CHARLIE MAGAZINE 1ST VERSION JUNE 2023

How She Won Miss Wisconsin and The Best Twerking Award

Her Secret on How to Always Be in a Good Mood

Always Cookin' And Good Lookin'

BEST MOM, GRANDMA WIFE, FRIEND AND LIFE OF THE PARTY

11.

MORE FUN TO COME IN RETIREMENT

"I had no responsibilities, no yard work, no husband to pick up after." pg. 19

13.

LIFETIME OF PICTURES

From model to matriarch. pg. 22

ASK CHARLIE

15.

Life tips from Charlie. pg. 86

Editor : Tracy Kahn

Message From Editor

Typical publications usually take about a month to a few months to produce, but this one is special! This is Charlie Magazine, and it took 83 years in the making! Good things take time! As the oldest daughter, photographer, and magazine editor in chief, I felt like I should put together a visual momento for the family to celebrate Charlie's life so far! To be honest, it's been a little bit of an arduous task collecting, organizing and editing 83 years of photos! My mom has taught me many things in life but one of the things I'm still learning is patience! I had to be patient with myself doing this project and everyday it was on my list of things to do. Ironically I'm grateful that I was patient putting this together because in the last two years, Charlie has given us even more stories, answers to interesting questions, fun photos and as always,

constant love and inspiration. I had to read Charlie's life story multiple times in order to coordinate the photos with her story. The more I read her story the more impressed and proud I became of my Mom. I was meant to do this project because it's lifted me up and given me an even brighter perspective on life and enormous gratitude for my mom and my family. Everyone in the family helped with this project, by being a part of Charlie’s life, sending photos, asking questions and giving me the motivation to finish this project. Thank you Mom for this amazing family. We are all so lucky to have each other. Life is beautiful and love is infinite, here on this planet and beyond.

Love, Tracy and the entire family.

Charlie's Life Story Part One. More Fun to Come

Nick gave me this book for Christmas 2021. After 2 years of COVID 19 pandemic, it seemed I was ready to reflect on my life. At 81 for the first time i felt i was losing my freedom. Wear masks, don't hug, stay six feet apart, don't gather in big groups, cancel parties. All of those things I loved became taboo. Most I did anyway, somehow most of my life I followed what my gut told me. So instead of answering the questions laid out for me in this book, I am just going to write how I remember life.

I was born Charlene Ann Krause on January 28, 1940. My father's name was Roy Krause. My mother, Evelyn, had been married to him for about eight years. They had my brother for years prior to me. His name was Roy Jr. My mother's maiden name was Evelyn Vandora Mott. She was born on 3/11/1912 in Red Granite, Wi. Although Mom's last name was Mott, she genetically had no Mott blood. The Motts were people who adopted my grandfather, who was born into a family

named Miller. He lost his mother when he was very young. My grandmother's parents were from Sweden, and their name was Haselquist. Whenever any of my family survives an adverse event, we say it's the Mott in us. Technically, it was actually the Haselquist in us. My grandmother was the most influential person in my life, and I credit her with my life's philosophy, my strength, and my positive attitude.

"My grandmother was the most influential person in my life"

I knew very little of my father, other than he was born in northern, western Wisconsin near the Mississippi River and his grandparents came from Germany. My mother was divorced from him when I was two, and I never saw him.

When I was born, my mother owned her own beauty salon. She worked many hours after her divorce. When she had free time, she loved to dance and party. She met and married a man and was divorced again within a few years. When I was about five, she married my step Dad, Jerry Kluever. He traveled for work a lot. When he was home, they argued a lot. Sometimes I was afraid and would just hide. I recall having nosebleeds often. I would lay in the tub with my nose bleeding and afraid because it would not stop. I was alone with sitters or with relatives a lot when I was not at my grandparent's farm. I spent most of my time before I was five with my grandma and "PA" (grandpa) on their farm in Neillsville, Wisconsin. After I turned five, I moved to the city with my mom and Jerry to go to school. They were not very affectionate to me. As a matter of fact, I don't believe my mom ever told me she loved me and never hugged me until she was older and I was grown.

After I started school, I spent all my summers and vacations with my grandpa and PA. My aunt Alice was in college and returned home often. My grandma pretty much raised me. She is the one that taught me right from wrong and the importance of being kind and thoughtful. Farmers seem to inherit know-how to watch out for each other. Helping harvest each other's crops, bringing over meals when someone is sick. They have common bonds, which are very strong. Their vulnerability to forces that they could not control, such as flooding, droughts, storms, and sickness, brought them together as a team. It seems today, at least in my world, everyone is so into themselves that we have lost those virtues of which our relatives lived and what Gramma and PA taught me, including good work ethics.

