Leo met his future wife, Aurelia Mueth, on July 8, 1941, on a blind date arranged by Leo's brother Francis. A group was spending an evening of entertainment at the Black Forest Beer Garden on Gravois Avenue in south St. Louis, and Leo just happened to be in town for a few days. At that time, he was working on his Ph.D. under Dr. Oldfather at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana.
Leo continued as a research assistant for the next several years under Dr. Oldfather at U of I during the fall and winter semesters. During the summer months, he worked in St. Louis at various jobs. One summer, Leo worked at a dynamite plant in Weldon Springs as an inspector for Shell Oil Co. (this was wartime). At the end of the summer, his boss asked him to stay on, but Leo told him he was working on his Ph.D. In 1943, Leo received his Ph.D. from Illinois, and his brother Max, Uncle Ernst Speh, and Aurelia attended. He continued to teach at Illinois.
Leo and Aurelia were married on May 26, 1945 at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in south St. Louis. His mentor, Dr. Oldfather died the very next day, having drowned during a camping trip. Leo's research project at Illinois was then up in the air until Dr. Perry, acting dean, hired him temporarily to teach. Aurelia did some typing for Dr. Perry and somehow they made do.
In the fall of 1947, Leo was hired by St. Louis University to teach in the Classics Department. This was right after the war, and there was an influx of students studying under the GI Bill. During the summer of 1948, he taught a summer session at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio (his young son, Gerold, told everyone his dad was in Mumbus in Ohio). By the spring of 1951, enrollment had fallen off and Leo, last hired, was first fired. Leo and Aurelia had three young children at this time.
No teaching jobs opened up, so for a year or so Leo worked as a hod (plaster) carrier for Mueth Plastering Co., which was owned by his father-in-law, Wallace P. Mueth. Leo made a great friendship with his brother-in-law, Walter Mueth, who helped him over many hurdles. During this period, he lost 40 pounds and his "good disposition", but they returned after he got back into teaching the next year.
In the fall of 1952, now with four young children, Leo and Aurelia moved the family to Philadelphia to teach German and the Classics at St. Joseph's College. He became the head of the German Department, but he continued to miss the mid-west, and worked hard to find a teaching job closer to his native St. Louis.
Finally in 1954, Leo found his final teaching home. The family moved to Chicago, where he began a long tenure at Loyola University until he retired in 1986. At Loyola, he taught German in addition to the Classics for a few years before concentrating on the Classics. He really enjoyed the German students and remained friends with them until he retired. In fact, a couple of them came to the wake and one to the funeral Mass. For many years, Leo was on a nine-month contract and taught a summer semester at St. Louis University. Those were the years that the family camped at the homes of Leo and Aurelia's parents on Finkman and Milentz Avenues in south St. Louis. Later on, Leo signed a twelve-month contract each year at Loyola, something that put him very much at ease.
Leo was famous for his culinary talents during this period. He developed those when Aurelia went back to work to help with the financial burden of raising and educating six children. Some of his results were good, even very good, some not so good. But that's another whole story as the rest of the family would attest.
Aurelia shared an interesting anecdote on their early dating years. On every visit to St. Louis, Leo would take Aurelia to the Black Forest beer garden, where they could walk from their homes and enjoy an evening for under a dollar. One time, some three years or so after their first date, they walked in and the accordion player, Joe Hrdlicka, saw them and immediately played the "Tales from the Vienna Woods", a piece they used to request every time they visited in earlier years. From that time on, Hrdlicka broke right in and played it every time they came through the door.
After Leo retired, Aurelia continued to work for a few years. But they began to think about returning to the St. Louis area, where Leo's three brothers and Aurelia's brother and sister lived, along with their large families. Leo and Aurelia moved to St. Louis, which they enjoyed for a while, but after Leo's oldest brother, Gerold, died, it started to become apparent that life as it was many years ago, had changed dramatically. And, as Leo developed the early signs of Alzheimer's disease, it was difficult for Leo and Aurelia's children, now all grown with families of their own spread over the United States and Canada, to stay close with them. After several years of struggling with the disease, the family moved Leo and Aurelia back to the Chicago area, much closer to two of their sons, James and Jeffrey.
Alzheimers continued to take a toll on Leo, and after several years, he passed away very quietly on February 17th, 2001. Family members from all over the country came for the wake and funeral, and many old acquaintances were re-established amongst the Kaiser cousins. It was, really, a celebration of Leo's life, and Aurelia jokingly said on the morning of the funeral, I'll bet Leo and his brother, Gerold, are somewhere in heaven having one of their famous family "discussions" on politics, religion, or some such. Leo's brother, Max, told many, many stories about their early years, and had the attention of the entire family captured. The family get-together was timely from another aspect in that just six weeks later, Leo's brother, Francis, also passed away just as peacefully. The family was once again drawn together to pray, chat, and laugh together.
