hidden for a very long time and not to be remembered for many years.

How It All Started
I was born as Renate Margarete Rupprecht on May 13 th , 1939, the only child of Therese Schuller and Theodor Rupprecht. My parents were married June 16 th , 1934.

My Mother, Resi
Mothers name was Therese, Resi for short. She was born November 28, 1910. Theo, the short version for Theodor, was born June 11, 1907. They both grew up in the same neighborhood in a beautiful city called Wuerzburg, “im Frankenland”, which is part of North Bavaria.

My Father Theo
My father was a mechanic, a good one I may say. He knew everything about cars and it’s motor, (not many people had cars in those days). He also had a motorcycle with an attached side-car. Every vehicle my father ever owned was kept in perfect condition. He was a fanatic about cleanliness and he kept all his possessions in “like new” condition. He was proud of everything he owned (which was not much). In those days, you survived by your weekly paycheck. People were happy to have a job.
Many siblings were born into my father’s family. A total of 11 children survived childhood diseases and grew up to become productive adults. They all lived thru WW1, so they learned hardship at an early age.
My grandfather built a fairly spacious home up on a hill, located just below the famous Festung Marienberg, the well-known fortress way up the hill with perfect views of the river Main.
I learned at a much later time (about 2020), the City of Wuerzburg had leased land to its citizens in the year of about 1900 to build a family home. These leases were written for the length of 100 years for a very minimum lease fee. That’s how my grandfather acquired the land and he then was abled him to build a home for his growing family. The 100 year old house was just recently torn down (about 2018) and the land went back to the City of Wuerzburg. Now, finally I figured out why nobody in the family inherited the house, my one uncle was able to live there till his death.
The large Rupprecht family occupied this home, built on several acres of land and fenced in by an enormous eight foot high black wrought iron fence. There were two gates to enter/exit the property. These gates were locked most of the time and you had to have a key to get in. I remember having to climb up many stairs to reach the house. There also was a chicken coop with a chain link fence (within the wrought iron fence) to keep the chickens contained.
The family had a total of 11 living children.
Grandfather was called Opa. He was a Toepfer, (making ceramic cook ware, pots and pans). By the time I was born he had gotten involved in local politics. Oma was a small woman und always busy feeding all her many children.
WWI started in 1914.
My father was only seven years old. The years leading up to the war and during and after the war, were not plentiful, rather meager. There were many fruit trees on the land, they also grew vegetables and raised chickens. That’s the image I got from the stories I heard from my parents. Still, my grandmother had a tough time feeding eleven little mouths three meals a day.
The family’s religion was Protestant or Evangelisch, meaning they followed the religion of Martin Luther.
My Mother came from a family of seven children, two of whom died in infancy, five survived. They lived in Wuerzburg in the same neighborhood as my father did, somewhat closer to the river “Main”. It was only a short walk to the Main and the beautiful “All Saints Bridge” or “Alte Main Bruecke” where we crossed the river just about every day.
My maternal grandparent’s apartment, was located on the second floor above “Backerei Froehlich” a very popular bakery. The apartment was very s