"Grandma would put metal irons on the kitchen stove to heat and place them in the beds to heat them for the night"

Even as a little tot, I loved fishing and making dishes from clay that I found in the little creek. I played house in the corn crib and put on stage shows with my corn cob microphone. My very favorite thing to do was to go fishing. We had a very small creek which ran through the cow pasture south of the house. There was a section in the creek that pulled and little fish schooled there. My first fishing experience was there with a bent dress pin, tied to a string attached to a long stick. No bait needed because the tiny fish would bite on the shiny pin. I would be so proud to bring home four or five little shiners about 4 inches long. Grandma made me clean the little guys and she would dust them with flour and fry them crispy for me to eat. As I got older, I would take a bag lunch and spend hours fishing from a bridge that was over a little larger creek. When my brother Roy would fish with me I was allowed to go to the black river. I'm not sure why my grandparents allowed me to fish there. It was very dangerous, a big rock set over very deep pools of water, and in the other places, the water ran very swift. One slip into the river would have been my demise. I suppose they were so busy. They really didn't know the river. When I wasn't fishing at the little creek, I loved to sit under a big tree that sits over and eddie and listen to the sound of water rippling over the creek's bed of stones. I would marvel at the sounds of the leaves flapping in the breeze, the sound of a black birds, wings in flight, and the rustle of the squirrels scrambling up the tree. Before I was able to do any of the things I loved, my grandparents always had chores for me. Sometimes it was feeding the animals or gathering eggs. In the summer there were always

garden chores. Hoeing the garden of weeds, picking tomatoes, beans, and berries, all of which grandma canned for use in the winter. Every week we would bake bread, cakes, pies, and cinnamon rolls. All of this in a wood burning stove. After the cows were milked in the evening, PA would bring in wood of what he had harvested and built a fire in the potbelly stove, which was in the living room. The stove was our main source of heat. Grandma would put metal irons on the kitchen stove to heat and place them in the beds to heat them for the night. We would go to bed at 8 o'clock every night but prior my grandma would listen to Paul Harvey on the radio. We all had to be quiet so if we didn't listen to the radio, we would read a story.

My grandmother had been a teacher in South Dakota before we moved to Wisconsin so she liked us to learn from what we read. THIS PULL QUOTE FOR SURE: My grandmother told her girls that they should all learn a trade so they would never have to depend on anyone for survival.

"I played house in the corn crib and put on stage shows with my corn cob microphone"

"My grandmother told her girls that they should all learn a trade so they would never have to depend on anyone for survival"

From Corn Cribs to College

On the farm, we had no inside toilet or bath until the late 40s. So many cold winter nights, we trampled through the crunchy snow to the outhouse or go in the pot under the bed. Emptying the pot in the morning wasn't really fun. Getting in trouble on the farm wasn't easy, but I did manage a few times. Once, I left the saddle on the horse in the barn, and she rolled over and broke the saddle straps. So that night at dinner, PA announced I would be punished. After dinner, I was to bend over the kitchen sink with my drawers down, and PA grabbed his leather shaving strap. Four very swift slaps across my butt left a few welts and an indelible memory, never to misbehave again. PA was a little gruff, but I knew he loved me. When I moved to Milwaukee with my mother and Jerry, I went to school at Holly Rd., Elementary at 55th and Holly Road. We lived six blocks from school, so I walked. Not being exposed to a lot of other kids, I was pretty shy.

I don't have a lot of memories of grade school. I remember being sick a lot. Measles, whooping cough, Rubella, Rheumatic Fever, and Mumps. I was about 11 when we were quarantined because of the polio pandemic. I stayed with my cousin Gloria because our moms were working. For a couple of weeks, we could not leave my aunt's yard. Polio was wicked. Many children got paralyzed and never regained the use of their limbs. It took four or five years before a man named Jonas Salk discovered a vaccine for polio. About fourth grade, I started taking tumbling lessons. I loved gymnastics and practiced for hours. During winter, I wore out our living room carpet, practicing flips in splits. In junior high, I had a Private coach that