Published in Chicago Tribune, Feb. 2001
Leo continued as a research assistant for the next several years under Dr. Oldfather at U of I during the fall and winter semesters. During the summer months, he worked in St. Louis at various jobs. One summer, Leo worked at a dynamite plant in Weldon Springs as an inspector for Shell Oil Co. (this was wartime). At the end of the summer, his boss asked him to stay on, but Leo told him he was working on his Ph.D. In 1943, Leo received his Ph.D. from Illinois, and his brother Max, Uncle Ernst Speh, and Aurelia attended. He continued to teach at Illinois.
Leo and Aurelia were married on May 26, 1945 at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in south St. Louis. His mentor, Dr. Oldfather died the very next day, having drowned during a camping trip. Leo's research project at Illinois was then up in the air until Dr. Perry, acting dean, hired him temporarily to teach. Aurelia did some typing for Dr. Perry and somehow they made do.
In the fall of 1947, Leo was hired by St. Louis University to teach in the Classics Department. This was right after the war, and there was an influx of students studying under the GI Bill. During the summer of 1948, he taught a summer session at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio (his young son, Gerold, told everyone his dad was in Mumbus in Ohio). By the spring of 1951, enrollment had fallen off and Leo, last hired, was first fired. Leo and Aurelia had three young children at this time.
No teaching jobs opened up, so for a year or so Leo worked as a hod (plaster) carrier for Mueth Plastering Co., which was owned by his father-in-law, Wallace P. Mueth. Leo made a great friendship with his brother-in-law, Walter Mueth, who helped him over many hurdles. During this period, he lost 40 pounds and his "good disposition", but they returned after he got back into teaching the next year.
In the fall of 1952, now with four young children, Leo and Aurelia moved the family to Philadelphia to teach German and the Classics at St. Joseph's College. He became the head of the German Department, but he continued to miss the mid-west, and worked hard to find a teaching job closer to his native St. Louis.
Finally in 1954, Leo found his final teaching home. The family moved to Chicago, where he began a long tenure at Loyola University until he retired in 1986. At Loyola, he taught German in addition to the Classics for a few years before concentrating on the Classics. He really enjoyed the German students and remained friends with them until he retired. In fact, a couple of them came to the wake and one to the funeral Mass. For many years, Leo was on a nine-month contract and taught a summer semester at St. Louis University. Those were the years that the family camped at the homes of Leo and Aurelia's parents on Finkman and Milentz Avenues in south St. Louis. Later on, Leo signed a twelve-month contract each year at Loyola, something that put him very much at ease.
Leo was famous for his culinary talents during this period. He developed those when Aurelia went back to work to help with the financial burden of raising and educating six children. Some of his results were good, even very good, some not so good. But that's another whole story as the rest of the family would attest.
Aurelia shared an interesting anecdote on their early dating years. On every visit to St. Louis, Leo would take Aurelia to the Black Forest beer garden, where they could walk from their homes and enjoy an evening for under a dollar. One time, some three years or so after their first date, they walked in and the accordion player, Joe Hrdlicka, saw them and immediately played the "Tales from the Vienna Woods", a piece they used to request every time they visited in earlier years. From that time on, Hrdlicka broke right in and played it every time they came through the door.
After Leo retired, Aurelia continued to work for a few years. But they began to think about returning to the St. Louis area, where Leo's three brothers and Aurelia's brother and sister lived, along with their large families. Leo and Aurelia moved to St. Louis, which they enjoyed for a while, but after Leo's oldest brother, Gerold, died, it started to become apparent that life as it was many years ago, had changed dramatically. And, as Leo developed the early signs of Alzheimer's disease, it was difficult for Leo and Aurelia's children, now all grown with families of their own spread over the United States and Canada, to stay close with them. After several years of struggling with the disease, the family moved Leo and Aurelia back to the Chicago area, much closer to two of their sons, James and Jeffrey.
Alzheimers continued to take a toll on Leo, and after several years, he passed away very quietly on February 17th, 2001. Family members from all over the country came for the wake and funeral, and many old acquaintances were re-established amongst the Kaiser cousins. It was, really, a celebration of Leo's life, and Aurelia jokingly said on the morning of the funeral, I'll bet Leo and his brother, Gerold, are somewhere in heaven having one of their famous family "discussions" on politics, religion, or some such. Leo's brother, Max, told many, many stories about their early years, and had the attention of the entire family captured. The family get-together was timely from another aspect in that just six weeks later, Leo's brother, Francis, also passed away just as peacefully. The family was once again drawn together to pray, chat, and laugh together.
