Eminent Homemaker
County: Brown
A. J. Schuelke, Groton, has attained her high level achievement with a philosophy that it is no fun to just keep up with others, it is better to be ahead.
Schuelke was born in Garden Prairie township, twelve miles north of Groton, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ferdinand Erdmann. She attended the local rural school but did not complete high school. In its place she took up sewing and dressmaking while living with her parents.
She was married to Arthur J. Schuelke on Sept. 24, 1914. The Schuelkes have reared five children, two of them adopted. A daughter died in infancy. Their four sons and a daughter are all married. Ora, the eldest son, farms the home place. Robert’s farm is located near the home farm. Lyle is in the oil business in Huron and their daughter, Ardis, is Daryl Danielson of Aberdeen. Allen is in the implement business in Aberdeen.
Schuelke has long been interested in music. At the age of thirteen she was the organist for the country church she attended, and still acts as substitute organist for St. John’s Lutheran church in Groton. All of her sons have played in high school bands. She helped organize a band- mothers group to buy uniforms for members of the high school band. On successfully completing that project, the members voted to continue their organization as a PTA.
Schuelke’s talent for sewing was put to good use during the drouth years when she made practically all the family’s clothing. It has also served well during her more than thirty years in home demonstration, where she has served as clothing leader. She has served as a 4-H club leader.
With her family grown and married, Schuelke still keeps busy. Her sewing machine, which has turned out so much work, is still humming. She has started doing crocheted and embroidery work. One of her crocheted pieces has the entire text of the Lord’s Prayer woven into it.