came up from Chicago to give me lessons. Throughout my school years, I performed in many programs. I went from grade school to junior high school. It was grades 8- through 12 when my brother was a junior at Juneau High. It was fun because all his buddies would tease him about me. I had grown into a fairly attractive teenager and got a lot of attention from the boys. I enjoyed my classes and was an average student. My favorite classes were science, geography, social studies, and gymnastics. I loved school football games, basketball games, and hanging around the custard stand. In my junior year, I met Dick Kahn at the custard stand. He went to West Allis Central. We did it on and off through high school and into college. We both went to UWM, Milwaukee. All through grade school and high school, I had chores at home. From the time I could reach the sink, I did dishes every night after dinner. Sometimes there would be dishes from the whole day. If I was going out with my friends, the dishes had to be done first. When I started junior high, I had to do my own laundry and clean my room every Saturday. I never got an allowance, so as soon as I turned 16, I got a job as a checker at an upscale grocery store, so there wasn't a lot of time to play. It was there that I met a regular customer, Dr. Stan Donahue. After high school, he convinced me to come to work for him as a dental assistant. My mom wasn't happy because she wanted me to get a College education. I went to college because my mom wanted me to, and she paid for my education, but it was not expensive, probably about $200–$300 a semester.

"So much for a college education!"

I was not really into college. My major was going to be public speaking, and I did well in those related classes. Somewhere, I'm not sure where….. I learned to play a card game called Shepherd's Head. At the student union, there were groups of students that played. I would travel from one campus to another to catch a game. So much for a college education!

Starting a Family and Early Mom Life

I really had dreams of getting married and having a family. Whatever made me think marriage and family would be my heaven? I wanted something I never experienced as a child. Married in 1961, my first daughter, Tracy, came in 1962. Kelly in 1964, Tamara in 1966, and Richard Junior in 1969. Dick sold cars, and I worked long hours. My life consisted of working, feeding, cleaning, and more of the same every day. We bought a house in Brookfield the year after Kelly was born. It was a lovely, small open concept three-bedroom with a large yard and open fields at the front. I was very happy. Keeping my house and children clean was a full-time job. I also love decorating. We didn't have a lot of money, so I purchased chairs and couches at Goodwill and reupholstered them. The children's clothes were all handmade. After Tamara was born, the three girls had matching outfits and were always dressed in cute dresses that I had made. Other than sewing their clothes, I've visited resale shops and rummage sales where I also purchased my clothes. When Ricky was born, I went to work as a waitress at a local steakhouse to make extra money. I enjoyed it. I made good tips, and it gave me a break from the kids.

"I purchased chairs and couches at Goodwill and reupholstered them. The children's clothes were all handmade."

"All my dreams of having a Cinderella marriage were shattered"

Our family spent most of the time together. Dick was a very good father, and he would come home from work and spend at least an hour with them playing, going for rides, or playing ball in the backyard. While he was doing that, I would be cooking dinner. Every birthday we would get dressed up and go for dinner at Club 113, a supper club in Wauwatosa. Rick was only four when Dick went deer hunting near La Crosse and met a very young lady that was going through a divorce. The following couple of years were the most difficult and heartbreaking for our family. All my dreams of having a Cinderella marriage were shattered. He physically and mentally deserted us. It was awful for Ricky, as he was too young to understand. His father would promise to pick him up to spend the day on Sunday. He wouldn't show up, and Ricky would sit for hours in the window waiting.

Full Time Mom & Full Time Work

Dickwas not supporting us, so I went to work as an apprentice hairdresser in my mom's beauty salon. After working for a few years, I decided to get a job selling cars so I could support the kids better. It was a good thing that torn and frayed jeans were in because the kids only had two pairs each, and they were naturally worn. I was the only woman in the Milwaukee area selling cars. The males try to make things difficult for me. I hung in there and proved I was their equal. I sold lots of cars and worked long hours nights and weekends. After a few years, I was approached by an acquaintance who knew of an interesting job with a paper distributor, calling on art studios and designers promoting high-end printing

paper. It was while I was working at Nackie Paper when my beloved grandmother passed. She had been my mother figure and mentor for most of my life. I feel she was the person who taught me how to endure whatever life throws at me. She had survived poverty, the death of children, wars of which two sons served, and the loss of her husband. She worked hard until the day she died. She was all about giving. After her husband George died, she stayed and worked with the hired help until she was in her late 70s. After she moved to Milwaukee with my Aunt Irma, she cleaned, cooked, and gardened until she became ill in her late 90s.

In the late 70s and 80s, I was working for a paper company and then went to sell for a large printing company because I was not getting any help supporting the kids. I also worked nights and weekends tending bar at a small neighborhood bar. We had lots of clients from Miller Brewing and Milwaukee policemen. I made really good tips. I only worked a few hours so I would get home to spend time with the kids before bed. This is not the dream I had of being a perfect mother. I was doing what I had to do to support the kids. In 1984 I met Bert, where I was then tending bar at the Red Mill, a very busy supper club. He was going through a divorce. We started to date and were married in 1989. He was in the business of selling swimming pools and hot tubs. He sold the business in 1988, and together we purchased a restaurant in New Berlin. We had funds from the sale of his business, and I sold my house in Brookfield. Rick was the last one home and was leaving for Colorado to go to school.

