William was born August Georg Wilhelm Hueners on 28 Mar 1901 in Heber, Soltau-Fallingbostel, Niedersachsen, Germany (Prussia), the oldest son of Heinrich Jürgen Wilhelm and Maria Christina Margaretha (Heineking) Hueners. He went by Wilhelm A. in Germany and William A. in the USA. He first came to the USA in 1923, planning to stay, but had to returned to Germany in 1925, because of his father's untimely death.
While there, he met Margarete Deusser, who was visiting with her older sister, Lisa (Deusser) Korte, who was living just around the corner from the Hueners home. They courted, and when Margarete had to return to her home in Frankfurt am Main, they continued to correspond.
On 3 Apr 1926 in Niederrad, they married, and left for the USA about a month later, arriving in New York City on 13 May 1926. William and Margarete made their home in Ft. Wayne, Allen, Indiana, and had their first three children there; Wilhelm O., Estella Marie Louise and Fredrick A.
In the Fall of 1933, Margarete and the children went back to Germany because of the depression in the U.S., and William followed in 1934. They settled in Trauen, Soltau-Fallingbostel, not far from his family home in Heber, and closer to William's job, in Munster-Lager, where he worked as a bookkeeper in the payroll department for the German army. At the end of WWII, when the British received the mandate over Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony), he found himself in the same job, but working for the British army.
Right after WWII ended, they tried to come back to the USA as a family, but were turned back as they were boarding the ship. It took them 2 1/2 years to figure out how they were going to get back to the States. They finally began to see opportunities open up, but they had to return to the U.S. one and two at a time, as they were able.
Estella and Fred were first to return in Dec of 1947. When they left Germany, they didn't know if they would see the rest of their family ever again. William's first letter to Estella and Fred was written a couple of days after their departure, so a few days after their arrival, they already had a letter from him. He cared very deeply for his children. Their oldest brother, William O., was able to return and arrived in July 1949. Then Margarete came to the U.S. in 1954, and William A. with their youngest son, Karl-Heinz (who was born in Germany), arrived in 1955. On that occasion, they had a very happy and grateful family reunion in Ft. Wayne, but the family was still scattered over four states.
Once he was able to find a job, William and Margarete made their home in Albert Lea, Minn., then built a home in Glenville, Minn., where they lived until William retired. He worked as a payroll accountant and bookkeeper for May Engineering until he retired in 1963, which is when they moved to Lead, SD. They had finally received their U.S. citizenship in 1961 - a very proud occasion for William.
William had many hobbies - stamp collecting, photography, politics, family history, and in his retirement enjoyed fishing, and playing cards with a local card club. He also spent a good amount of time writing letters to family members, both in Germany and the U.S., including his grandchildren. When he wasn't too tired, he sang many songs to his grandchildren, both in German and English, much to their great delight. William had many friends wherever he lived.
In 1973, they moved to Pea Ridge, Benton, Arkansas, where about a week and a half after their arrival, William A. had a massive stroke, which put him in the hospital at the nearby town of Rogers. One and a half week later, he died as the result of another massive stroke.
He is survived by his wife, Margarete; all four of his children: William O. of Milwaukee, Estella M. L. (Hueners) Hertel of Lead, S.D., Rev. Fredrick A. of St. Paul, and Karl-Heinz of Albert Lea, Minn.; two sisters: Frieda (Hueners) Kiessling and Maria (Hueners) Ehrhorn, both of Germany; 12 grandchildren and several great grandchildren.
Preceding him in death were his parents, a brother, Heinrich; a sister, Anna (Hueners) Meyer, and a granddaughter, Rita Ann Hertel.
William was a very wise and intelligent man, a man of honor, and a very devout Christian. He will be very sadly missed by his family, and friends.
While there, he met Margarete Deusser, who was visiting with her older sister, Lisa (Deusser) Korte, who was living just around the corner from the Hueners home. They courted, and when Margarete had to return to her home in Frankfurt am Main, they continued to correspond.
On 3 Apr 1926 in Niederrad, they married, and left for the USA about a month later, arriving in New York City on 13 May 1926. William and Margarete made their home in Ft. Wayne, Allen, Indiana, and had their first three children there; Wilhelm O., Estella Marie Louise and Fredrick A.
In the Fall of 1933, Margarete and the children went back to Germany because of the depression in the U.S., and William followed in 1934. They settled in Trauen, Soltau-Fallingbostel, not far from his family home in Heber, and closer to William's job, in Munster-Lager, where he worked as a bookkeeper in the payroll department for the German army. At the end of WWII, when the British received the mandate over Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony), he found himself in the same job, but working for the British army.
