Lillian Martha Hohle

Lillian Knippa Hohle, 90 years young, was welcomed into the loving arms of her Lord and Savior, as well as her husband and a host of family and friends, on Sunday, October 9, 2022, after a sudden, short illness. ‘Lilla’, as her sisters called her, was born on December 11, 1931 at the family home/farm in the small community of Loebau, TX (Lee County). She was baptized and confirmed at Christ Lutheran Church in Loebau, where the family faithfully worshipped.

Lil was the youngest of 8 children, 5 brothers and 2 sisters, born to Alvin and Martha (Moerbe) Knippa. The self-sufficient family raised crops, mainly cotton, and livestock, milked cows and made their own butter, cream, cheese products and soap, among other products, and maintained a vegetable and fruit garden. Their mother sewed their clothes, mostly made from feed sacks, which in those days came in a variety of colors and patterns.

Until she could work in the fields, she helped her mom around the house/garden and loved feeding the chickens, gathering the eggs and cleaning the ones they would sell. The children grew up speaking mainly German and walked 3-miles, one-way, to a one-room schoolhouse at the church, where they were taught in both German and English, grades 1-6/7? She and her sister Elma had many adventures along the way.

They grew up surrounded by extended family – aunts, uncles, cousins by the dozens, cousins so close they were like siblings. Oh, the fun stories mom would recount; if someone didn’t have a date to a dance or outing, a cousin was always ready to step in! Mom loved life on the farm, despite the difficulties, and often said she couldn’t imagine having a happier life anywhere else.

Farm life was hard, unpredictable, all hands were needed. Her father held family devotions every night, and relied on his faith to guide him. There were times and circumstances when harvesting the crops was critical and required working on Sundays. Yet her father’s stance never wavered – “church FIRST, then the crops!” Their Wendish ancestors came to America for religious freedom.

Lil held a deep respect and love for her parents; was very proud that her dad was a “smart” farmer and “ahead of his time” regarding farming practices. He was killed on Aug. 9, 1963 in a fire on their land, something that affected her deeply.

She was fortunate to attend Giddings High School. Due to distance, she lived with a family in town, working for room/board, returning home on weekends to work the fields/chores. Mom enjoyed school, was a drummer in the marching band, and still kept in touch with classmates! Graduating in May, 1950, she then attended Nixon-Clay Business School in Austin.

Her first job was with Snap-on Tools in Houston, where she lived with sister Hildegard, and a friend Jackie Rea. She quickly got involved with their church, Trinity Lutheran, became a member on Nov. 12, 1951, and joined the choir. Through the young adult group, the Walther League, she met Mel Hohle, a Trinity member since birth. Wonderful, exciting years for her, and she loved sharing stories of a country gal exploring big city life. Amazingly, she was still able to recount the smallest details of these years, as well as prior times! Sadly, after years of urging, she had just started to record her memories only days before becoming ill. We lament all the amusing stories that would have been passed down. Lil had a way of telling a story!!

Lillian Martha Knippa and Melvin Adolph Hohle were wed on June 16, 1956 at Christ Lutheran in Loebau. Many have heard a few accounts of the wedding day, including the trip to town and back, precariously balancing her wedding cake on her lap as they bounced over miles of unpaved gravel roads, and of her nephew Marvin (a groomsman) fainting not once, but twice during the service; temp was over 100 and no AC! Thankfully, the cake arrived intact!!

The newlyweds had an active social life, meeting regularly with Walther League friends for Bridge, 42, Supper Club, Opera, Symphony, theme and dance parties. In later years, they explored much of Europe with friends, even searching for the ancestral Wendish homeland in Eastern Europe.

Always interested in gardening, she grew beautiful plants and flowers. Being outdoors and getting her hands “dirty” was an extension of her beloved life on the farm. She also loved cooking. Folks today still talk about various recipes that are fondly remembered - Broccoli dip, Chicken Continental, Spanish Coffee Cake, Cherry Cheese Ring (always “sold” before even making it to the bake sale!), Koch Kase (cooked cheese), etc.

Lil would pack an occasional “Po Boy” sandwich for the kids’ lunch at Lutheran High, and one particular teacher always expressed keen interest in Cindi’s “Po Boy”, which he deemed a “work of art”. One day, Lil included a sandwich for the teacher, can’t forget his amazement at her thoughtfulness!

Mom loved time spent at the “farm”. With basically only a ‘lean-to’ shelter, sink, and old stove from her homestead, she still kept us fed and satisfied; and we enjoyed the hard work, star gazing, dominoes, cards and blissful sleep on the bunkbeds or cots (or back of station wagon!). Her family’s old cast iron wood stove kept us warm in the winter.

