Following are some tributes to some of the Sandretzky boys. I did not originally request tributes and I realize that not everyone is included here. However, you will find through these stories that the others are mentioned. Also, some families have stronger pictorial than written memorials. Feel free to send more memorials to me at: click here

A tribute to Hubert Sandretzky
by his daughter, Janet Sandretzky Johnson

Dad was many things-good hearted, jolly, kind, a joker, a teaser, an occasional truth stretcher, generous even though he didn't have a pot to "you-know-what-in". He was creative in that he could form many plans and ideas but did not have the necessary skills or talent to carry them out. Therefore, he loved to remodel his home but it still looked a fright. Family was important to Dad--he loved talking to and get-togethers with the Sandretzkys and Olins. Something left over from those Stone Lake days I believe. I am so pleased he was able to attend that Olin family reunion in 1992, as he would die one month later.

Dad was not afraid to work and as you know was a jack-of-all-trades. He was always lecturing his "so-called" lazy teenage children. But he never realized that he really had taught us to be ambitious by his example you see. I guess we all wish we could do a few things differently in our lives, and have had more somehow. But the one true thing Dad had going for him was that he had come from a wonderfully strong family and history and he knew this.

Memories of Merrill Sandretzky

From Joyce Rothman: I remember my Dad as a hard-working man, but one who liked to have fun. He loved to dance and was a very good dancer. He also loved to figure skate and skated in many ice follies at the Curling Club in Duluth.

When we lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin he owned his own plumbing shop. I was about six years old in the first grade. He took us to school and picked us up everyday. He also played the clarinet and mandolin and was in several bands. He had a lovely tenor voice and sang in quartets when we lived in Milwaukee. Then the depression came and he lost his business and home and we moved back to Duluth, to live with our grandparents.

He worked hard with the W.P.A. and walked in snow knee high so he could work and provide for his seven children. Later on he got a good plumbing job with a shop in Duluth, and we moved to our own home. He later bought a lovely home on London Road, in Duluth and after I graduated and got married he and Mom took a trip to Florida to visit my sister Kitty who was a W.A.C. in the Air Force. My Dad fell in love with Florida came home and sold our home and moved to Tampa. He found a plumbing job there for a real nice shop and worked there until he had to retire early because of headaches, which were probably due to the loss of my brother Bob in Korea. I saw a big change in my Dad then and ten years later my other younger brother Merrill, Jr. (Shorty) was killed in Jacksonville. Both hard to accept but he did. He volunteered at the Veterans Hospital until the day he died. He also helped make the paper every month for the American Legion Post 111 and was an Officer there for a few years. My Dad lived a full life and enjoyed it all. My happiest times were probably at our cabin on Stone Lake which he built. We always had company and relatives there and they were always welcome.

From Kitty Griffin: My Dad was a very social outgoing person. He liked people and was happiest when involved in civic affairs and fun social affairs. He was very active in three veterans organizations, especially Seminole Post 111 in Tampa where he held several offices over the years. For many years he was on the funeral detail where his duty was to handle and attend funerals for other veterans--many without any families. He felt his doing this was an important contribution to all veterans--he was a very patriotic person. He was born in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. I don't know many details of his childhood, but I know he joined the Army when he was seventeen years old during World War I and spent his time in France. He had eighteen grandchildren who all adored him. They all liked to hang around with Grandpa. He was very good to all of them. All the holidays were very exciting when my parents were living. All our lives revolved around them--good times--sad times--close family ties. My parents lived about three blocks from me. I'd visit them almost every day. In his later years when he slowed down, my Dad spent lots of time puttering around his home which I called "The Plantation". Sometimes we'd have "social hour"--cheese and crackers and maybe a beer. I still go by the "Plantation" almost every day and I must admit I still get a lonely feeling when I pass by. One of my nephews lives there now. By the way, my parents had seven children--all with red hair--believe it or not!! Oh my pleasant memories--how they linger!!!

From Beulah Allen: Merrill was a very nice but very independent man. He never lived with his parents during his earlier years because Sadie was very young when she had him. He lived with his father Will's sister Beulah Williams. Beulah thinks that he may have moved to Chicago though when he was in Grand Rapids he bought a house from the Olins for $600.

