Jerry Wachdorf

Most letters from beyond 1932 not added yet, but letters mentioning Jerry include:

The only one added thus far including a section actually written BY Jerry is 9-9-1932 Wachdorfs (plus funny email at bottom of this page)

Gerald Francis "Jerry" Wachdorf

8-25-1919 to 8-19-2002

Siblings

1910-Edward Wachdorf Jr.

1912-Irene H. Wachdorf

1915-Arthur Wachdorf

1917-Harry Wachdorf

1923-Frank Wachdorf

1926-Larry Wachdorf

1929-Dolores Wachdorf

Only the last two Wachdorf children were born in the hospital. The rest were born at home. This gave Jerry grief when he tried to get a passport late in life, but had no birth certificate. It was not easy to find two witnesses to his birth to vouch for him.

married 5-24-1941

Charlotte Plaehn

Children

current generations

not listed

to protect

their privacy

Jerry's parents:

Edward Wachdorf

Irene Pfleger

Charlotte's parents:

Arthur Plaehn

Eva Marks

His maternal grandparents:

John Pfleger & Maria Grimm

His paternal grandparents:

Anton Wachdorf & Anna Klein

His maternal aunts & uncles:

c.1878-Henry Pfleger & Louise; 1880-Oscar Pfleger & Annie; 1883-Lou Pfleger & Gert; 1884/5-Dell Pfleger & Harry Wachdorf

His paternal aunts & uncles:

1883-Clara Roster & Henry; 1884-Kitty Hochertz & Tony; 1886-Harry H. Wachdorf & Dell; 1892-Joseph Wachdorf & Jessie; 1895-Lettie Myers & Harvey; 1897-Mae Wachdorf; 1899-Frances Stevens & Frank; 1902-Madge Wachdorf

His great-grandparents: Frank Grimm & Katerina Lukner

Jean Pfleger & Katharina Walter

John Klein & Christina Alberg

(Wachdorf ancestors unknown)

His great-great-grandparents & more in Pfleger Family tree

Click on image to enlarge. Once enlarged, to zoom, move cursor to right of image, back onto image, and click again.

From the baby calendar of his mother, Irene Pfleger Wachdorf: August 25, 1919, Gerald F. Wachdorf was born Monday morning at ten minutes to 5 o'clock. Godparents Louis F. Grimm and Louise Pfleger. (Note: Monday's child is fair of face. Note also: all of Irene's children except Larry and Dolores were born at home. This was problematic later for Jerry, when he attempted to get a passport late in life and had to find two living witnesses who could attest to his birth.)

1920 census, 649 87th Place, 9th Ward (Township: tract Ag. 5 bounded by 84th St. Cottage Grove 88th Place and precinct line State St.--this was out in the country at the time. They even raised chickens):

sister-in-law Adele Pfleger, 35, dress maker in a general merchandise establishment.

Edward J. Wachdorf owns home value $6000, has a radio. 41, married at 21, occupation: agent for Sinclair Refinery.

sister-in-law Adele Wachdorf (no longer Pfleger), age 45, married at 40 (though husband Harry Wachdorf is living down the street with his parents), occupation: seamstress for Dept. Store.

Cook County IL marriage license: Groom Jerry L. Wachdorf (middle initial a mistake?) age 21, bride Miss Charlotte H. Plaehn, age 20, married 5-24-1941. It gives the name of the Catholic Priest who wed them in St. Martin's Church, but I can't make it out.

On a honeymoon trip to Miami, Fla., are Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Wachdorf who were married a week ago in the St. Martin church.

Mrs. Wachdorf is the former Charlotte Plaehn, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur L. Plaehn. Mr. Wachdorf is the son of Mr. and Mrs. E.J. Wachdorf, 334. W. 58th st.

The bride wore white slipper satin and carried a bouquet of gardenias, sweet peas and lilies of the valley. The matron of honor, Mrs. Eleanor Cahill, wore white marquisette and carried pink carnations and sweet pears. Ruth Plaehn, Ruth Schickling, Mary Papp, and Justina Shannigan (Justina Hannigan?), the bridesmaids, also wore white marquisette and carried pink carnations and sweet peas. Little Charlotte Jean Cahill was the flower girl.

Wilbur Schuch* was the best man. Arthur Plaehn Jr., Harry Wachdorf and Francis Wachdorf ushered.

After the ceremony a wedding breakfast for 36 guests was held in the home of the bride's parents. In the evening a reception for 250 guests was held in the Odd Fellows hall at 63rd st. and Yale ave.

Mrs. Wachdorf is a graduate of Englewood high school, Mr. Wachdorf of De LaSalle high school. They will make their home at 9241 Throop st.

1942 (as told in 1992): Jerry told a story about getting rheumatic fever in the navy in WWII. It left him with a rheumatic heart. The doctor told him he wouldn't live to see 35. In telling the story, he leaned out of his chair to put his hand just about the floor and said, "I felt about this tall."

The navy put all the recovering rheumatics together in one ward, confined to strict bed rest so their damaged hearts might have a chance to heal. But the men, bored and depressed, pooled their money and sent one sailor over the fence to the liquor store. He came back with cheap rock-gut and they all got corked, stripped off their hospital gowns, and started playing tag on the grounds. MPs came to catch them, but they ran, giggling and giddy, naked, hiding, drunk.

It took until morning to chase down and catch Jerry, whose heart was supposed to have failed if he so much as got out of bed. They slapped clothes on him and took him straight to his scheduled doctor appointment, mentioning nothing of the night's romp out of embarrassment and fear of reprisal. Jerry's heart was checked and the doctor said, "This is the first day I'd say you have a chance. Your heart sounds much stronger. I don't know what you've been doing, but keep it up."

8-18-1999 email by Jerry upon hearing that his brother-in-law popped the tire on a small plane:

"Les, I am trying to learn how to do this E mail thing. Char has some 3-week old bagels here and we are sending you one to use as a tail wheel. They have good adhesion, will never go flat, will last practically forever, and are probably steerable. Plus they have onion flavor, so dogs will follow your plane."