Gertrude Caroline Catob Howse Carmer

    Gertrude was born on the 9th of May 1916

She lived her entire life in the village of

Harbor Springs, Michigan            Frieda, Mother Lina, Baby Helen, Karl and Gert with the curls!Helene, Gertrude, Frieda & Karl Catob

about 1921.

Her mother passed over just after her 7th birthday.         Frieda, Karl, Helene and Gertrude with their Mother’s Mother, Grandma Schwerdtfeger.          Gertrude and Helene and the new car1923 – Gertrude and Helene in front of the house their father built on Spring Street.     Gertrude with her class, she is wearing the long necklace, in the white dress.Gert, Karl and HeleneFrieda and Gertrude with their step mom.Here she is with her friends, the middle girl is my great Aunt Carol Heinz on my mom’s side, she is to the right.Dating her future husband Cliff.Prom day!Graduation Day from Harbor Springs High School.Again with Cliff and of course a puppy.Mr. and Mrs. Clifford Howse ~

married on the 21st of December 1935.Gertrude with her new Mother-in-Law, Sarah.Again my great Aunt Inez Heinz with her baby Virginia in Gertrude’s arms. Harbor is a small town…Gertrude with her first daughter, Joanne, with her Aunt Frieda and her sister Frieda with her daughter, June.  Gertrude with her son, Arnold Gert and CliffClifford, Gertrude and her father John Catob

and Joanne, Arnold and Karlene.Gertrude with her daughter, Karlene on the ferry to Mackinac Island. Cliff is holding Arnold who is peering into the spyglass.Arnold, Cliff and Gertrude at the Zoo.Clifford passed over on the 22nd of August, 1957 of Cancer.

Gertrude had faithfully cared for him to the end.Here she is in Easter 1965 with Arnold and Karlene and their families at the time.Gerald Carmer met Gertrude they were married

on the 1st of May 1965 in Harbor Springs.Gertrude and her sister Frieda

Gertrude loved spending time with her brother and sister whenever they could get together.

Her second husband passed over on the 28 of September 1987 in Petoskey, Michigan.She valued time with her old friends, Gertrude, Adeline and Carol.Gertrude loved to sing in the Presbyterian Choir.

She loved to travel and enjoyed a particular trip to Germany to visit her father’s family.

She loved to sit at the table watching all the goings

on downtown through the many windows of

her home, and her grandchildren were

always watched with especial care.

Gert loved arts and crafts and knitted and crocheted her way into her grandchildren’s hearts with many blankets, shawls and Christmas ornaments.

My favorite memory is of a night I spent over as a young child when she took me shopping all day, we had lunch out and a movie with popcorn at the theater in town. I loved those lights and smells at night.

Once a young girl hurried across the street from the Candy store she worked at and found relief from a bad candy burn on her hand.

Gertrude took the shocked girl and laid her gently on her own bed and took down the aloe plant always at the ready on the windowsill. This stopped the pain enough that the granddaughter fell asleep immediately.

She always remembered the plant and Grandmother

that gave such relief.

Gertrude passed over on the 29th of May 1999 in the town she loved so dearly.