From Florence Erving: My first memories of Merrill were at a very early age. Our family and Merrill's family use to spend time together. I remember these times as being full of fun. We would go to Wisconsin Dells, and picnics at Stone Lake (of course) where Merrill had a cabin. They always seemed to find room for our family. Our two families were about the same ages and head count. Merrill was always good natured and joyful. He cared for Evelyn and the children and was a good provider. I enjoyed them so much in my teens. I was always treated as one of the family. Merrill was well-respect by his friends and neighbors. He was retired as a plumber and was always active in something. He would let me drive their car and bought me my first drivers license. He was a good singer and could really harmonize. I was told he could really handle the banjo, but I can't remember hearing him play. In later years, I would visit the family in Tampa, Florida and Merrill and Evelyn still treated me as one of the family, as were my husband and children. Merrill and Evelyn enriched my life tremendously.

Memories of Rellis "Buck" Sandretzky

From Linda Sandretzky Isaacson

My father, Rellis "Buck" Sandretzky was a master carpenter as well as a jack-of-all-trades. He was an accomplished accordionist. Over the years he played with many bands in the honky tonks. At one time they had a radio spot called "Stump The Players" and people would call in with their request. Lillian listened to the radio all day long and wrote the words to all the songs in shorthand. Buck is best remembered for his story telling of his many hunting and fishing trips and being a "Hippie" before his time.

Memories of a child's visits to Stone Lake

From Fern Sandretzky Hughes, daughter of Effern E. Sandretzky

(most of these memories are from ages 8-16)

"Over the river and through the woods to Gramma's house we'd go...." Our day would start out about 5:00 a.m. with our Dad, Effern "Slim" as he was called because of his thin stature, yelling out "Is there anyone here who wants to go to Stone Lake?" Dad used that method I think just to watch us all pile outta bed and dress and eat in a big hurry so we could get going. We kids wasted no time. Nowadays it is just a hop, skip and a jump but way back then it seemed like it took us hours to get up there from Duluth. We lived in Lakewood about a mile from Lester Park which nowadays is a suburb back then it was just plain "country". I swear we went about 20 miles an hour tops. We found ways to entertain ourselves on those long trips. Before our brother Ron left for the CCC's, there were five kids to share that small back seat. Well, really four cause baby brother Lee got to sit in the front seat with Mom and Dad. That kid had it made, lots more room and when he got older, Mom let him sit by the door. Donna and I had to always sit in the middle while Les and Ron got the windows. That's abuse nowadays-ha! ha!-but we were thrilled to be able to ride in the car. We had to walk almost everywhere we kids wanted to go. Getting back to keeping busy on the trip, two of the things I remember well was we looked for out-of-state license plates and we also tried to name what make of car it was. Ford, Chevrolet, Plymouth, Dodge, Buick and Pontiac and maybe a few others. Nowadays, with each manufacturer making so many models it would make that game next to impossible. Back then I believe they all made one model to choose from. You have to know the boys always won that game. We all enjoyed singing and harmonizing to the songs that we all knew and Christmas Carols in season. Mom and Dad Mom and Dad always enjoyed listening to us sing and it sure helped to pass the time. Once in awhile there'd be a disturbance in the backseat. All Dad would say was "Who wants to get out and walk?" Boy it got quiet in a hurry. We were never allowed to be noisy in the car--never!! When we got to Two Harbors we'd make a left turn and head up to "Big Noisy Curve" and make another left and after a long time on gravel roads we'd arrive at the "store". Uncle Chance (Chauncey) and Auntie Mary now owned her Dad and Mother's store, "Wallin'-Rollin", which was changed to Rollins. The railroad crossing was named Rollins. If we were really lucky and Mom had a few extra nickels, we'd be able to buy an ice cream cone. After the long squeezed ride, boy oh boy that cone tasted so good lick after lick. After a short visit off to Gramma and Grampa's we'd go. We'd make another left at the store, go over the railroad tracks and then we'd come to where the road had grass growing in the middle of two tire track paths. Won't be too long and we'd make the last left turn heading into Stone Lake. Oh boy, we're there. Oh how excited we all would be scrambling out of that backseat. Of course, the boys were first out. We girls were second at everything--guess that's just how it was being younger then Ron and Les.

