Gertrude Kunz Menehan
The first part of this page is the text of a speech was written and presented by Hilary Kunz for the celebration of Gertrude's seventy years of life in May of 1969. Brackets portions are the editor's clarifications. The indented portions were written by Evelyn Kunz Gaffney. The last section was written by Mary Ann Bresba.
Three score and ten years ago, Michael Kunz and Amelia Much Kunz became the
parents of a baby girl, conceived in goodness and love and dedicated to helping
and doing for all mankind. I [Hilary] of course, from memories, cannot
give an account of the first years of the life of Gertrude Amelia. [She was born
on May 18, 1899 in the family home in Sherman.]
She was just past four when a little brother came to join her, although she had
been loved and cherished by five half-brothers and a half-sister; the youngest
being twelve years older than her, and they all had to be admonished at times
from giving her too much attention. [There is, in fact, a letter from Michael to his
sister Josephine speaking about the affection of the older children for little
Gertrude.]
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Gertrude with Fritz and puppy
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Her early education was gained in a little one room school house, officially known as District 45 of Lincoln County, but better known as Sherman School. [Her classmates were the neighbourhood children, among whom were the Krauses, Houstons, Jumps and Copenhavers. Fredericka Copenhaver was a friend of Kate, their oldest sister. Lockie Copenhaver was Gertrude’s best friend and Dick Copenhaver was a great pal of Hilary. Their father was Steve Copenhaver and Gert and Hilary always called him Pappy Steve. The Copenhavers lived on the hill north of the Kunz house and a little east of the cemetery. This is the house which Hilary Kunz eventually bought and in which he raised his seven children. The story has been told that after they had grown to young adults, Gertrude held the ladder for Lockie when she eloped with Ellsworth Jones. Gertrude and Lockie remained friends until their deaths when both these girls were in their 80’s.] Two of her teachers were, or became, members of the family: Joseph Kunz, her uncle, and Miss Agnes McNally, later to become a sister-in-law, Mrs. Leo Kunz. One of them, at least, reports she was a very good student.
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Gertrude, grade school years
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After completion of her eight grades at Sherman, she enrolled at Holy Names
Academy as a boarding student. Due to illness however, she only attended
that school a few months and was compelled to recuperate at home the remainder
of that year.
The following year found her back at Sherman in a 9th grade class with Miss
Virginia Cunningham as teacher, and I think, Dick Copenhaver, Vera Houston
McKay, Fannie Wall Gormley and Amy Hink Robertson as [fellow] students.
She was one of the first women to drive a car in the Wilbur area, that is, if
you call a 1912 Model T Ford a car; and her dad was scolded many times for
allowing it. She was only thirteen years old when she started driving.
Frank had told Michael, his father, that he ought to buy an automobile. Grandpa said “Why in the world would I do that? Who would drive it?” Uncle Frank said “Dad, you surely want to have a car before the Geibs get one! And besides, Gertrude would drive it!” Oh my ! A girl driving a horseless carriage?! But that’s just what happened: Michael bought a Model T Ford and Frank taught Gertrude to drive.
It was difficult to drive the Ford as you had to crank it up to get it started, and then put it into gear. It drove with a foot pedal and a brake and a steering wheel. Four cylinders. Gertrude drove her mother to various events. She drove into Wilbur for piano lessons and for social events. One fine day Gertrude and her mother, Amelia were driving into Wilbur and came upon that cut just north of the Ford dealership where Frank was still manager. Frank could hear them approaching and said, “That car is not running on all four.” He was also the mechanic and he soon got it working just fine.
There was also an event that Aunt Gertchie never did tell, but it was discovered rather recently from an old newspaper article. One picnic day, Gertrude had a car full of family members including her mother. They went over an embankment and had to get eight men and a winch to right the vehicle and haul it out of the ditch. No one was hurt, but it makes a great story.
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| Gertrude's Holy Names grad portrait |
September of 1916 found Gertrude with her Dad, Mother and younger brother moving
to East 1000 Boone Avenue, Spokane, just a half block from Holy Names Academy
where she enrolled as a sophomore. Through diligent work and
considerable help from the devoted sisters, Miss Gertrude Amelia Kunz graduated from Holy Names Academy in early June of 1919. On April 27,
1969, six of the seventeen jubilarians of that 1919 graduating class gathered
at Holy Names Academy to be honoured and to reminisce of their days in high
school. Gertrude was one of the six.