Right after WWII ended, they tried to come back to the USA as a family, but were turned back as they were boarding the ship. It took them 2 1/2 years to figure out how they were going to get back to the States. They finally began to see opportunities open up, but they had to return to the U.S. one and two at a time, as they were able.
Estella and Fred were first to return in Dec of 1947. When they left Germany, they didn't know if they would see the rest of their family ever again. William's first letter to Estella and Fred was written a couple of days after their departure, so a few days after their arrival, they already had a letter from him. He cared very deeply for his children. Their oldest brother, William O., was able to return and arrived in July 1949. Then Margarete came to the U.S. in 1954, and William A. with their youngest son, Karl-Heinz (who was born in Germany), arrived in 1955. On that occasion, they had a very happy and grateful family reunion in Ft. Wayne, but the family was still scattered over four states.
Once he was able to find a job, William and Margarete made their home in Albert Lea, Minn., then built a home in Glenville, Minn., where they lived until William retired. He worked as a payroll accountant and bookkeeper for May Engineering until he retired in 1963, which is when they moved to Lead, SD. They had finally received their U.S. citizenship in 1961 - a very proud occasion for William.
William had many hobbies - stamp collecting, photography, politics, family history, and in his retirement enjoyed fishing, and playing cards with a local card club. He also spent a good amount of time writing letters to family members, both in Germany and the U.S., including his grandchildren. When he wasn't too tired, he sang many songs to his grandchildren, both in German and English, much to their great delight. William had many friends wherever he lived.
In 1973, they moved to Pea Ridge, Benton, Arkansas, where about a week and a half after their arrival, William A. had a massive stroke, which put him in the hospital at the nearby town of Rogers. One and a half week later, he died as the result of another massive stroke.
He is survived by his wife, Margarete; all four of his children: William O. of Milwaukee, Estella M. L. (Hueners) Hertel of Lead, S.D., Rev. Fredrick A. of St. Paul, and Karl-Heinz of Albert Lea, Minn.; two sisters: Frieda (Hueners) Kiessling and Maria (Hueners) Ehrhorn, both of Germany; 12 grandchildren and several great grandchildren.
Preceding him in death were his parents, a brother, Heinrich; a sister, Anna (Hueners) Meyer, and a granddaughter, Rita Ann Hertel.
William was a very wise and intelligent man, a man of honor, and a very devout Christian. He will be very sadly missed by his family, and friends.
William was born August Georg Wilhelm Hueners on 28 Mar 1901 in Heber, Soltau-Fallingbostel, Niedersachsen, Germany (Prussia), the oldest son of Heinrich Jürgen Wilhelm and Maria Christina Margaretha (Heineking) Hueners. He went by Wilhelm A. in Germany and William A. in the USA. He first came to the USA in 1923, planning to stay, but had to returned to Germany in 1925, because of his father's untimely death.
While there, he met Margarete Deusser, who was visiting with her older sister, Lisa (Deusser) Korte, who was living just around the corner from the Hueners home. They courted, and when Margarete had to return to her home in Frankfurt am Main, they continued to correspond.
On 3 Apr 1926 in Niederrad, they married, and left for the USA about a month later, arriving in New York City on 13 May 1926. William and Margarete made their home in Ft. Wayne, Allen, Indiana, and had their first three children there; Wilhelm O., Estella Marie Louise and Fredrick A.
In the Fall of 1933, Margarete and the children went back to Germany because of the depression in the U.S., and William followed in 1934. They settled in Trauen, Soltau-Fallingbostel, not far from his family home in Heber, and closer to William's job, in Munster-Lager, where he worked as a bookkeeper in the payroll department for the German army. At the end of WWII, when the British received the mandate over Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony), he found himself in the same job, but working for the British army.
Right after WWII ended, they tried to come back to the USA as a family, but were turned back as they were boarding the ship. It took them 2 1/2 years to figure out how they were going to get back to the States. They finally began to see opportunities open up, but they had to return to the U.S. one and two at a time, as they were able.
Estella and Fred were first to return in Dec of 1947. When they left Germany, they didn't know if they would see the rest of their family ever again. William's first letter to Estella and Fred was written a couple of days after their departure, so a few days after their arrival, they already had a letter from him. He cared very deeply for his children. Their oldest brother, William O., was able to return and arrived in July 1949. Then Margarete came to the U.S. in 1954, and William A. with their youngest son, Karl-Heinz (who was born in Germany), arrived in 1955. On that occasion, they had a very happy and grateful family reunion in Ft. Wayne, but the family was still scattered over four states.
Once he was able to find a job, William and Margarete made their home in Albert Lea, Minn., then built a home in Glenville, Minn., where they lived until William retired. He worked as a payroll accountant and bookkeeper for May Engineering until he retired in 1963, which is when they moved to Lead, SD. They had finally received their U.S. citizenship in 1961 - a very proud occasion for William.