I remember Gramma (Sadie) as always busily going about her many chores. She really didn't take much time to talk to us kids but would talk to our mother and aunties while they worked in the kitchen. Gramma was a very hard-working woman and she figured everyone else should word hard too. She was a lot younger than Grampa (Will) and more hard-willed. Grampa was an ole softy. Always smiling and he had more time for us. We would tag along with him as he tended the bees, where we didn't get close, or went to visit friends and relatives in the cabins or down to the barn to milk 'ole Bessie with Butch the dog his steadfast companion. Everyone loved Butch, he was a big Lassie dog so friendly and gentle. Just like Grampa was. Grampa would let us try to milk the cows. I never could get the knack of it. He would point the teat at us, give it a squeeze and squirt us in the face all the time. He also aimed it at the cat dish and to our amazement put milk in it. He loved to tease and that's where all his boys inherited it from. He especially liked to pinch us and as "cousin Joyce once said, "he doesn't care where he pinches either." He used to grab just a teensy bit of skin and oh how that hurt! Grampa had been afflicted with Parkinson's Diseases and I remember him sitting in his chair in the kitchen with his big bunion pushing out of his shoes where he had cut the leather and his feet jiggling uncontrollably. Funny what one remembers of years past. We loved our Grampa and Gramma very much and had such glorious times at Stone Lake.

Gramma and Grampa's land was ideal for starting a resort. The railroad had built a bridge across the "narrows" between the two lakes named Big Stone Lake and Small Stone Lake at the time. My brother Ron told me the story on the bridge. The railroad used giant timbers they cut from the land and they're still in the water there today. They needed the bridge for the railroad line to haul those giant timbers to Two Harbors, Minnesota.

Mom once told me that a lot of people made fun of a neat archway Uncle Hubert had built for his mother out of young birch trees. All the ribbing he took over that archway went for not because it became the vocal point of many a picture and we all liked to sit beneath the archway and visit. Almost all who came there would walk through it on the way to the house.

Another memory was of a time while staying at Gramma's that I did something I was told not to do. That didn't happen too often but curiosity got the better of me and you could say "the devil made me do it." When Gramma had left for the barn I decided to see what was so darn extra special about the cream in the bowls covered with dish towels to keep the flies out. You see after separating the cream from the milk she would pour the cream in bowls and when the cream came to the top it was mighty thick and she would bottle it up and Uncle Chance would take it to Duluth Creamery where it was made into butter. She earned money for the "cookie jar" to pay bills. Well, I quick put my finger in the cream and tested it--have anyone of you ever smelled vanilla--and smelling so good you decided to taste it and it's not what you thought it might be? Well, that's just what that darn old cream tasted like. It was so thick that my finger had left an impression in it. Oh, I thought I'd really catch heck but Gramma never said a word. Had she not told me to touch the cream I never would have.

Uncle Buck (Rellis) and Auntie Lil were my favorites. They spent a lot of time with our family. I love them dearly for all those wonderful memories. I always thought Uncle Buck was so handsome and Auntie Lil so pretty. I remember their wedding dance at Indian Lake dance hall. Auntie Lil had bought 1/2" pink satin ribbon and had a stamp made up with Buck and Lillian then stamped it on the ribbon then cut it at an angle. As we came into the dance hall someone fastened the ribbon on with a straight pin. Oh how I felt so extra special. I treasurer that ribbon for years until it got lost. Oh what fun we all had celebrating their wedding. The music was lively and I remember my Dad (Effern) played his mouth organ (harmonica) and the "bones". His bones he made out of cows ribs--cutting them to the right size, staining and varnishing them. He held 3 ribs per hand between his fingers then shook and rattled them in perfect time to the music. Took the place of the drums. There was a talent to shaking them. Wasn't as easy as writing about it. Uncle Buck played his accordion. The other members of the band I can't remember but that was 1938 and I was only 9. The coffee perked away on the big woodstoves and smelled so good. The cooks (wives) would add eggs and the shell to the pot while it was brewing. One got hungry dancing the night away doing the two-step, waltzes, square dances, shoddishes and mazurkas. The last three being my favorites. I loved to watch my Mom and Dad glide across the dance floor to the music of an old fashion waltz. They were so smooth, oh what special memories. Pretty soon that coffee aroma got you thinking "let's bring on the food." There were sandwiches, cakes and cookies, oh it was sooo good. I remember also all the good foods we had when visiting at Stone Lake. I remember Gramma, Mom (Pauline), Auntie Lil and other in the kitchen fixin' up the "grub". Uncle Buck and Uncle Hubert too would go in separate boats to bring back fish for dinner. Everyone always said Uncle Buck could catch fish with a "piece of old newspaper." He was a true outdoorsy kinda guy. There were big, big northerns and walleye pike in Stone Lake and Uncle Buck knew where they were. We'd help clean the fish down by the water then bring them up to the kitchen where all the ladies were busy peeling potatoes to boil making gravy and us kids would go with Gramma to the "root cellar" for peas, carrots, corn, green and wax beans that Gramma had canned form her big garden--there was homemade bread and butter, maybe a big batch of bisquits and whenever Gramma saw company drive up, there were no phones for calling, out came the big navy blue enamel roaster. She'd fill it with beans, water, molasses and brown sugar and maybe some salt pork and oh them beans were so good. After we ate all the ladies would clean up the mess. Gee, when did they get to relax and enjoy the visit? Uncle Buck might get out his "squeeze box" and I remember Donna, me and Auntie Lil would sing to his music. My favorite was "Harbor Lights". I venture to say that was their favorite too! Sometimes we'd sit in Gramma's special little sitting room. Other times we would sit on a swing that had been built between two birch trees. We three would swing and sing. You can see a picture in this history of Uncle Buck sitting on a chair with his accordion near where the swing was.

