Contact: Stan

----Source: Levis 125 Year Book (1981); provided by "The Jailhouse Museum".

Surnames: KONRATH GRZANNA OPELT CROCKETT

Konrath, John

John Konrath and mother, Mrs. Adeline Konrath, and niece, Maryann Grzanna, moved to Day’s Corners in about 1930.  In August of 1933, Barbara Grzanna came to live with her grandmother and uncle because of hard times, and moved into the house beside the cheese factory.

Maryann worked in several places during the summer months, and for her last year of school, she worked at the first National Bank in Neillsville, Wis.  Barbara married Allen Crockett in the spring of 1935.

Later, John and his mother moved further south in the town of Levis, to the house belonging to Neubecker Brothers.  There Mrs. Konrath suffered a stroke and had to go to Milwaukee to be cared for by a daughter.  In 1937, John purchased the former Piech farm  He lived there a few years, finally moving to Oshkosh to help a brother for a year or two.  He returned and lived with Barbara and Allen Crockett, working on the Highway 73 construction crews.  After the completion of that work, he worked for the Forestry Dept.  He received infection from sumac growing among the Christmas trees he was cutting and was forced to quit this job.  After that he worked for several farmers in the area.  He passed away Nov. 8, 1968.

Maryann married Norman Opelt, son of Arthur and Laura (Faber) Opelt, in June of 1937.  They reside in Madison, Wis. where Norman worked in a dairy plant.