Gertrude 'Gertsie' Catherine Havlik Lemke

Ethel, Gertsie's sister, Maude, her mother and Gertsie
Ethel, Gertsie's sister, Maude, her mother and Gertsie

Gertrude ‘Gertsie’ Catherine Havlik Lemke

‘Gertsie’ as all her grandchildren and great-grand children called her was the matriarch of the family. Her name was Gertrude Catherine Havlik Lemke. I was the first grandchild and at that time she was babysitting during the week for the Rike twins, Donnie and Ronnie Rike. Their parents, Ted and Bonnie Rike were good friends of my grandparents and lived only a short distance from us on Lewis Avenue, on the southwest corner of 51st and North Lewis. The twins were about 3 when I was learning to talk and since they called her Gertsie, that’s what I called her and all the grandchildren following. She was a serious, straight-laced Southern Baptist who worked hard but loved to read, work crossword puzzles and play cards. She taught me to play Rummy, Canasta and Solitaire. It always amazed me that she played cards because playing cards was right up there with dancing and drinking in the Southern Baptist Church. The Havliks were from Austria/Hungary and very Catholic, but somehow were Baptists by the time I came along. In a biographical sketch of Gertsie’s brother, John, it read: ‘The family moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where Havlik (Gertsie's brother, John) came under the preaching influence of Gypsy Smith. He made a profession of faith at age seventeen during a revival in Tulsa in 1934.’ I believe this may have been the catalyst.

At Springdale Baptist Church, Tulsa, she taught the First Grade Sunday School Class for 20 years or more. Then even in retirement and into her 90s, she managed the library of FBC, Collinsville, OK that is now known as The Lemke Library.

Another thing that surprised me about her was the fact that she was such a ‘clothes horse’. Her closet, though small, was packed with fashionable, quality outfits, primarily for church-going. She may have lived in a small run-down house in the country but she appreciated fine quality clothing. She loved to shop at Vandever’s in downtown Tulsa. She taught me to look for quality and price on those sale and clearance racks.

This may sound unbelievable today but my mother, Gertsie and I could make a trip to Tulsa on 25 cents each. We would walk a considerable distance to catch a bus with a fare of 5 cents. We would go shopping at Vandevers and maybe another store or two and then take in a movie, buy a drink and popcorn with that remaining 15 cents and still have a nickel left for the bus ride home. Some trips included lunch at the Walgreens lunch counter. German Chocolate cake was a favorite.

My son, Tyler, as a young child swore she had eyes in the back of her head. He never could figure out how she knew what mischief he had planned before he did it. Rachel has a memory of getting up in the wee hours of the morning to watch the Royal Wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana with her great-grandmother. I think all the grandkids remember being annoyed by her calling out ‘Present’ when they called her name for the umpteenth time.

She knew shorthand and was a good typist and had worked outside the home in her early adult years but never while I knew her until my grandfather died at age 54 (1962). She had been out of the workplace for 30 years but took a job with Skychef at Tulsa International Airport and remained there until her retirement. From the night my grandfather died until I married, I walked up the hill to my grandmother’s house and spent the night in a small bed next to hers. I always had my bedroom next door at home but actually slept at my grandmothers’ because neither me nor my mother could bear for her to be alone. She never asked that I stay with her and she never would have but I just never stopped.
–Donna 'Cathy' Gibbons Reedy
1926_Gertsie
Gertsie (r) at her best friends wedding
Gertsie, circa 1927
Gertsie, circa 1927
Shoppers at Tulsa Vandevers Sale
Shoppers at Tulsa Vandevers Sale
Grandpa Don and Gertsie
Grandpa Don and Gertsie
1969_GertsieSkyChef
Gertsie at Sky Chef at Tulsa International Airport.
Gertsie and Merry Beth on Merry Beth's wedding day
Gertsie and Merry Beth on Merry Beth's wedding day
Gertsie and me
Gertsie and me
In front of the Lemke Library, First Baptist Church, Collinsville, OK
In front of the Lemke Library, First Baptist Church, Collinsville, OK