In the fall of 1919, Gertrude entered then the most prominent business college
in Spokane: Northwest Business Collage. She enrolled in the secretarial
course, concentrating on shorthand and typing.
On completing the course she got her first job as secretary to a former
Washington State governor, the late M.E. Hay in the old home town of Wilbur.
After about a year, Mr. Hay disposed of his business and Gertrude went back to
Spokane to work at Spokane Surgical Supply, for Dr. C.M. Anderson, Dr.
Southcomb, and Dr. Kelsey. While working for Dr. Kelsey, he decided to
move to Sacramento, California, and Gertrude decided to tag along and continue as his
receptionist.
One of the shocking things about Aunt Gertchie -- which probably shouldn't be told to the younger
generation -- is that she bobbed her hair when it became an early fad. Her
mother, and some of the rest of us were quite shocked when she
came from the big city to the Sherman area with short hair. She was a
"bobby," or today we would say she was "mod."
On her return
from California she continued to work as a receptionist for various doctors.
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Michael Menehan and Gertrude Kunz wedding portrait |
During hard times in Washington she worked at the lumber mill in Spokane, dispatching where from the lumber was coming, and where it was to be sent. She subsequently worked for Dr. Kearns in Spokane. During her working years she met Ida Wegner and they became fast friends through many years. Ida, nicknamed “Weggie,” remained unmarried. But Aunt Gertchie met a tall Irishman named Michael Francis Menehan, a railroad man from Montana. They dated for years and were finally married on July 27, 1940.
That fall, Gertrude and Mike moved to Sherman to be with her mother and took over the
Owl Creek Farm
formerly operated by Will and Jeannette Kunz, who had decided to get soaked up
by a little coast rain after spending most of their lives on the parched prairies
of Eastern Washington.
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Gertrude and Michael Menehan wedding party L > R: Hilary Kunz [Gert's brother], Michael Menehan, Gertrude Kunz Menehan, Anne Menehan McMahon [Mike's sister] |
As far back as most of us can remember, Gertrude Amelia has been know as "Aunt Gertchie" and today she is Aunt Gertchie to hundreds
-- whether they be related or
not -- from Tok, Alaska to Chula Vista, California and from Vietnam to Afghanistan.
She never had a family of her own but to all of us, whether we be brother,
sister, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, niece, nephew, grand-niece, or grand-nephew, she has always given that greatest gift, herself, to all mankind.
Gert, Aunt Gertchie, "This is your Life," and may God grant you many
more years to love and to be loved by all of us.
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L>R, back to front: Mike & Gert Menehan, Lary Kunz, Mary Ann Kunz and Darlene Black |
Gertrude and Mike were very generous with their time, keeping
in contact with their extended families on both sides -- Kunz and Menehan -- as well as
with old friends. They enjoyed traveling. One year they visited Yellowstone National Park and brought along some of their nieces and nephews.
There were also some winter trips to California and New Mexico. They would
invite younger members of their families to spend some time with them out at
their farm, probably giving their parents some well-deserved respite and delighting
the children. Later, after her husband's death, Gertrude would have sleepovers
for her grand-nieces. She was Aunt Gertchie to at least two generations of
a very large extended family.
In the late 1950s, Mike developed heart trouble and they
moved to apartments in Spokane in order to be closer to the doctors. Mike died
on March 3, 1963
in Spokane. Sometime after Mike's death, Gertrude moved to Sherman, to the
Michael Kunz family home. In 1967, her brother Hilary moved to Spokane.
Gertrude followed and lived in the St.Aloysius's Parish, not far from Hilary.
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Gertrude Menehan and her grandniece Marina Bresba |
Gertrude continued living in that area until she was no longer able to care for herself, and then moved to Maplewood Gardens, which is an extension of the old Holy Names College on Superior Street. One day she fell outside and was taken to the hospital. After that she was moved to Alderwood Manor, on Hartson Street where she could receive more care. Her dementia increased and she was not feeding herself. She became very ill and her niece, Evelyn Gaffney, called Father Nigro, the same priest who had anointed Hilary when he was killed. He came to administer the sacrament of the sick. Evelyn and her family were at her bedside. Gertrude died on November 14, 1982, at the age of eighty-three.
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Gertrude A. Menehan May 18, 1899 - Nov. 14,1982 Holy Cross Cemetery, Spokane, WA
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Michael Menehan June 6, 1891 - March 3, 1963 Holy Croaa Cemetery, Spokane, WA
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Continue reading about the other children of Michael Kunz:
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