• During World War II, you had to have food stamps to buy meat, Grandma & Grandpa were friends of John Fischer who owned a meat market. Often there was extra meat that no one had food stamps for so he couldn't sell it, so he would give to Grandma, she would sell it under the table to the the Odd Fellows lodge which Grandma belonged to, then Grandma would give back money to Fisher. . Grandma NEVER made leftovers!

Jobs
•Box factory-making cartons on sycamore st3 .,
•Shoe Factory on Monroe St - tie the shoelaces for the high boots and put into boxes.
•Mowen Hunter Laundry on Genesee street - Sorted Laundry
• After Married, became a domistic worker for Robert Hall, owner of Crystal Beach, a proment family in Buffalo only worked for 1 week, they got her the job at Kirchover's.
• Worked 42 years for Alfred Kirchhofer (He retired in 1966), managing editor of Buffalo Evening News. Did house cleaning. George Butler & Mr Kirchoffer were president and manager editor of the news at the same timem Mom worked for the Kirchoffers every week on Friday's and for the Butlers on special occasion, The  Kirchoffers lived at 38 Hallam Road just off Nottingerham Terrace in the Humbolt Parkway area of Buffalo.

38 Hallam Road Buffalo, NY
This is a Single-Family Home located at 38 Hallam Road, Buffalo, NY. 38 Hallam Rd has 5 beds, 3 ½ baths, and approximately 3,649 square feet. The property has a lot size of 1 and was built in 1940. 38 Hallam Rd is in the Park Meadow neighborhood in Buffalo, NY. The average list price for Park Meadow is $701,266. Sold in 2005 for $510,000

• Evenings was a cook down at Luders Log Cabin from Midnight - 2am making sandwiches. Did this after coming home from Kirchovers work.

• Was up at 5am every morning (from Marj Matthews)

Carol got this.
• Worked for Larken Soap Company (for runner up of Stickley Furnature?)

TomMyers would come up to Canada and stay with Grandma and Grandpa up at Marge Schriver's rented cabin. Grandma remembers making 1 lb of bacon for Tom in the Morning. Tom & grandpa would go out fishing then grandma would help fillet the fish.

• Grandma and Grandpa got married then Grandpa signed up cause they were going to draft him. Irene was 3 years old when he came home. (Gone for 3 years).

From Harold:
Every Sunday would go on a picnic when living in Buffalo. Grandma would get up at 3am, make potato salad and picnic food. All kids would pack mits and such and climb into car Packard and go to some park like Medina, silver creek.

Would hide away money to buy kids something new instead of handmedowns.
On way home from Kirchovers on Sat nite she would stop at Quality baker and buy donuts. Kids would wait for her and sit around eating donuts and coffee.

Gram never let anyone see her without makeup and earings.

Kids had oatmeal for breakfest. Grandma always used Elizabeth Arden Makeup. Was cub scout mother for Marty.
Some of Grandma’s Sayings
• “Those that can’t hear must feel” Said when you didn’t listen.
• “If you boys don’t behave you’ll go to Father Bakers” (a home for wayward boys.)

Moved into Father Baker Manor Sterling Court 405 6400 Powers Rd, Orchard Park, NY 14127. Lived there until her passing

The  Kirchoffers lived at 38 Hallam Road just off Nottingerham Terrace in the Humbolt Parkway area of Buffalo

Emma N Kirchhofer 
SPOUSE:  Alfred H Kirchhofer
BIRTH:  abt 1891 - location
RESIDENCE:  1920 - city, Erie, New York
Buffalo Ward 20
Death: August 1, 1978


Buffalo native who began his newspaper career as a copy boy for the Buffalo Commercial at the age of 17; worked for Buffalo Times, Courier and Western New York Post (which he co-founded) before joining Buffalo Evening News as a reporter in 1915. Worked as Albany correspondent (1916 ff.), Washington correspondent (1921-1917), managing editor (1927-1956), editor-in-chief and executive vice-president of WBEN (1956-1967). Was associate director of publicity for Republican National Committee in 1928 and director of publicity in 1936.

In 1947, Alfred H. Kirchhofer, then managing editor, launched Buffalo’s first television station, WBEN-TV. According to a 1957 article in Canada’s The Globe Magazine, WBEN’s signal reached 600,000 New York TV sets – and more than 770,000 in southern Ontario.