"I was the only woman in the Milwaukee area selling cars."

"The males tried to make things difficult for me. I hung in there and proved I was their equal."

New beginnings and a new restaurant

The restaurant had living quarters. So we worked and lived at the restaurant. The business was so much harder than either of us expected. We worked from early in the morning until very late at night. We were open seven days a week. Our first day off and a week's vacation did not happen until three years later. Bert was a very kind and good man; however, his expectations of me were very often like one of his employees. We had a very good business and were a popular club with good food, live music, and banquet rooms. At some time during our years at the restaurant, Tracy, who had started learning photography from her Dad, had moved

to California with a young man who was a medical student at Froedtert Hospital. His home was Santa Barbara. When Tamara was in her late teens, she was living with a wild guy named Peter. Bert had to physically have to remove her from his house to get her to a safe place. Tamara was a smart, strong-willed young woman. However, she was caught up in a bad situation during that time of her life.

Charlie and husband Bert photographed with the singing quartet The Diamonds

Charlie Magazine

Tamara met and married Scott Jankowski and had Jacob and Erin. Rick graduated, moved to San Diego and met and married Lorri, and had Sierra. Tracy met Dennis Hoey after breaking up with Dr. Greg. Tracy and Dennis were legally married in Santa Barbara, with a fun ceremony in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Early retirement a new pub and a tragic loss

Kelly got married to Jim Gile and had three beautiful children. Kacie, Karlie and Nicholas. Nick was born in February 1999. A few months after, she was diagnosed with a non-malignant brain tumor. I was heartbroken. Years to follow, seizures, radiation, doctors, and trying to stay positive for her family became her life. She lost her battle with cancer the Monday after Thanksgiving 2001, which was a few months after Nick turned three. Rick had left for Colorado to attend airplane mechanic school in the 80s.

All of that took place from the time I met Bert in 1985 until we sold the restaurant in 2001. We did sell the restaurant in 2001 to our chef on a land contract. They were unable to keep their contract. He and his girlfriend were not very good as owners. We had to return and take over the operation. Luckily Walgreens drug stores purchased the property, and we retired in 2002. That year we built a house on Tichigan Lake. It was a lovely home that we enjoyed, but Bert was bored, so he bought a rundown biker bar in Michigan. We gutted it and added the kitchen. Bert loved the construction part, and I had to put it back together. I made it look like an old Art Deco supper club. Our reputation from Bartlett's had not been forgotten.

"It was a lovely home that we enjoyed, but Bert was bored, so he bought a rundown biker bar in Michigan."

Single-Handed Entrepreneurs and a Deco-Style Club

Gettinghelp was not easy, so there were many times I had to be the cook or dishwasher. Bert always did the cleaning and bookwork, and there were times he washed dishes and bartended. We had hardly got our remodel done when the highway department announced that, at some point, they would have to take our building to widen the highway. (imminent domain)

We continued to work hard for a few years. Then, in the spring of 2005, we had a bomb dropped on us. Bert was diagnosed with lung cancer. The only treatment was chemo. He seemed to get better for a few months, but it started to go down so fast. He died the day before his 69th birthday, December 28, 2005. After he passed, I continued with the restaurant… Now, cleaning, doing bookwork, and often cooking, bartending, etc. I did this for three years, during which time I had a heart attack and two stints.

End of an Era & rEtirEmEnt

The state of Wisconsin and I finally negotiated a price for the imminent domain, of which they paid for the building. On January 28, 2008, Charlie's Pub closed forever. Yay, I am retired!

"After he passed, I continued with the restaurant… Now, cleaning, doing bookwork, and often cooking, bartending, etc."

More Fun to Come in Retirement

Nowwhat? I had no responsibilities, no yard work, no husband to pick up after or cook for. Just time alone in my condo. Kelly's kids were all involved in sports. So I attended lots of basketball games and spring baseball games, the girl's softball games, and Nicks's baseball games. They were all good athletes, and I had lots of fun attending the games. Early in June, our good friend's wife suddenly passed away. That was Rich Young's wife, Penny. She has spent lots of her waking hours

on the couch. She had diabetes and a heart condition. Rich took care of most of the household duties and also worked full-time. I have always admired his devotion to her.

"Now what? I had no responsibilities, no yard work, no husband to pick up after"

"He found love and commitment that brought him more happiness that he had ever experienced."

A Beautiful Happy Family!