One of her greatest joys was her association with the Ladies Circle and, therefore, the LWML and the annual events of Smorgasbord, Turkey Supper, Super Bowl Po Boys, Bazaar and much more. She cherished her role with the Prayer Line and helping to coordinate and provide food for funeral gatherings, and especially loved and admired the dear older ladies.

Following the unexpected death of Mel’s sister Ruth Hohle Gravesmill in Aug. 1973, nephews Rick and Keith came to live with and become part of the family. Through the good times and the hard times, God remained a constant. The Hohle family was greatly blessed with not only two more children/brothers, but grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces and nephews and their children! Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!

Mother faced numerous challenges in life, one of the most life-changing was her diagnosis and surgery for a rare Acoustic Neuroma in 1977. She experienced the loss of sight, sound and severe facial paralysis on her right side. She could have easily hidden herself away, but she chose life and faced the challenges head-on; the stares, comments, difficulties with eating, drinking, talking and all that came with it – she endured them with grace and dignity, and often humor. What she missed the most? Not being able to smile!

Preceding Lil in death was her husband, Mel Hohle, her parents and in-laws; daughter-in-law Jeanie Schulle Hohle, and son Rev. Keith Gravesmill. Lil is survived by sons Michael Hohle of Hartland, MI and Rick Gravesmill and wife Cecilia of Houston, daughter Cindi Hohle and Tim Kinsella of Houston; daughter-in-law Johanna Gravesmill and husband Tim Jenkins of Tomball; grandchildren, Seth (McKenzi), Robert (Katie), Jared, Steven (Lauren), Karissa, Kevin (Ellen) and Brian (Amy), great-grandchildren Lila, Asher, Delano, Ransom, Jane and Blakely; sister-in-law Carolyn Hohle Traugott and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and God-children. As the “baby” of the family she did outlive all of her siblings/spouses, and was the last Aunt to many.

The family wishes to thank the MANY special and caring friends and neighbors who have supported Mom and Dad throughout the years. They felt incredibly blessed and thankful for the opportunities, especially through Trinity, to meet and make so many wonderful friends. Mom will be remembered as a woman who dearly loved the Lord, feasted on the Word and shared her faith with family, friends and strangers. And most importantly, knew that her place in heaven was assured! This truth gave her great solace throughout her life.

Memorials can be made to Trinity Harms-Behnken Fund at 800 Houston Ave., Houston 77007, or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital @ www.stjude.org.

LIL HOHLE’S PRE-WEDDING MEMORIES

The first time I took Mel home to meet my family, he and I went outside in the evening to see the beautiful open and star-filled sky, that you can only see out in the country. He marveled at the majesty of the skies and the universe. After a while, we stopped at the well and Mel took off his glasses and set them down so we could do a little hugging and smooching. Well…the next morning when dad came in from milking the cows, he had this silly grin and said – do these glasses belong to someone? The glasses had fallen from the well and the dogs had chewed them up!

When Mel asked dad for my hand in marriage, the first thing dad asked was “do you love her?”; when Mel responded Yes, then Dad, with quivering lips, said Yes!

My dad did not want to walk any of his 3 daughters down the aisle because he was too emotional; our eldest brother, Arthur, stepped up and walked each of us down the aisle.

We had our rehearsal the Sat. before the wedding. After rehearsal, Mel and I (with my hair in curlers and a scarf wrapped around my head) drove to Giddings to pick up our wedding cake. Holding the cake steady on my lap across all of those rough country roads was NOT an easy task, and we were surprised it arrived back home in one piece!

We got married at my church, Christ Lutheran, in Loebau. The church had an old organ, the kind you had to pump with your feet and with just a few stops, but the organist, guest Eunice Otte, actually did quite well. The wedding day was so hot, with no A.C. My nephew, who was a groomsman, fainted twice during the ceremony. My brother Rev. Erich, who performed the ceremony, managed to keep his cool!

Two of the old customs concerning wedding receptions come to mind. When couples married, some of the young people would hold a rope across the gate (most receptions happened at the bride’s home) and guests had to pay a nickel, sometimes a dime, to get into the reception. It was worth the price for delicious barbecue beef, pork and all the trimmings and beer to boot! The second custom was that some of the local people would show up outside of the home and make “music” with pots and pans to “serenade” the couple.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared with the family at www.heightsfuneralhome.com. The family would treasure any stories and memories.