In the sitting room there was as walnut table that the sides fold down that Uncle Hubert made and a rust wine colored couch he had helped to build in his cousin Otto Olin's furniture shop. Gramma had it all covered up so as not get it dirty and we never sat in there very much. After Grampa died and Gramma sold the resort I was the lucky recipient of her couch and table. In later years I gave my sister, Donna, the table. I wish I had it now to give to Uncle Hubert's daughter Janet Johnson. What a treasure she would have had.

We swam a lot as younguns'. Growing up we lived outside of Duluth in Lakewood on dear old Lake Superior which was our swimming hole. Each summer we always tried to be the first one in. Brrrr--it was mighty cold and the dogs always won. Stone Lake was much smaller and quite warm --BUT--full of bloodsuckers. We all hated those darn things. They were hard to remove and when removed we'd bleed and oh how we hated to see our blood. Gramma said to use salt--it works. We'd swim out to the big rock and sometimes if a boat was not being used we could row out aways and there were no leeches out there.

We kids liked to play down by the barn where the chickens and animals were. Gramma's "mean old rooster" would always chase us and scare the heck out of us. We could never figure out why gramma let that ole' ornery rooster live. We also could never figure out why that "old rooster" never chased Gramma and Grampa. As I think back now I'm sure Gramma and Grampa had clubbed him a few times and it knew better. The barn was down by the water and when we were very young we discovered one of the puppies had gone down on the dock and fell into the water. Oh, our hearts were broken. He looked alive but we couldn't get him to wake up. Oh how we tried! Another time when I was older there was another heart wrenching experience when Grampa's work horse "Dick" got mired in a mudhole. It was quite aways from the barn out in the pasture. I can't remember who all was there trying to get him out but i do remember Uncle Buck and Hubert being there. Oh, how they tried to save "Dick" but he just kept sinking further down in the mud. They finally had to shoot him.

There were other things to do on the farm and resort. Like when Uncle Hubert would start up the "joker", a would be replacement for tractor, hitch up the hay wagon and we'd ride to the hayfields to collect hay. Also, there was a need for ice in the summer for the ice boxes in the cabin and house. All their boys would be there to help with that. They sawed big blocks of ice and hauled it to the ice house and packed sawdust all around them. There would be enough to last all summer.

There were lots more fun times then sad times. The most special time of the year at Stone Lake was the Fourth of July. All of the Olins would come up. The cabins were never rented on that day so that everyone had a place to stay. Grandma would save cream for those special days instead of selling it. We'd make our own ice cream. We kids loved to crank the ice cream handle while adding salt and ice chips. The end results were worth the effort because I have never tasted vanilla ice cream like what we made at Stone Lake. There were lots of folks to feed. Big picnic tables were set up outside with all kinds of good food.