Published in Chicago Tribune, Feb. 2001
Leo met his future wife, Aurelia Mueth, on July 8, 1941, on a blind date arranged by Leo's brother Francis. A group was spending an evening of entertainment at the Black Forest Beer Garden on Gravois Avenue in south St. Louis, and Leo just happened to be in town for a few days. At that time, he was working on his Ph.D. under Dr. Oldfather at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana.
Leo continued as a research assistant for the next several years under Dr. Oldfather at U of I during the fall and winter semesters. During the summer months, he worked in St. Louis at various jobs. One summer, Leo worked at a dynamite plant in Weldon Springs as an inspector for Shell Oil Co. (this was wartime). At the end of the summer, his boss asked him to stay on, but Leo told him he was working on his Ph.D. In 1943, Leo received his Ph.D. from Illinois, and his brother Max, Uncle Ernst Speh, and Aurelia attended. He continued to teach at Illinois.
Leo and Aurelia were married on May 26, 1945 at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in south St. Louis. His mentor, Dr. Oldfather died the very next day, having drowned during a camping trip. Leo's research project at Illinois was then up in the air until Dr. Perry, acting dean, hired him temporarily to teach. Aurelia did some typing for Dr. Perry and somehow they made do.
In the fall of 1947, Leo was hired by St. Louis University to teach in the Classics Department. This was right after the war, and there was an influx of students studying under the GI Bill. During the summer of 1948, he taught a summer session at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio (his young son, Gerold, told everyone his dad was in Mumbus in Ohio). By the spring of 1951, enrollment had fallen off and Leo, last hired, was first fired. Leo and Aurelia had three young children at this time.
No teaching jobs opened up, so for a year or so Leo worked as a hod (plaster) carrier for Mueth Plastering Co., which was owned by his father-in-law, Wallace P. Mueth. Leo made a great friendship with his brother-in-law, Walter Mueth, who helped him over many hurdles. During this period, he lost 40 pounds and his "good disposition", but they returned after he got back into teaching the next year.
In the fall of 1952, now with four young children, Leo and Aurelia moved the family to Philadelphia to teach German and the Classics at St. Joseph's College. He became the head of the German Department, but he continued to miss the mid-west, and worked hard to find a teaching job closer to his native St. Louis.
Finally in 1954, Leo found his final teaching home. The family moved to Chicago, where he began a long tenure at Loyola University until he retired in 1986. At Loyola, he taught German in addition to the Classics for a few years before concentrating on the Classics. He really enjoyed the German students and remained friends with them until he retired. In fact, a couple of them came to the wake and one to the funeral Mass. For many years, Leo was on a nine-month contract and taught a summer semester at St. Louis University. Those were the years that the family camped at the homes of Leo and Aurelia's parents on Finkman and Milentz Avenues in south St. Louis. Later on, Leo signed a twelve-month contract each year at Loyola, something that put him very much at ease.
Leo was famous for his culinary talents during this period. He developed those when Aurelia went back to work to help with the financial burden of raising and educating six children. Some of his results were good, even very good, some not so good. But that's another whole story as the rest of the family would attest.
Aurelia shared an interesting anecdote on their early dating years. On every visit to St. Louis, Leo would take Aurelia to the Black Forest beer garden, where they could walk from their homes and enjoy an evening for under a dollar. One time, some three years or so after their first date, they walked in and the accordion player, Joe Hrdlicka, saw them and immediately played the "Tales from the Vienna Woods", a piece they used to request every time they visited in earlier years. From that time on, Hrdlicka broke right in and played it every time they came through the door.
After Leo retired, Aurelia continued to work for a few years. But they began to think about returning to the St. Louis area, where Leo's three brothers and Aurelia's brother and sister lived, along with their large families. Leo and Aurelia moved to St. Louis, which they enjoyed for a while, but after Leo's oldest brother, Gerold, died, it started to become apparent that life as it was many years ago, had changed dramatically. And, as Leo developed the early signs of Alzheimer's disease, it was difficult for Leo and Aurelia's children, now all grown with families of their own spread over the United States and Canada, to stay close with them. After several years of struggling with the disease, the family moved Leo and Aurelia back to the Chicago area, much closer to two of their sons, James and Jeffrey.
Alzheimers continued to take a toll on Leo, and after several years, he passed away very quietly on February 17th, 2001. Family members from all over the country came for the wake and funeral, and many old acquaintances were re-established amongst the Kaiser cousins. It was, really, a celebration of Leo's life, and Aurelia jokingly said on the morning of the funeral, I'll bet Leo and his brother, Gerold, are somewhere in heaven having one of their famous family "discussions" on politics, religion, or some such. Leo's brother, Max, told many, many stories about their early years, and had the attention of the entire family captured. The family get-together was timely from another aspect in that just six weeks later, Leo's brother, Francis, also passed away just as peacefully. The family was once again drawn together to pray, chat, and laugh together.