Edward H. Butler Jr. held the title of editor and publisher from 1914 until his death in 1956, but it was Alfred H. Kirchhofer who was responsible for news decisions during most of that time. From 1927 to 1966, first as managing editor and then editor, Kirchhofer led the news operation. Hired by The News in 1915, Kirchhofer was just 23 when he became the News’ first Washington reporter. When he was called back to Buffalo to become managing editor, it was his goal to make the News a prestige “Newspaper of record.” Light, in his book chronicling the history of The News, wrote that Kirchhofer was “without doubt the most dominant figure in Buffalo area media in the 20th century.”

Eulogy for Mary Kate Matthews
by
Thomas Myers, Son of Carol Myers, daughter of Mary Kate Matthews.
Given at St Johns Church

Mary Kate Matthews
Daughter of Joseph and Mary Lehner
Mother of 10 children
Grandmother of 29 children
Great Grandmother of 53 children
Great Great Grandmother of 12 children

I am but 1 of the 104 direct descendants of this great lady called Mary, Mame, Mamè, Gram, Grandma and GG. But by whatever name, we all loved her. Thanks to all the family members and friends who have shared their memories of Grandma with me, some of which I will share with you here.

Mary Kate Lehner was born Sunday Oct 23, 1898 in her house on Watson Street; Buffalo, New York, one of six children. In the United States the Spanish-American war was coming to an end.

Mary Lehner met Frank Allan Matthews when he was a chauffeur. They got Married on Saturday Feb 28, 1914, Grandma was 15 1/2, Grandpa was 22. Germany had just invaded Belgium, a prelude to World War 1.

Grandpa immediately enlisted in the army as he was about to drafted. He was one of the Rough Riders riding motorcycles in France.

Irene was born on Saturday March 3, 1917, Grandma was 18 years old, Grandpa was off at war. The United States declared war on Germany.

In 1919 Grandpa came home from the war, Irene was 3 years old and sees her father for the first time.

Tuesday May 18, 1920 at age 21, grandma gave birth to Frank Allan Jr. That year Grandma saw suffrage granted to American women. I asked grandma what she remembered about this. She said that it was not a big issue in her life and she didn’t remember voting.

Grandma was 24 when Harold John was born it was Tuesday May 15, 1923. The movie “Ten Commandments” was released in Hollywood.

Two years later at the age of 26 on Thursday Feb 5th, 1925 Merrill David was born. The Roaring `20s were in full swing and Lou Gehrig joined the New York Yankees.

Grandma’s father Joseph died this year.

On Monday March 1st, 1926, just a year later, Herbert Edwin was born, Grandma was 27 now. The book Winnie-the-Pooh was written in this year.

At the age of 29, Grandma gave birth to Raymond Arthur on Sunday Jan 15th, 1928. It was the middle of Prohibition.

My mom Carol Gertrude was born on Saturday Feb 8, 1930, Grandma was 31. That year over 1,300 American banks failed and the country was deep into the Depression.

After 5 years when Grandma was 35 she gave birth to her 8th child Robert Richard on Wednesday March 14, 1934. The Dust Bowl hit the western United States in this year.

Joyce Janet was born on Monday July 1, 1935, just one year later. This is the year Social Security was started.

In 1937 grandma’s Mother, Mary dies. It was this year that Amelia Earhart disappeared over the Pacific.

In Grandma’s 40th year she had her 10th and last child, Martin Donald. Born Sunday June 4, 1939. Fluorescent Lighting was invented by GE this year.

A lot of events have transpired during Grandma’s 101 years. From Kodak’s Brownie Camera to Quantum theory to two World Wars. Through all of this Grandma was there. She sent off 5 sons to fight in World War II, all of whom returned.

Grandma was always happy, I never remember her being moody. She was the prototypical Grandmother with her gray hair, house dress and apron. You would no sooner come into her house and she would ask you what you wanted to eat and wouldn’t quit until you ate.

Grandma also had some interesting sayings such as:

“You’d better behave or we’ll send you to Father Bakers” she would say that to the boys or grandchildren who were misbehaving. Father Bakers was the home for wayward boys, not the wonderful Father Bakers Manor where she roomed with her good friend Marie!

She would also say: “Those that can’t hear must feel”, although I think Grandpa took care of any enforcement needing to be done.

I wish I had a nickel for the number of times I heard her call herself or someone else a “dumb shit” for something they forgot.

And how many remember when she would hide her purse in the oven? Sometimes not finding it until it was slightly cooked.

Grandma had wonderful skin and was fussy about how she took care of it. It wasn’t just any makeup or skin lotion she would use, it was always Elizabeth Arden!. She would never leave her bedroom before having her hair done and makeup and earrings on. This continued to the very end.

Grandma took good care of her kids. Many Sundays when the kids were growing up she would get up early and make potato salad and picnic food and pack the kids off into the Packard that Grandpa had. Grandpa had made a special Oilskin carrier that held the food and the kids piled in the car. The smaller kids sat on a board. Off they would go to some park in Medina, Silver Creek or somewhere else to play baseball and have fun.

