By Emily Massingill
editor@
themonroetimes.com
ARGYLE - Johann Bayer came to the United States chasing the love of his life. Not only was he able to catch her, but he ended up with a fulfilling career, a family of friends and now - after retirement - a home in Green County. The setting of rolling hills, singing groups and fresh air elicit a feeling of connection to his German roots.
Bayer was born in what is now called Bosnia. He lived there until 1944 when, at age 10, his family became refugees during World War II and headed for what was known then as Austria. While there, they lived in a camp, surrounded by barbed wire.
"We were Germans in the French zone," he said.
While in the camp, his family was reunited with old family friends. He fell in love with the family's daughter, Margarethe, or Margaret.
After the war ended, growing up still had its hardships. Bayer said there was little food to go around and he lost both of his siblings, a 13-year-old brother and a 9-year-old sister who were killed in the war in 1945.
After moving around for about a year-and-a-half, the family settled in Haiming, Germany, in 1946 where Bayer continued school until seventh grade. He said he was an OK student, but failed German because he also spoke Croatian, which made things difficult.
"I had trouble setting up the sentences," he said.
The family eventually moved to an apartment as things got better, Bayer said. When he learned Margaret would be going to the United States with her family, he knew he would need to do the same.
"I didn't plan to come to the U.S.," Bayer said. "But I knew she wouldn't come back without her mother."
In the spring of 1956, at 23, Bayer came to the United States to find her. He traveled on a French ship to New York with his step-brother, sponsored by a friend, which was a requirement at the time. Once he reached the U.S., he traveled to Chicago and found Margaret.
It's a love story with a happy ending. The couple married that December, shortly after she turned 18.
Bayer looked for work and went through an apprenticeship to become a shoemaker. When he started work at a shoe factory in Chicago, however, he was baffled. He was used to making shoes by hand from scratch in Germany and never felt comfortable with the moving conveyor belt. He quit after two weeks, and went on to a dangerous foundry job he held for six months.
As Bayer searched for work he was more comfortable with, he found a job at a steel factory in Chicago. However, once he reported to the draft board as required, he soon found himself enlisted with the Army.
Bayer spoke little English, and it made things hard in the military. Many thought he was lying about not speaking the language, and he said he was forced to catch on quickly. He was sent to Germany with the artillery unit, and Margaret even joined him for a while. They refer to that time as their honeymoon.
Bayer said it was a relief to be back in Germany because his fellow soldiers finally believed he didn't speak English. As he helped them learn to communicate in German, he said he picked up on English even faster.
He was part of the military soccer team, a game he was familiar with before it became popular in America. The sport allowed him to travel all over Germany, and he said it was an enjoyable time. He was also able to earn his GED and take drafting courses. Margaret was pregnant with their first child and left Germany early to go back to the United States.
When Bayer finished and returned to Chicago, he went back to the steel factory. After eight years in the shop, he took a three-year correspondence course in Pennsylvania in mechanical drafting and then moved into the office to work as a draftsman. He spent more than two decades there, specializing in making and laying out spiral staircases. After his boss' death, Bayer managed the company and loved his work.
Despite that, he said he missed the scenic rolling hills he thought of often from his childhood, and living in a big city never felt natural to him.
"I never got used to Chicago," he said. "Haiming had 1,200 people."
Although Chicago was bigger than what they were used to, Bayer said the city also had a lot to offer and made things easy. They could find German entertainment, clubs and crowds to socialize with. They sang in both an Austrian and German choir, and every New Year's Eve they would attend a German club. Although it was enjoyable, it also felt somewhat segregating.
"It made us lazy," he said of being able to speak German instead of English.
The couple spent 45 years in Chicago where they raised their three children. By the late 1960s, he told Margaret he wanted to come to Wisconsin - Illinois was simply "too flat" to stay. He and his brother owned a home in Green Lake where the family would vacation over the years, but in 1976 he sold his share.
The following year, he and Margaret took their first vacation without their children to Mt. Horeb, a place they chose for its hills and ambiance. They always enjoyed the cool Wisconsin weather and the landscape's lack of industrial feel. He said he decided then it was where he hoped to retire.
They approached a real estate agent in Monroe and looked at 14 different places, spending three weeks on the search. Bayer said he had to talk Margaret into leaving her longtime job in Chicago at a grocery store.
But in 2000, the couple purchased a country home with an Argyle address where they reside today. Bayer said it was a handyman's special that needed work he's enjoyed doing over the years. The rolling hills that surround them remind him of the landscape in Germany he once loved, and it brings back memories of his family and home.