Then there was the time we journeyed up to Stone Lake for deer season. It was Dad, us kids and a snuff chewing friend of Dad's. He chose to dirty up our back seat window by spitting tobacco juice about every few minutes. "Ish" what a mess. Gramma always rented cabins and fed the hunters. WE sat in a big porch with a long table. Boy, that was lots of fun. I made a mistake but only once, I was a fast learner. Our family had the habit of saying "toss me" instead of "would you please hand me". My mistake was with my Uncle Buck. I was at one end of that long table, he being at the opposite end. Thank God I said please toss me the potatoes and not the butter 'cause without warning there came a potato flying through the air. I'd still be cleaning up the butter. That's those Sandretzky boy though.

I have many warm memories of Uncle Frank, Auntie Vicki and her three sons, Jim, Les and Bobbie. After our move to Minneapolis our families mingled a lot. As far as I was concerned they were our cousins. Each of the boys was a unique individual. None of them looked or acted the same. Bobby and I would get to arguing. I love to argue. Bobby was a bit older so he'd push my buttons just to get me mad. We weren't really mad at each other, bless his heart. He passed away quite a few years ago on the operating table with heart problems. Jim was quite religious and a good singer. He spent a lot of time with us teaching us bible songs as we dangled our feet over the bridge. Les was very good looking and loved western music and had a great voice. Bobby didn't sing at all. I remember once when Jim was teaching us the songs and Les rowed out onto the pond just far enough away so that Him couldn't get to him. Les sang beautiful western songs at the top of his lungs. He was really getting to Jim. When Les grew up he lost a leg in the war. I had such a crush on him, he was so handsome.

We also saw Uncle Willard (Willard Olin), his girlfriend Charlotte and here handsome son Billy. I was very impressed with Bill, he was so nice and a neat guy. One summer he stayed up at Gramma's. I remember him nursing a crow back to health. He would kill a skunk to feed it fresh meat. I also learned he had studied the Chinese language. He wrote me note then told me the only way I could find out what it said was to find someone who could read Chinese. I never ever found out. I had a school girl crush on Bill but he was much older than me. He was in college when we met and I was barely in my teens.

My Uncle Merrill and Auntie Evie had a cabin not far from Gramma and Grampa. Us kids would go over and play with our cousins sometimes. We lived close by each other in Lakewood and grew up together until we moved to Minneapolis. Cousins Kitty and Joyce were a bit older than us and so they got to make fudge. They made fudge at the cabin when I was there--oh maybe when I was 14-15 years old. Of course I wanted to taste it and put my finger in the hot fudge on the stove. I went around with my finger in a glass of water all day--I burnt it good. I remember once pulling taffy at their house and that was fun and good eating. Once or twice they said "if you bring 2 cups of sugar, we'll make some fudge." Like a flash we ran home asked Mom for the sugar and were back down there. Oh, they could make the best fudge in all the world. I remember once Donna tried to make fudge when Mom was gone. She put it in the vegetable store room in the basement it never did set up, we had to eat it with spoons. It was around that time when I found out vanilla didn't taste the way it smelled.

It was very sad to see our beloved Grampa suffer with a stroke and die. We all journeyed up to Grand Rapids for our final farewell. He was sadly missed. Although we couldn't visit as we did when living in Duluth, we went as often as we could. But like all things wonderful that era was slowly coming to an end. When Gramma decided to sell their home at Stone Lake we witnessed a new modern Gramma. I only wished Grampa could have seen her. She cut her hair and had a perm put in. She started to wear some makeup. I remember when Gramma was getting primped up for Uncle Bucks' wedding I stood in their bedroom watching her curl her hair into ringlets around her face. She'd warm the curling iron in the chimney of the lamp. When she got all finished Grampa told her how pretty she looked. Gramma was far too busy to primp up every day but Grampa enjoyed seeing her prettied up.

How I'd love to be able to go back in time and revisit Gramma and Grampa up at Stone Lake. To see and talk to all those many aunts and uncles. Oh, what fun that would be. There are only two of the original people on the Sandretzky side and that's by marriage. Auntie Lillian Sandsted Sandretzky and my Mom, Pauline Moreau Sandretzky who was married to Effern Eugene Sandretzky. She'll be 100 on February 16th, 1998, God willin'.

Time is so rushed and pressured in our world today. Money was hard to earn but there was more peace of mind and they had more respect for what they did have. It's now a throw away world.

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