Published in Chicago Tribune, Feb. 2001
Leo continued as a research assistant for the next several years under Dr. Oldfather at U of I during the fall and winter semesters. During the summer months, he worked in St. Louis at various jobs. One summer, Leo worked at a dynamite plant in Weldon Springs as an inspector for Shell Oil Co. (this was wartime). At the end of the summer, his boss asked him to stay on, but Leo told him he was working on his Ph.D. In 1943, Leo received his Ph.D. from Illinois, and his brother Max, Uncle Ernst Speh, and Aurelia attended. He continued to teach at Illinois.
Leo and Aurelia were married on May 26, 1945 at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in south St. Louis. His mentor, Dr. Oldfather died the very next day, having drowned during a camping trip. Leo's research project at Illinois was then up in the air until Dr. Perry, acting dean, hired him temporarily to teach. Aurelia did some typing for Dr. Perry and somehow they made do.
In the fall of 1947, Leo was hired by St. Louis University to teach in the Classics Department. This was right after the war, and there was an influx of students studying under the GI Bill. During the summer of 1948, he taught a summer session at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio (his young son, Gerold, told everyone his dad was in Mumbus in Ohio). By the spring of 1951, enrollment had fallen off and Leo, last hired, was first fired. Leo and Aurelia had three young children at this time.
No teaching jobs opened up, so for a year or so Leo worked as a hod (plaster) carrier for Mueth Plastering Co., which was owned by his father-in-law, Wallace P. Mueth. Leo made a great friendship with his brother-in-law, Walter Mueth, who helped him over many hurdles. During this period, he lost 40 pounds and his "good disposition", but they returned after he got back into teaching the next year.
In the fall of 1952, now with four young children, Leo and Aurelia moved the family to Philadelphia to teach German and the Classics at St. Joseph's College. He became the head of the German Department, but he continued to miss the mid-west, and worked hard to find a teaching job closer to his native St. Louis.
Finally in 1954, Leo found his final teaching home. The family moved to Chicago, where he began a long tenure at Loyola University until he retired in 1986. At Loyola, he taught German in addition to the Classics for a few years before concentrating on the Classics. He really enjoyed the German students and remained friends with them until he retired. In fact, a couple of them came to the wake and one to the funeral Mass. For many years, Leo was on a nine-month contract and taught a summer semester at St. Louis University. Those were the years that the family camped at the homes of Leo and Aurelia's parents on Finkman and Milentz Avenues in south St. Louis. Later on, Leo signed a twelve-month contract each year at Loyola, something that put him very much at ease.
Leo was famous for his culinary talents during this period. He developed those when Aurelia went back to work to help with the financial burden of raising and educating six children. Some of his results were good, even very good, some not so good. But that's another whole story as the rest of the family would attest.
Aurelia shared an interesting anecdote on their early dating years. On every visit to St. Louis, Leo would take Aurelia to the Black Forest beer garden, where they could walk from their homes and enjoy an evening for under a dollar. One time, some three years or so after their first date, they walked in and the accordion player, Joe Hrdlicka, saw them and immediately played the "Tales from the Vienna Woods", a piece they used to request every time they visited in earlier years. From that time on, Hrdlicka broke right in and played it every time they came through the door.
After Leo retired, Aurelia continued to work for a few years. But they began to think about returning to the St. Louis area, where Leo's three brothers and Aurelia's brother and sister lived, along with their large families. Leo and Aurelia moved to St. Louis, which they enjoyed for a while, but after Leo's oldest brother, Gerold, died, it started to become apparent that life as it was many years ago, had changed dramatically. And, as Leo developed the early signs of Alzheimer's disease, it was difficult for Leo and Aurelia's children, now all grown with families of their own spread over the United States and Canada, to stay close with them. After several years of struggling with the disease, the family moved Leo and Aurelia back to the Chicago area, much closer to two of their sons, James and Jeffrey.
Alzheimers continued to take a toll on Leo, and after several years, he passed away very quietly on February 17th, 2001. Family members from all over the country came for the wake and funeral, and many old acquaintances were re-established amongst the Kaiser cousins. It was, really, a celebration of Leo's life, and Aurelia jokingly said on the morning of the funeral, I'll bet Leo and his brother, Gerold, are somewhere in heaven having one of their famous family "discussions" on politics, religion, or some such. Leo's brother, Max, told many, many stories about their early years, and had the attention of the entire family captured. The family get-together was timely from another aspect in that just six weeks later, Leo's brother, Francis, also passed away just as peacefully. The family was once again drawn together to pray, chat, and laugh together.
Published in Chicago Tribune, Feb. 2001
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