Although they enjoyed their scenic home, neither of them realized right away their proximity to both Monroe and New Glarus, or the cities' rich history of Swiss and German roots. It was a welcome surprise, he said, and after attending an event at the senior center, they soon found themselves as members of the Swiss Singers.
"He's a base, I'm an alto - it works out perfect," Margaret said.
Margaret opted to join the senior center immediately, but it took ping pong and pickleball for Johann to get on board. He likes to be busy and active.
"It was a nice surprise to sing again," Bayer said. He also joined the Mannerchoir & Jodlerklub in New Glarus for a while, a group he enjoyed because they sang songs he already knew.
Today, Bayer stays busy with the upkeep of their home and the land they have. He works on splitting wood and sharing chickens, other livestock and food with special neighbors they are grateful to have.
"This is what we missed in Chicago," he said. "We talk to our neighbors. It's nice here. This is the best time I've had in the United States - right now."
Bayer enjoys collecting and shelling black walnuts and said it's always been his nature to never waste food. He used to have a few livestock he raised, but now just has chickens and several fruit trees. He also enjoys having a large garden and is currently working on a plan to keep the woodchucks out of his cantaloupe.
"I'm learning the hard way," he smiled. "We still live the same way we did in Austria. We save everything. We don't have to worry about anything but our health."
The couple usually make a weekly trek to Monroe. They recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary at Turner Hall, complete with a German band that kept them dancing through the evening.
"I'm so glad to be here," Bayer said. "No question. It was a great move."
The couple enjoy traveling and have traveled back home several times. The first time was in 1983, which was 27 years after they left.
"We felt like we never left," Bayer said about their first return. They have also attended camp reunions and were able to see several people from their childhoods.
They have been back to Austria six times, where Margaret's older sister still lives. They also went to Switzerland with the Swiss Singers and stayed longer to travel and visit with family.
"It's different now," he said of the small village of Haiming, which is now overrun with hotels. "It's modern. It's not like the past that's in our head."
Bayer's parents both died in Austria, but his half-brother still lives in Chicago. The couple have three children, 30 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren. They enjoy spending time with all of them and periodically go back to Chicago for visits.
When Bayer thinks of his life, it's seemingly simple to come up with a phrase he has lived by through the years. He said the words aren't necessarily his - but are actually from his German roots that have been instilled in him his entire life.
"I believe you have to be honest, work hard and not expect things without paying for them," he said.
editor@
themonroetimes.com
ARGYLE - Johann Bayer came to the United States chasing the love of his life. Not only was he able to catch her, but he ended up with a fulfilling career, a family of friends and now - after retirement - a home in Green County. The setting of rolling hills, singing groups and fresh air elicit a feeling of connection to his German roots.
Bayer was born in what is now called Bosnia. He lived there until 1944 when, at age 10, his family became refugees during World War II and headed for what was known then as Austria. While there, they lived in a camp, surrounded by barbed wire.
"We were Germans in the French zone," he said.
While in the camp, his family was reunited with old family friends. He fell in love with the family's daughter, Margarethe, or Margaret.
After the war ended, growing up still had its hardships. Bayer said there was little food to go around and he lost both of his siblings, a 13-year-old brother and a 9-year-old sister who were killed in the war in 1945.
After moving around for about a year-and-a-half, the family settled in Haiming, Germany, in 1946 where Bayer continued school until seventh grade. He said he was an OK student, but failed German because he also spoke Croatian, which made things difficult.
"I had trouble setting up the sentences," he said.
The family eventually moved to an apartment as things got better, Bayer said. When he learned Margaret would be going to the United States with her family, he knew he would need to do the same.
"I didn't plan to come to the U.S.," Bayer said. "But I knew she wouldn't come back without her mother."
In the spring of 1956, at 23, Bayer came to the United States to find her. He traveled on a French ship to New York with his step-brother, sponsored by a friend, which was a requirement at the time. Once he reached the U.S., he traveled to Chicago and found Margaret.
It's a love story with a happy ending. The couple married that December, shortly after she turned 18.
Bayer looked for work and went through an apprenticeship to become a shoemaker. When he started work at a shoe factory in Chicago, however, he was baffled. He was used to making shoes by hand from scratch in Germany and never felt comfortable with the moving conveyor belt. He quit after two weeks, and went on to a dangerous foundry job he held for six months.
As Bayer searched for work he was more comfortable with, he found a job at a steel factory in Chicago. However, once he reported to the draft board as required, he soon found himself enlisted with the Army.
Bayer spoke little English, and it made things hard in the military. Many thought he was lying about not speaking the language, and he said he was forced to catch on quickly. He was sent to Germany with the artillery unit, and Margaret even joined him for a while. They refer to that time as their honeymoon.