Grandma would also hide money away from Grandpa so that one or another of the kids could have something new, like a new pair of socks instead of the usual hand-me downs.

Grandma was also a cub scout mother for Marty.

But Grandma did not just take care of her 10 children. Here are some of the jobs that Grandma held.

• She made box cartons at a Box factory on Sycamore St.

• She worked tieing shoelaces for high boots and putting them into boxes for a Shoe Factory on Monroe St.

• Grandma sorted Laundry for the Mowen Hunter Laundry on Genesee Street.

• Grandma also did some work for the Larken Soap Company.

• After she was married, she became a domestic worker for Robert Hall a prominent family in Buffalo who owned Crystal Beach. She only worked there for 1 week as they got her a job a Alfred Kirchover who was the managing editor for the Buffalo Evening News.

• Grandma worked 42 years for Kirchover’s. There she did house cleaning for Mrs. Kirchover. Later Mrs, Kirchover so enjoyed Grandma’s company that she asked Grandma to stop doing any housework and just be with her. Grandma said she would continue to come, but would not stop doing the housework.

• Evenings from Midnight to 2 am, Grandma was a cook making sandwiches at Luders Log Cabin. This was done after coming home from Kirchovers.

• The kids couldn’t wait for Grandma to come home on Saturday nights. It was then that grandma would stop on the way home from Kirchovers and purchase a bunch of donuts. At home they would all sit around the table and eat them and drink coffee and talk.

• She also fried fish for the Auxiliary

• And She belonged to the Rebecca Lodge.

• Grandma was also an early riser, up at 5am most mornings.

Here are just a few of my special memories of Grandma, I’m sure you’ll remember them too.

I remember most the Christmas’s that Grandma held. All the families would gather at Grandma’s house. It was packed! Grandma would have a great meal and then Santa Claus would come. Grandpa would hand the presents to Santa who would call out all the names of the grandchildren to come get their gift. I also remember freezing when we had to use the outhouse. And then there was the singing. All the family would join in and we would sing Christmas carols and lots of German based songs often making up the words when we didn’t know them.

Most Sundays the family gathered at Grandma’s where we would often have spaghetti. I’ll never forget Grandma’s spaghetti, it was the best. I asked her for the recipe and she told me she didn’t have one, she just made it. So over a period of 5 years I kept trying to reproduce her spaghetti using what information she would tell me. Each time I made it, it wasn’t right.. The next time I would see her I would tell her what I did and ask her what was wrong. Finally she asked “Did you cook the bacon in the same pan that you are making the sauce in”. I said no and went off and tried that and sure enough it was much better, but it still wasn’t Grandma’s. When I told grandma what I did she said you mustn’t drain the grease. Cook all the sauce right in the grease then skim any extra grease off at the end. Sure enough, the next time I made spaghetti it was as close as I could remember it.

I also remember riding my bike out to their house and staying overnight. Grandma would cook a pound of bacon for me to eat in the morning Mom was mortified. I remember Leeza and Liza her two pigs that we would help feed.

Grandma and Grandpa loved going to Canada where they rented a cabin from Marge Schriver. It was the biggest of the 4 cabins and of course it was the only one with an outhouse. I remember coming in from fishing with Grandpa and then helping Grandma scale the fish. Since I didn’t eat fish, Grandma would always make me bacon.

Then there was Grandma’s love of “Wrastling”. She loved watching it, often getting up early or staying up late to see it. I remember her taking me to one of the matches. We had front row seats. I thought the wrestlers were going to come over and throw us out will all the yelling Grandma did. “He’s such a dirty bird, he fights nasty.” she would say.

Then after grandpa died, grandma sold the house and eventually went to California to live with Harold. She stayed there about 8 years. When I visited I remember her talking to her cockateal “Dirty Bird” which she loved. We played lots of scat.

Grandma came back to Buffalo and lived with a variety of her children and also by herself before moving to Father Bakers Manor.

I was always amazed how well Grandma remembered all of her over 94 grandchildren, great grandchildren and great great grandchildren. Not that she didn’t get them confused sometimes. But she did a better job then I can do even now. Grandma kept a sharp mind for over 100 years. She was stubborn to the end, hiding her pills in her mouth till the nurse left then throwing them away laughing and saying “I hate those damn pills”.

Yes Grandma was one of a kind and we will all miss her greatly. She will always be in our hearts.

Buried at St Johns Cemetary.
Minister for Burial was: Rev Jennifer E. Dyer.