Communicating is nothing out of the ordinary for Emma Geesling. The Cardinal senior isn’t afraid to connect with her fellow bandmates while on the football field on a Friday night. She is also willing to help instruct her younger teammates on the volleyball court where Geesling played as defensive specialist for the last four seasons. Her leadership and communication skills don’t stop there. She has been a member of the Student Council and has served as a class officer for all four years. She was inducted into the National Honors Society her junior year and now plays the role of president for Key Club. Emma is interested in pursuing a career in Actuarial Science and Accounting, more specifically an interest in mathematics. Her top choices for school as of right now include The Pennsylvania State University, The Ohio State University, or Ohio University.
So when an opportunity arose in January, it was an experience that Emma couldn’t pass up.
Long-time high school teacher Candi Peters was approached by a Tri-C professor, John Kerezy, who wanted to pursue an interview about his Aunt Margaret. Professor Kerezy serves as an associated professor for Media and Journalism studies. He is best known for his book “Glory Reborn: Wabash College and its athletic teams, 1977-1982.” But one of his proudest memories is sharing the life of his amazing family.
“I chose Emma for MANY reasons,” said Peters. “She is responsible. She is kind. She talks to people with respect and she is easy to talk to and knows how to engage in and carry on a conversation. She is an amazing student. She makes people feel comfortable, and she is a leader in many areas.”
Aunt Margaret, 95, resides in Middlefield, Ohio. Although her lifestyle is a bit more reserved now, Margaret has lived a very well-versed life. This encounter that Geesling was about to witness would be one to remember.
Marg, a daughter of a Hungarian father and mother and who was a sister to 12 brothers and sisters. Their mother first gave birth at the age of 17, shortly after she wed at 16 years old. Her husband passed away, leaving her with her first born, Hank, to live on their own. Then, in 1917 she married for the second time. Hank was born on Nov. 5, 1915. Their second-born was another boy, Alex, who made his appearance into the world on March 13th, 1918. Andy was born in 1920, then Frank in 1921, Joe was born three years later, and then Paul in 1926. Then came Marg on Jan. 6, 1928.
This family tackled the challenges that life threw at them, including living during the Great Depression. Marg was a little over two-years-old when she experienced this sorrowful event in history. The family lived in a duplex house with two rooms that were positioned upstairs, with two bedrooms downstairs. There was no bathroom available indoors. Her family owned an early 1920’s vehicle that was suitable for the entire family. Unfortunately, due to a garage fire at Marg’s grandparents’ house, the car was burned up in the fire. A few years later, their family witnessed another tragic event in history, when a white supremacist group later known as the “KKK” attacked people.
“My first impression of Margaret was that I thought she was strong-willed and feisty,” said Geesling. “She knew what she wanted and didn’t back down until she got it.”
Because Marg is wise from her personal life experiences, she has been a great resource for Emma in perseverance and has taught her to never go down without a fight.
“Marg lived a long, rewarding life and prevailed through the Great Depression, World War II, and the loss of many loved ones by what she described as “taking the long view.”. Geesling said. “Her actions built feelings of empowerment and optimism within me, and I felt those emotions through every conversation.”
Marg began her independent journey at a young age when she decided to leave school after the 9th grade. Her father approved this decision as he could use the extra hands around the house while she assisted with cleaning and watching her younger siblings. She eventually began her work exploration as a waitress, taking a bus to Cleveland every day where she eventually earned free clothes and food. Marg married her first husband in 1952 and the couple were married for 11 years before the two divorced.
In spite of the divorce, Marg eventually found the one she would spend the remainder of her life with. They met in Cleveland Heights where she lived just down the street from Moe. They rode together on the bus, but then one day shortly after the divorce, Moe asked if they could talk on the phone.
Moe had decided to move to Florida a few years later, and Marg had suggested that the two put a stop to the friendship and relationship that had been developing. Just after his brother retired at 62, Moe felt lonely, and wanted Marg to move to Florida with him. He moved back to Ohio in 1978, and they wed on May 11. Moe passed away on Dec, 20, 1985. Shortly after that Marg moved in with a friend named Ida until 1986 in Cleveland. “Although Marg has endured and persevered through numerous obstacles, the most heartbreaking is that she is the last of her family,” noted Geesling. “Her parents and siblings have all died, and Marg has had to witness each death, attending all but one funeral. She made me believe that I can persevere through even some of the hardest tasks like losing loved ones, and still come out with a never-ending glass-half-full perspective.”
A story, and more importantly, a friendship like this wouldn’t have happened without the open-mindedness and trust of these two women.
As the senior looks to complete her final months of high school, she’ll remember a lot of things, but this one experience could be life changing for her.
“This was something really outside of my comfort zone,” said Geesling.
She and Marg met weekly and reminisced about the life Marg lived. By the end of their time together, Geesling created a transcription of her life, and gave it to Professor Kerezy. He then shared it with the remaining family members.
