A Celebration of the Birth Days of Ralph and Anne Ganzer

Good morning, friends, here assembled at Trinity Lutheran Church of Ingleside, Illinois, on this, the third day of July, 2011, a.d., to celebrate the birth days and the lives of our beloved Ralph and Anne Ganzer, happily married 61 years, this past 11, January, 2011. This is an early celebration, because we wanted to do something special for them, and to make it as surprising as possible, the Hand of God intervened and made available to get them to drive up here, totally unsuspecting, this morning.

Ralph Bertram Herbert Ganzer was born 24 July, 1928, to Harry and Linda Ganzer, in Blue Island, Illinois, at Saint Francis Hospital, (buildcing no longer extant) known now as ST FRANCIS HOSPITAL & HEALTH CENTER, 12935 S GREGORY: BLUE ISLAND, IL 60406, the second oldest of four children, the boys, Jim (five years his senior), Floyd, my Godfather (five years his junior) and Marilyn, our dear beloved, and too sadly departed Marilyn Ganzer-Patrick.

Ralph's Grandfather John Ganzer was as community leader in Blue Island, and raised and support two full families, fathering eight children by his first wife, and five by his second. He left unto each of his children a place to live. Quite an accomplishment for a German immigrant.

Dad grew up attending First Lutheran Church of Blue Island, Illinois, and going to First Lutheran's German School, where a bi-lingual education was the order of the day (but then of course, the Germans spoke German, which was acceptable, whereas today, the bilinguals speak Spanish, not so acceptable). Ralph excelled and sports, played them all the time – football, boxing, wrestling, golf, baseball, softball, pool, bowling, and swimming. He also developed early on a love of mathematics and English. He started his working career as as Caddie during the depression, where the rate was $0.90 cents a bag, and the tips were not always in cash, but he did get his first set of golf clubs from one of the less well off gentlemen for whom he caddied, at Navajo Fields, and he was hooked, like a bass, hook line and sinker. He has had a love affair with the game his entire life, which has enabled him to meet some of the most wonderful people you can imagine (although, sad to say, 'tis true that golf has destroyed more good men than whiskey), not merely because he was (and remains) such a fine player of the game, but that his life's calling as a teacher was made pretty clear at an early age.

Ralph got his first taste of what it means to be in a union, and to go on strike, and what you do with strike breakers. You hit them in the jaw so that they submit, and then you reach a compromise, and then you go back to work, no animosity held, as a caddie. During the war years, his Uncle Louie got him a job working the ice docks of Blue Island, a huge train hub, where they would ice down the meat cars, moving slabs that weighed 400 pounds each. This developed his strength, stamina, and ingenuity, and made him an even more prodigious football player (line backer and full back) and strong wrestling opponent. And the pay was very good, with time and a half after 40 yours, and double over time pay for Sundays.

Dad was immensely popular, as an athlete, but also as a true-blue loyal friend who hung with all the usual high school cliques. His leadership abilities were easy to ascertain.

The summer after his senior year in high school (1946), Howie Wilson, the industrialist who built dozens of college dormitories across and up and down the state of Illinois approached him to ask, “Ralph, what are you going to do come August?”

“Well, I'm making very good money working here in the ice house,” (where, by then, according to the family legend maker, Floyd, his younger brother had to cover for him because he had started dating Shirley Anne Hockett and was burning the candles at all three ends – work, dating, sports).

“Why don't you come down to Western Illinois State Teacher's College and we'll play football?” asked Howie. Sold American – you can give the young man a lot of money, but you can't sate his desire to compete and excel at athletics. “Okay,” replied Ralph.

So, down they went, where, as the eleventh team to scrimmage against the varsity in Macomb, on one of those God-forsaken sweltering days in August where your eyes sweat, and the mosquitoes and grass hoppers invade you nostrils, ears, eyes, and throat, the squad looked pretty good, so the coaches took the usual suspects – a QB, a running back, and a flanker, which, in another era, would have been the end of the football dream – but in 1946, after the war, things were a tad looser. And so several weeks later, Western's Athletic Director fielded a phone call from Carthage College which wanted to play a team it could beat for its homecoming game. The last 17 players cut were sent to Carthage, where, these Italian, German, Slovakian, and Irish lads who LOVED to hit, to fight, to play what is now known as “smash-mouth football” defeated (without having practiced a play) Carthage's team. This raised a few eyebrows, and four years later, these fighting men spear-headed one of Western's two undefeated squads (1949) under the coaching of Vince DeFrancesca. Ralph was a tri-captain, along with Bill Crowley (best man at his wedding) and the red-headed, freckle-faced piano player, Red Miller, best known for his years of coaching the Denver Broncos into the Super Bowl four times, although never winning.