Bayer said it was a relief to be back in Germany because his fellow soldiers finally believed he didn't speak English. As he helped them learn to communicate in German, he said he picked up on English even faster.
He was part of the military soccer team, a game he was familiar with before it became popular in America. The sport allowed him to travel all over Germany, and he said it was an enjoyable time. He was also able to earn his GED and take drafting courses. Margaret was pregnant with their first child and left Germany early to go back to the United States.
When Bayer finished and returned to Chicago, he went back to the steel factory. After eight years in the shop, he took a three-year correspondence course in Pennsylvania in mechanical drafting and then moved into the office to work as a draftsman. He spent more than two decades there, specializing in making and laying out spiral staircases. After his boss' death, Bayer managed the company and loved his work.
Despite that, he said he missed the scenic rolling hills he thought of often from his childhood, and living in a big city never felt natural to him.
"I never got used to Chicago," he said. "Haiming had 1,200 people."
Although Chicago was bigger than what they were used to, Bayer said the city also had a lot to offer and made things easy. They could find German entertainment, clubs and crowds to socialize with. They sang in both an Austrian and German choir, and every New Year's Eve they would attend a German club. Although it was enjoyable, it also felt somewhat segregating.
"It made us lazy," he said of being able to speak German instead of English.
The couple spent 45 years in Chicago where they raised their three children. By the late 1960s, he told Margaret he wanted to come to Wisconsin - Illinois was simply "too flat" to stay. He and his brother owned a home in Green Lake where the family would vacation over the years, but in 1976 he sold his share.
The following year, he and Margaret took their first vacation without their children to Mt. Horeb, a place they chose for its hills and ambiance. They always enjoyed the cool Wisconsin weather and the landscape's lack of industrial feel. He said he decided then it was where he hoped to retire.
They approached a real estate agent in Monroe and looked at 14 different places, spending three weeks on the search. Bayer said he had to talk Margaret into leaving her longtime job in Chicago at a grocery store.
But in 2000, the couple purchased a country home with an Argyle address where they reside today. Bayer said it was a handyman's special that needed work he's enjoyed doing over the years. The rolling hills that surround them remind him of the landscape in Germany he once loved, and it brings back memories of his family and home.
Although they enjoyed their scenic home, neither of them realized right away their proximity to both Monroe and New Glarus, or the cities' rich history of Swiss and German roots. It was a welcome surprise, he said, and after attending an event at the senior center, they soon found themselves as members of the Swiss Singers.
"He's a base, I'm an alto - it works out perfect," Margaret said.
Margaret opted to join the senior center immediately, but it took ping pong and pickleball for Johann to get on board. He likes to be busy and active.
"It was a nice surprise to sing again," Bayer said. He also joined the Mannerchoir & Jodlerklub in New Glarus for a while, a group he enjoyed because they sang songs he already knew.
Today, Bayer stays busy with the upkeep of their home and the land they have. He works on splitting wood and sharing chickens, other livestock and food with special neighbors they are grateful to have.
"This is what we missed in Chicago," he said. "We talk to our neighbors. It's nice here. This is the best time I've had in the United States - right now."
Bayer enjoys collecting and shelling black walnuts and said it's always been his nature to never waste food. He used to have a few livestock he raised, but now just has chickens and several fruit trees. He also enjoys having a large garden and is currently working on a plan to keep the woodchucks out of his cantaloupe.
"I'm learning the hard way," he smiled. "We still live the same way we did in Austria. We save everything. We don't have to worry about anything but our health."
The couple usually make a weekly trek to Monroe. They recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary at Turner Hall, complete with a German band that kept them dancing through the evening.
"I'm so glad to be here," Bayer said. "No question. It was a great move."
The couple enjoy traveling and have traveled back home several times. The first time was in 1983, which was 27 years after they left.
"We felt like we never left," Bayer said about their first return. They have also attended camp reunions and were able to see several people from their childhoods.
They have been back to Austria six times, where Margaret's older sister still lives. They also went to Switzerland with the Swiss Singers and stayed longer to travel and visit with family.
"It's different now," he said of the small village of Haiming, which is now overrun with hotels. "It's modern. It's not like the past that's in our head."
Bayer's parents both died in Austria, but his half-brother still lives in Chicago. The couple have three children, 30 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren. They enjoy spending time with all of them and periodically go back to Chicago for visits.
When Bayer thinks of his life, it's seemingly simple to come up with a phrase he has lived by through the years. He said the words aren't necessarily his - but are actually from his German roots that have been instilled in him his entire life.
"I believe you have to be honest, work hard and not expect things without paying for them," he said.