May 9, 2024 – West Bend, WI – It’s a testament to longevity, healthy living, and a strong faith. Today, Doris Yach celebrated her 105th birthday with a gathering at Cedar Bay West.
This would be the second celebration for Doris. In youthful fashion… she’s using the entire month of May to celebrate her big day. This past Saturday was another party with family, friends, and a great, great grandchild.
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Doris penned some thoughts about her upbringing and what is truly important.
I was born on the farm and went to a one-room country schoolhouse. For three years until we moved into Campbellsport which at the time had a population of 600 people. I graduated from high school and went to college and became a business teacher and worked in offices from the time I was 14 fourteen years old. I taught shorthand. Accounting, typing. I was fortunate enough to go back to teaching and continue until I was 65.
During the depression my dad had a job. We left the farm in 1927 when I was 9 and moved to Campbellsport and my dad Edgar Romaine had a job delivering gasoline to the farmers. Which was fortunate. I can remember my mother making a meal on a dollar for the five of us. I babysat for my neighbor for .25 for the whole night. I took care of a nine-month-old baby for a whole day while his parents went to a football game in Madison for a dollar. I was 14 years old then.
I started first grade when I was five. I was always one year younger than everyone in my class because most children started when they were six. Our teacher lived with us on the farm out in New Prospect so I could go to school with her when I was five.
I was 14 and worked in the bank in Campbellsport. Mostly back-room work, but I always had a job.
What were you doing when Pearl Harbor?
I was in my room December 7, 1941, preparing to teach my classes at East High School. Right before that a friend of mine from Aurora, Leo Smith went into Navy Service, and I am sure he was at Pearl Harbor and was killed during the attack. I remember the days following.
I never owned a car. Even when I was teaching in Aurora Illinois, I never owned a car. But back then we had great train service. I could be on a train in Aurora, Illinois and be in Campbellsport in four hours.
Your grandpa Harry’s first car was a 1936 grey Chevy which he sold before he went overseas during WWII.
When he came back. He had a different car every year.
I was pregnant with my first child when my husband Harry went overseas. I went back Campbellsport and was a substitute teacher. I took over directing the senior class play. I also taught the first 4 grades, first through 4th. The county school superintendent came up to me and said, “If you can teach high school, and then can bring yourself down to teach first grade, you have a job.”
I substituted until my first child (Robert) was born and then Harry came home.
Harry went to England in February 1944 and was based in Cardiff, Wales. His staff was responsible for sinking of enemy ships in the channel prior to the invasion of the continent. I have pictures of Yankee Stadium in my photo album. When we were in New York after Harry (Yach) mustered out, we stayed in New York for a few months and went to the Yankees games.
During the late 60’s:
Taking care of six children. I had to be organized. Monday it was grocery shopping. Tuesday wash, mending, cleaning was another full day.
After teaching three years and then getting married after the war, I took care of the children. Back then there weren’t any married teachers. It was socially unacceptable. You were supposed to become a full-time mother and housewife.
Going back to work. Their need for teachers. Paper was full of jobs for part-time substitutes.
In Wauwatosa where we lived, the business department head was a friend of mine. He knew my record in college. I was an Honor Roll Student in college. He said, “By all means Doris, please go sign up.” I took some refresher credits and then took a job in an office part time because I couldn’t teach office skills without knowing what skills were needed in the workplace. I taught from my 50’s until I was 65. I took on teaching adults afterwards and found it rewarding and challenging. They wanted a job upgrade in the office. I taught all levels of shorthand.
Everything I did was for family. There wasn’t a me. My children will say you were always there. I look back and I wish I could change somethings. I would like to have had more time to sit down and read with the kids, play games with the kids. But housework and the necessity of organizing the house came first. They talk about things they did, and I don’t remember. I was too busy.
I don’t watch sitcoms or the soaps. I watch the news now and the weather and the ballgame. I am a big UW basketball fan. I grew up in a small high school in Campbellsport where there wasn’t any football. The only high school sports were baseball and basketball. I was a cheerleader for the basketball team.
I lived in a world without computers and I don’t know what your world is like today but it is certainly different.
(Editor’s Note: Not totally true. She has an I-pad courtesy of Carole Ostrowski.)
Advice: To future generations: You (my great grandchildren ) are all going to college but don’t plan on something specific. It may change.
Find something you’ll like doing and work hard at it.
On a rather humorous note, during her 100th birthday Yach’s daughter Carole Ostrowski tried talking her mother into getting the most mileage out of the ‘day’ and encouraged her to hit the road and stop at Starbucks and City Hall and local restaurants announcing herself and seeing what the day would bring.
Doris must be used to that daughter as she said she was going to celebrate by getting her hair done… and that was it.
Son David Yach submitted the article below, “What I have learned from my Mother (among other things)”
I learned many things from my mother –as a young boy, a young man and as an adult with children and grandchildren of my own. Here are just a few of them.
- I learned that it puts a smile on a 10-year-old boy’s face if you let him ride a horse in Texas. And I sure wish I still had that cool black cowboy hat with the curled-up edges.
2. I learned that mothers must beam when they see their 7-year-old ride in grandpa Edgar’s standard oil fuel truck.
3. I learned the best way to thaw out frozen hands from playing in the snow with only knitted mittens or cotton gloves is with cold water run under a faucet.
4. I learned that you can leave long-lasting handprints and footprints in fresh concrete at 90th and Hadley.
5. I learned cub scouts can be a lot of fun if you have a mom who is willing to put up with the chaos of being a den mother and be willing to help you turn an old 78-LP record into a super neat ash tray.
6. I learned that camping with the ENTIRE family must be the only way to enjoy a vacation…… as long as the tent is insufferably hot, the ham steaks are cooked on an open grill, and the duty roster with everybody’s job is typed and posted to a tent post.
7. I have learned mothers had to be the most trusting souls in 1956 through 1958 to let Bob and I take the bus to County Stadium to see the Braves play baseball or to the downtown sports show at the Arena. With an extra nickel for the transfer both ways.
8. I learned that you have to have shoes that fit really well. Never buy cheap shoes. You ‘ll pay for it sooner rather than later.
9. I have learned that you can teach your children how to play sheapshead and cribbage but then after that…. they’re on their own. And no matter what your age is, winning never, never, never, gets old.
10. I learned the beauty of music when she played the piano.
11. I learned the discipline of thrift as she watched the boys count their 8th grade snow shoveling money and their paper route money and marched them to the savings and loan to deposit it all.
12. I learned how to “ladder CD’s” at her knee.
13. I have learned whenever a house guest departs you send them on their way with a cellophane bag of cookies even when you know the cookies will be devoured before the border.
14. I learned that it when you are in your 80’s and as long as you are in door county it is perfectly acceptable to eat cherry pie for breakfast.
15. And as long as you are in Door County, a perfect day is traveling from one winery to another and sampling at each and every stop.
16. I have learned that no matter how far away your children and grandchildren and great grandchildren are, making things like baby blankets, stocking caps, lacey socks, afghans, Christmas tree skirts and scrubbies show them how much you care for them and love them.
First Corinthians chapter 13
For I have learned the very meaning of Love from my mother.
Love is patient. She has taught us patience.
Love is kind. She has showed us kindness.
Love is not rude
Love does not seek its own interests. She has always put others first.
Love is not quick tempered. It does not brood over injury
Love does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.
By her actions, she has showed us how to let our own children grow roots…and wings.
She has showed us…..
Love bears all things
Love believes all things
Love hopes all things
Love endures all things
This is what I have learned from my mother.