William had many hobbies - stamp collecting, photography, politics, family history, and in his retirement enjoyed fishing, and playing cards with a local card club. He also spent a good amount of time writing letters to family members, both in Germany and the U.S., including his grandchildren. When he wasn't too tired, he sang many songs to his grandchildren, both in German and English, much to their great delight. William had many friends wherever he lived.
In 1973, they moved to Pea Ridge, Benton, Arkansas, where about a week and a half after their arrival, William A. had a massive stroke, which put him in the hospital at the nearby town of Rogers. One and a half week later, he died as the result of another massive stroke.
He is survived by his wife, Margarete; all four of his children: William O. of Milwaukee, Estella M. L. (Hueners) Hertel of Lead, S.D., Rev. Fredrick A. of St. Paul, and Karl-Heinz of Albert Lea, Minn.; two sisters: Frieda (Hueners) Kiessling and Maria (Hueners) Ehrhorn, both of Germany; 12 grandchildren and several great grandchildren.
Preceding him in death were his parents, a brother, Heinrich; a sister, Anna (Hueners) Meyer, and a granddaughter, Rita Ann Hertel.
William was a very wise and intelligent man, a man of honor, and a very devout Christian. He will be very sadly missed by his family, and friends.
While there, he met Margarete Deusser, who was visiting with her older sister, Lisa (Deusser) Korte, who was living just around the corner from the Hueners home. They courted, and when Margarete had to return to her home in Frankfurt am Main, they continued to correspond.
On 3 Apr 1926 in Niederrad, they married, and left for the USA about a month later, arriving in New York City on 13 May 1926. William and Margarete made their home in Ft. Wayne, Allen, Indiana, and had their first three children there; Wilhelm O., Estella Marie Louise and Fredrick A.
In the Fall of 1933, Margarete and the children went back to Germany because of the depression in the U.S., and William followed in 1934. They settled in Trauen, Soltau-Fallingbostel, not far from his family home in Heber, and closer to William's job, in Munster-Lager, where he worked as a bookkeeper in the payroll department for the German army. At the end of WWII, when the British received the mandate over Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony), he found himself in the same job, but working for the British army.
Right after WWII ended, they tried to come back to the USA as a family, but were turned back as they were boarding the ship. It took them 2 1/2 years to figure out how they were going to get back to the States. They finally began to see opportunities open up, but they had to return to the U.S. one and two at a time, as they were able.
Estella and Fred were first to return in Dec of 1947. When they left Germany, they didn't know if they would see the rest of their family ever again. William's first letter to Estella and Fred was written a couple of days after their departure, so a few days after their arrival, they already had a letter from him. He cared very deeply for his children. Their oldest brother, William O., was able to return and arrived in July 1949. Then Margarete came to the U.S. in 1954, and William A. with their youngest son, Karl-Heinz (who was born in Germany), arrived in 1955. On that occasion, they had a very happy and grateful family reunion in Ft. Wayne, but the family was still scattered over four states.
Once he was able to find a job, William and Margarete made their home in Albert Lea, Minn., then built a home in Glenville, Minn., where they lived until William retired. He worked as a payroll accountant and bookkeeper for May Engineering until he retired in 1963, which is when they moved to Lead, SD. They had finally received their U.S. citizenship in 1961 - a very proud occasion for William.
William had many hobbies - stamp collecting, photography, politics, family history, and in his retirement enjoyed fishing, and playing cards with a local card club. He also spent a good amount of time writing letters to family members, both in Germany and the U.S., including his grandchildren. When he wasn't too tired, he sang many songs to his grandchildren, both in German and English, much to their great delight. William had many friends wherever he lived.
In 1973, they moved to Pea Ridge, Benton, Arkansas, where about a week and a half after their arrival, William A. had a massive stroke, which put him in the hospital at the nearby town of Rogers. One and a half week later, he died as the result of another massive stroke.
He is survived by his wife, Margarete; all four of his children: William O. of Milwaukee, Estella M. L. (Hueners) Hertel of Lead, S.D., Rev. Fredrick A. of St. Paul, and Karl-Heinz of Albert Lea, Minn.; two sisters: Frieda (Hueners) Kiessling and Maria (Hueners) Ehrhorn, both of Germany; 12 grandchildren and several great grandchildren.
Preceding him in death were his parents, a brother, Heinrich; a sister, Anna (Hueners) Meyer, and a granddaughter, Rita Ann Hertel.
William was a very wise and intelligent man, a man of honor, and a very devout Christian. He will be very sadly missed by his family, and friends.
