Bio: Sterle, John & Mary

Transcriber: stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Sterle, Sodar, Klun, Pozega

----Source: Family Scrapbook

John Sterle was born in Jugoslavia in 1885 and passed away in New Smyrna Beach, Florida in 1965. His wife, Mary Sodar, was born in Jugoslavia in 1889. She passed away in 1973 at the home of her oldest daughter, Mary Sterle Klun, in Holland Patent, New York.

They were married in 1907 right after they both cam to Utah, near Salt Lake City. While in Utah, John Sterle worked in a smelter. The place made him very sick. The doctor advised him to leave the smelter and go to the country. They picked Willard. While in Utah for about seven years they had three children; a girl, Mary, and two boys, Dan and Paul. Dan died July 10, 1980.

They arrived in Willard by train in 1915 and settled on 40 acres of wooded land. They built a two room house and a log barn to start with. They had to clear the land. John and his wife cut logs to four foot lengths and loaded them in box cars for sale. Their neighbor, Tom Pozega of Gorman did the same thing. They had a few dairy cows and sold cream to a cheese factory to make a little extra money. They also raised veal and shipped it to Chicago Sure was tough going. The three children went to a one room school in Tioga.

During World War I which ended in 1918, they had the flu. A lot of people in the area died of it. The Sterles were Quarantined for a length of time and neighbors did their chores. They all pulled through and were okay.


In June 1916 a son, Edward, was born. Mr. and Mrs. Champa were godparents when he was baptized.

On April 25, 1920 the Sterles moved to Eaton, New York in the farming section. They bought a 200 acre farm all equipped with cows.

In 1921 a daughter, Amy, was born. Now there were five children; three boys and two girls. All finished school in New York State.

When John and Mary Sterle retired from farming in the 1960's they bought a home in Florida, where they lived until John died. Mary sold the place and went to live with their oldest daughter.

The Sterles both lived to be in their eighties so I guess each lived a happy, healthy, long life by getting a start at farming in good old Willard.

Submitted by: Mary Sterle Klun