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Doris Gertrude KLAEBE nèe Saegenschnitter

  • Born: 9th April 1936
  • Parents:
    Albert and Gertrude Saegenschnitter
    • Married:
    • Howard Albert Klaebe
  • Lived:
    Caltowie Extension, Laura, Tanunda, all in South Australia
  • Died:
  • Buried:

Detailed biography

The following biography is the work of the late Dean Saegenschnitter, who collected and compiled ‘Before and After’, a Family History of the Saegenschnitter descendants of Auguste Emilie Lydia Becker and Carl Friedrich Gustav Saegenschnitter.

Permission was given by Deans’ family to publish the biographies which he called ‘Backgrounds’.

Wonderful Childhood

Doris was born on Good Friday the 9th April, 1936 and was Baptised in the Pine Creek Lutheran Church. She grew up in a family home having a wonderful childhood, having single Uncles and by people helping her parents, and also by being the first child in the family.

School

When 5¾ years old Doris commenced at the Caltowie Extension School in 1942. In 1944 the family sold the farm and moved into a lovely old home on the edge of the I Laura Township. After Laura primary school she attended Gladstone High, thoroughly enjoying this period, but in 1950 Doris had to spend three months at home to look after a 5 year old brother while her mother underwent an operation in the Laura hospital.

Employment

The parents decided that Doris leave school and go to work in the Office at the Laura Flour Mill. Doris stayed there till the latter part of 1953, when again she was told to go to work in the office of a hardware store in Nuriopta in the Barossa Valley.

Barossa Valley

The parents and family then moved to Tanunda in the Barossa Valley. Here Doris met Howard and they bought a block of land where they built a small cottage. On its completion she married Howard Albert Klaebe in the Langmeil Church in Tanunda on the 14th November 1959. Doris continued working until May 1961, when their son Stefen Albert was born, and at the end of the following year their daughter Francesca Gertrude was also born in Tanunda.

Outside Employment

In February 1967 Seppelts winery needed another person for 2 weeks, and this eventually became permanent. In 1968 they began to build a house onto their cottage. Doris then answered an advert and was chosen as an office worker by the Kaiser Stuhl Community winery at Nurioopta. At the end of 1972 she resigned, wanting to spend time at home with the two children and join in their school functions etc. After a while at home Doris I was asked to work a day every so often in the Tanunda Rest Home. The hours varied for the next 27 years that she spent there, and finally on 15th September 2000 she retired.  (What a day.)

Husband Howard

During the time Doris was working, Howard was awarded the ‘Super Service 1984 at Hages’ This was an Australia wide contest, and this enabled them to have a trip to Vanuato in 1983 and a trip to Singapore in 1985.

In 1994 they did a trip with “Lutheran Tours” to Thailand, England, France, Spain, Monaco, Italy, Yugoslavia, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Holland and Belguim.

Son Stefen

Their son Stefen completed his education, and after a number of jobs joined Orlando Wines and was instrumental in Howard getting a position there too. Howard wanted to give away being a mechanic.

Daughter Fran

Daughter Fran completed her education and in 1973 she applied for and was accepted to become a Junior School Teacher.

Retirement

Howard retired on 31st December 2002. They now have five grandchildren. Adrian, Jeromy, Trudy, Julius and Lyndall.

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Children of Doris and Howard

Stefen and Francesca

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© ‘Before and After’

by Dean Saegenschnitter