The Stories We Tell: 93-year-old Clyde woman makes family history books for great-grandchildren

CLYDE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – For many, stories of personal family history tend to get lost with the passage of time, but one 93-year-old Clyde woman is taking steps to ensure that her family’s history stays fresh in the youngest minds of her family. Rosemary Kreitler is used to breaking the boundaries of age, as when she isn’t working on clearing her back pasture, Kreitler spends her time working on a more personal task. Using her computer, Kreitler has created a series of books for her five great-grandchildren that serve to tell their personal family history. Kreitler explained how a trip down memory lane started it all.

“This is what got me started when I was going through my mother’s papers, and I found stories she had written, and I had just gotten a computer, and I started playing. And Mother’s story came to life,” Kreitler shared.

Growing up on a farm in Iowa, Kreitler says she fills her books with stories that include their family’s personal history through significant historical events, like the Great Depression and World War II, as well as fun tales from her childhood. One story in particular comes from when Kreitler was a young girl, and an engine failure contributed to her sister’s relief.

“There was a recital and she was supposed to play a piano piece without the music. She was terrified, horrified, and rigid with fear. The car quit on the way to the recital. She missed the recital. She has never been so happy. Strangely enough, the car started after the recital,” Kreitler recalled.

For Kreitler, these memories, manifested on paper, offer her family a unique gift when it comes to knowing themselves and where they come from.

“There are billions and billions of people in this world. I am the only person in the world who can give this particular gift to my grandchildren,” Kreitler expressed.

Kreitler will keep making these personalized books for as long as she can and hopes to one day publish her book series so that other children may get the chance to learn a unique perspective on history.