Lorna Mildred Oachs
This website is dedicated to my grandmother, Lorna Mildred Oachs. The website is in lavendar which was my grandmother's favorite color.
I owe so much to her for teaching me the invaluable lessons in life. From the time I was four years old, she insisted I take piano lessons. Music was a big part of her life. She could play the piano, organ, accordion, saxaphone, guitar and drums. Her enthusiasm for music has been passed down to some of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her mother, Minnie Ward Oachs, played the piano. So the musical abilites are genetic. I have played the piano and organ for church services for many years still carrying on the tradition of music.
In addition to the music, my grandmother was an accomplished cook. It was forbidden that we ever cook anything out of a box! Everything must be from "scratch". She was far ahead of her time. She grew her own vegetables because she felt the pesticides on them from the stores would cause cancer. If she bought from a store, it was throughly washed with Shaklee soap. She taught me to bake a cake from scratch at the age of 8 years old. We were to never eat boxed food since it was full of preservatives not good for anyone's body. She would be proud today to know she was on to something before the scientists! She owned a restaurant then went on to own pre-schools. The waiting list was quite long to get into her pre-school.
Despite having children with handicaps, my grandmother never complained. Three of her four children died at young ages. Her only surviving daughter is deaf.
I used many resources for this family website. Over the years, Florence Oachs has sent many newspaper articles, her own handwritten memories and obituaries to my grandmother. I inherited the information along with numerous other photos. On my many trips to Mankato, I would discuss family history with Cal Oachs.
The Oachs Family has a rich and beautiful history from Germany to the USA. The family has always had a strong bond among the sixteen children of William Oachs. Many thanks to Florence Oachs who kept the "California Family" up to date with the "Minnesota Family through the years.