Our friend, the Crows, began inviting Rich and me for dinners at their house. We didn't realize it, but they were up to matchmaking! It didn't take too long before Rich, and I realized we had an attraction. Actually, I made the first move! Turns out it was the best move of my life! One year later, we were married in a lovely, simple ceremony and reception with family and friends in attendance at the Livermore Country Club. When Rich first asked me to marry him, I told him to ask me next year. One minute after midnight, he asked again.

When I agreed to marry him, I told him if he was not open to embracing my children and grandchildren or marriage would not work. Rich had no children of his own, so this was a big commitment. He not only embraced them. He found love and commitment that brought him more happiness than he had ever experienced. They, in return, loved him! We have enjoyed so many experiences together with grandkids, sports, graduation, golf cruises, gaming trips, dinners with friends, trips with friends, cold nights in front of the fireplace, boating, cocktails on the deck, and laughing at comedy shows that I never had time to watch before. He now takes care of me, although my health is great, and I feel like 40 at 82. He makes me a great healthy breakfast in bed, vacuums, and does the laundry and dishes. I love to cook for us and have friends over for dinner. We actually do all these things together as a lovely team.

"Actually, I made the first move! Turns out it was the best move of my life!"

"When Rich first asked me to marry him, I told him to ask me next year. One minute after midnight, he asked again."

a lifEtimE of photos and mEmoriEs

a lifEtimE of photos and mEmoriEs

PAGEANT QUEEN AND MODEL

PAGEANT QUEEN AND MODEL

Photos by : Dick Kahn

Photos by : Dick Kahn

GLAMOROUS MOM

Ask Charlie! lifE tips from thE matriarch

"Treat yourself with respect, smile and laugh a lot. Be forgiving of others and yourself."

Tell us about your first boyfriend

I don't remember his name but we would hold hands across the aisle during class movies. We were in 5th grade.

Tell us your top three tips on how to stay beautiful your entire life.

Good Genes! Treat yourself with respect, smile and laugh a lot. Be forgiving of others and yourself. True beauty does really come from within.

What did you do that was quirky as a kid?

I loved to go out in the barnyard after a heavy rainstorm and squeeze my toes in the cow pies.

Charlie and her brother, Roy.

Charlie Magazine

What is Your proudEst momEnt?

What is your proudest moment and your most embarrassing?

Proudest, when I bought my first car. I was 18 and had just got a job across the city. It was a 1950 Ford Coupe with rusted out floor boards, so when I drove through a puddle the water would splash up into the car.

Most embarrassing moment was in music class when the instructor was about to direct a song and the room was totally quiet and I farted really loud.

What's your best parenting advice?

Don't have kids. They are your kids until they die. No really, just love them with all your heart.

When was a time when you felt the most carefree and alive?

NOW! Good health, beautiful home, great husband, no worries, (except for my fam now and then) And the sun rises and sets every day. How much better can life get? .

"Good health, beautiful home, great husband, no worries"

Recipe for Happy Relationship

What is your recipe for a happy successful relationship?

Treat your partner with respect, kindness, thoughtfulness, and love. Never allow them to treat you with disrespect. Always confront your issues before they become problems.

What's a funny story about you and Rich?

When we were on our first informal date, I accidentally picked up his glasses and put them in my purse. The next day I went to the store and tried to use them to look at a label and I thought I had bought the wrong strength at the dollar store. So I threw them out in a bush at the store parking lot. He called early the next morning and wanted to know if I found his designer eyewear. I said Uh Oh... they might be in the bushes. He went there and found his expensive glasses just sitting on top of the bush. Wow he still asked me out again!

"He called early the next morning and wanted to know if I found his designer eyewear. I said Uh Oh..."

Each challenge is another lesson in Life

How do you keep your mind sharp and clear?

Be interested and curious about the world and what is going on. Never stop learning.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Enjoy travel and activities you love while your body is strong. I regret not keeping in better shape as I got older.

What's your craziest adventure story from your younger years? LIFE!

How have you made self care a priority while being so selfless?

I found out very young that when I scrubbed floors, cleaned toilets,

had a clean house and when I was cleaned and groomed and had my hair done. I just feel better about myself.

What is something you would have pursued if you had the opportunity? Looking back I wished that I had gone to law school. What is still on your bucket list?

Learn to fly fish in Bozeman Montana. Go walking in a beautiful forest without any pain. Tell a story about Nick at his wedding or some other big event.

What is essential to living a happy life that not many people talk about?

Keep a positive attitude. Know that nothing is permanent. Realize that each day and each challenge is just another lesson in life. Embrace each day.