Meanwhile, back in Centerville, Iowa, Dale and Verna Best-Hockett were raising a family of their own, the twins, Catherine (Cottie) and Carolyne (Lyne), born 31 October, 1929, and Anne (Moonie), born 2, August, 1931.

Verna was a couple of years older than Dale, although Dale was a big kid, and exceedingly bright – quite a scholar, probably the smartest of the three brothers, Harold, the oldest, who went to college and ended up working as a VERY successful salesman for General Electric, and George, the youngest, who made a career in the Banking Industry. Dale was a rail raod man, a conductor. When the girls were about to enter high school, Verna and Dale moved to Blue Island, because there was a LOT of rail road work to be had there. Dale was as conductor for the Rock Island Line. But, the depression hit, and Dale lost his job. Fortunately, Verna was a very skilled and talented seamstress, and FDR had good people advising him that the way out of the economic depression was to put people to work, and thus Verna got a job with the WPA teaching women to sew, so, in addition to her own sewing repair and clothes making business, she made money teaching for the WPA. The fmaily was able to make ends meet, and even take in a farm girl to do chores, make meals, and in return had a place to stay and could attend high school.

The sisters were all beautiful, musically gifted, and very smart. There were plenty of boys hanging around them all, but once mom caught the sight of dad's muscled back, at the swimming pool, it was all over. They started dating when she was a high school sophomore, and have been together ever since. Mom worked as a secretary, including after graduation from high school. But, she hated working there. So, she went to work to get dad to propose, which he did, saying, “If you don't marry me now, you'll end up going to school and marrying another college boy, and I'll never see you again.” SOLD AMERICAN.

Dale would have been dead set against this union, so Verna helped Anne escape out the window, down a ladder, late one January night. She arrived in Macomb, the much heralded fiance of Ralph, the BMOC. She got a job working in a law office of a state Representative, and they married shortly thereafter, witnessed by all of dad's fraternity brothers, with Bill Crowley the best man. Jim Ganzer (TORONADO) came down to sing for their wedding. Up in Blue Island, several folks speculated it was one of those, “better hurry up and get married before the kid drops” deals, but, Grandma Linda knew better: “They are in love,” was her final verdict. And they were, and still are. How do we know this? It is in their bickering that they reveal how much each still matters to the other. If you didn't care, you wouldn't take the time to bicker, about stuff upon which you are both in 100% AGREEMENT – each trying to get the last word in (when you come from a family with dynamically personalitied older siblings, getting in the LAST WORD is a matter of pride, and face!).

Upon completing his undergraduate work, Ralph got a job offer to be head football coach in a small town. They were able to borrow a car to go on the interview. The offer was $2,800, varsity football coach and math teacher, but mom was advised that she was NOT to do anything that would bring in money, lest it rob the pockets of the “real” citizens of the town.

They drove back in utter silence for 20 miles. Then rather than play ostrich people, they addressed the issue. “What should we do, honey?” said one to the other. We are NOT going to work in that wretched town, the other replied. Total relief. “I'll get my masters.” “That'll work, I'm making good money working in the attorney's office.”

And the deal was done. Although, I would be remiss to omit the story of how dad set mom to be a smoker, while they were returning from the local movie theater, dad spotted the wrestling coach, and gave mom his cigarette. She puffed it, and was temporarily hooked. His wrestling coach complained, “Ralph, couldn't you have at least waited until wrestling season was over? You'll never win another match.” And he DIDN'T win another match, but, eventually, they got a prodigal son out of it, a lovely, talented horse-loving dauther, a GOOD son, and a master craftsperson, in the form of Gay Linda Ganzer Offutt, John Franklin Ganzer, and Marianne Catherine Ganzer.

From these issue came forth Adam James Ganzer and Scott David Offutt, both of whom I would be bragging at great length upon, but, as this has already taken too much time from your own socializing, I will simply leave with this:

God has blessed us with YOU, our family, friends, neighbors, golfing buddies, sister mothers, congregants, singers, and put you all here for us, guardian angels, to watch over, to guide and keep us safe from our selves, and from the troubles of the world.

Thank you all. God bless you all. We are humbled, and deeply grateful.

With Love, to You, and All You Love

THE GANZER FAMILY