Barbara MEISTER b. 22 Jul 1929 d. 7 Dec 2019 Downers Grove Illinois USA: Our Family History

Fisher-Gunn Families Genealogy

The Leaves and Branches of Our Family Tree

1929 - 2019 (90 years)

Personal Information | Media | Notes | All

Name Barbara MEISTER

Birth 22 Jul 1929

Gender Female

Death 7 Dec 2019 Downers Grove Illinois USA

Person ID I208 Fisher | Nelson

Last Modified 10 Jun 2022

Notes

Jim was the youngest of six children and he grew up on Sunny Acres, a farm that his father managed for two prominent Chicago businessmen, Bill Johnson and Arthur Cutter.

Jim's early life was fun and adventurous and he vividly remembers one of his many escapades.

"When I was three years old I snuck into the farm worker's boarding house and found a loaded gun. My sister Fran was scrubbing floors when I came into the house carrying the revolver and pretending she was a cowboy, I said, "I shoot you," and pointed the loaded gun at the back of her head. At that moment my mother walked into the room, took the gun away from me, and I'm sure would have fainted on the spot but she was too scared."

I went to a one room school house when I lived on the farm and it was difficult for me to adjust to regular school after we moved to Downers Grove, although the adjustment became easier after I met Barbara Meister.

Barbara Jean Meister spent her early childhood in Chicago where she learned to swim in Lake Michigan and to ice skate in the winter. As she recalls her youth, Barbara says:
"Every Saturday I walked twelve blocks to the library and borrowed my limit of ten books which I read during the week. I did well in school and even though my family didn't have a lot of money, I had a wonderful childhood. We lived with my grandparents all my life untilâ€ƒ
I was married. During World War II my family lived in California and we moved to Downers Grove from there.

According, to Barbara, Jim was fortunate to have flunked , American History because when he repeated the course he sat next to her and she was impressed because Jim owned his own car. They dated for two years during high school.

Both Jim and Barb started working at age 15; he at the local feed store and she at the dime store in Downers Grove. After graduation, Jim went into construction, achieved his carpenter's card and earned his living as a carpenter for the rest of his working life. Barbara worked for the telephone company in Chicago and stayed there for two years until she and Jim were married. Jim built their home at 317 63rd Street in Downers Grove and as the family expanded, Jim built additional rooms.

During our early married life we were surrounded by relatives which brought our families very close together. Their cousins were like brothers and sisters to our kids.

We enjoyed camping and by the time our kids got too busy with their own lives we had visited all the western states.

No history of our family would be complete without mentioning Wausaukee, Wisconsin, our family's favorite place to be. We have been going there for 35 years and have enjoyed its calm serenity even more since Jim retired in 1985. We call it our "Golden Pond" and we are so happy that our children and grandchildren also love it and we spend a lot of time there together.

After all, what is life without a loving family?

Father	Frank MEISTER, Jr, b. Nov 08 1906 d. Jan 18 1968
Mother	Florence BANE, b. Apr 08 1905 d. Jul 04 1980 (Age ~ 74 years)
Family ID	F125	Group Sheet \| Family Chart

Family Living

Children

	1. Living
	2. Living
	3. Living
	4. Living

Family ID F123 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Last Modified 30 Jun 2014

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