Marianne Anne Klimesch

see also Reburial document - by daughter: Heidi (Klimesch) Rohel

Marianne, they called her Anne was 19, when she married Hans Klimesch in 1926 - a marriage arranged by her parents and witnessed by Josef Klimesch, Ludwig Kantor. Their 3 children were assited by a family Nanny. Anne wanted her children to have a modern English upbringing, because she was raised that way. For instance, they had birthday parties, which was not very common at that time. Mutti, how she was called in German, had a Teaching Degree in English and started to teach her eldest child Heidi when she was about 7. She visited the teachers in school - something not done at that time and supervised their homework. She loved to read, owned many books and bought Gone with the Wind in English, as soon as it was available. Heidi remembers this book very well, as she taught her to love reading very early in life.

Anne liked to travel. The family had a car image and made many outings to Praděd and many other places in the Czech mountains. We spent our summers with her Grossmama Clara (Bach) Böhm in Baden bei Wien. Johann Klimesch stayed back in Šternberk, Moravia, Czechoslovakia and worked, but for two weeks they traveled, just the two of them - mostly in Austria and Italy. Annes family was Jewish and converted to Protestants, when she was still in high school. Their 3 children were baptized in Šternberk Catholic church and she was always interested in our religion. The family spoke German at home, went to German schools, but as they lived in Czechoslovakia (Sudetenland), she felt that the children should learn the Czech language. The family had often Czech Cooks, one of the nicest was Krista, who was with them twice. After 1938, when Anne was already sick, Krista came back and helped the family. She stayed a dear friend to me and to all our children.

Anne loved to swim and also enjoyed exercise classes. Her health was not very good. She easily caught illness, had "strepped throat" infections almost every year and many other illnesses. She had the "flu" in March 1938, when Germany occupied Austria. Anne wanted to see her family before they had to leave Austria and she traveled to Vienna for few days. She was very close to her family. When Anne returned, she got "Pneumonia" and ended up in Šternberk hospital. There was no "penicillin" before the war and so she got "Tuberculosis". For few months Anne could stay at home, but finally she had to go to a special hospital, only for T.B. patients in Albrechtice (Oberschaar) - 2 hours away by car. There, she had few operations. Her T.B. was almost cured, but her "heart" could not endure it.

The Political situation was "very stressful for her". in October 1938, Nazis occupied Šternberk. The German citizens were not very nice. Her mother Leonie and aunt Hedl fled to Paris, her Grandmother Clara and sister Clarisse were in London. Her sister Ethel and her 2 small children stayed with Anne & the family in summer 1938, but fled before the Nazis to Prague and stayed with the Morawetz family. Her cousin Herta, was in Australia with her husband and daughter Susie. Anne loved the many magazines she received from her.

Anne was sick for 1 1/2 years and died of "Heart failure" at the age of 32, just 3 days before the war started in September 1939. She asked to be cremated, something rarely done at that time. In the hospital were Catholic nuns, they prayed for her and with her. She was prepared.

May she rest in peace.