Murice John Shearer, born 26 October 1904, Petoskey, Emmet County, Michigan, died 30 January 1986, Dunedin, Pinellas County, Florida, son of Manson Arthur Shearer and Eliza Ellen (Whitcomb) Shearer; married 20 July 1927, Restore, Michigan, to Margaurete Dorothy Oelerking, born 17 February 1907, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, died 21 December 1990, Dunedin, Pinellas County, Florida, the daughter of Gustav Edvin Oelerking and Hanna Kristina (Sundstrom) Oelerking.

Children: Shearer

Murice John Shearer grew up in Petoskey, Michigan. In his adult years he dropped the Murice and went by John M. Shearer. John met Margaurete on a blind date, married July 20, 1927.

Murice John Shearer and Margaurete Dorothy Oelerking were married on Wednesday, 20 July 1927 at 9:30 p.m. at the home of the bride’s aunt and uncle, Mr. And Mrs. John Lunberg, in Resort, Michigan. The services were read by Reverend W. S. Ross, partor of Parr Memorial Baptist Church of Petoskey, Michigan. The Bride wore a gown of white georgette crepe trimmed with rhinestones and a long veil caught with lilies of the valley. She carried a shower bouquet of roses, sweetpeas and baby breath. Miss Bertha Karamol, who attended her as brisdesmaid, was gowned in pink georgette and carried a shower bouquet. Steve Wodek was best man. The ceremoney took place on the lawn which was lighted with vari-colored Japanese lanterns, after which a wedding dinner was served in the dining room. The floral decorations, place cards and favors were carried out in the pink and white color scheme. The couple went on a two week honeymoon and then made their home in Grand Rapids, Michigan. On each anniversary John would bring home a yellow rose.

John started with Consumers Power Co. in 1926 in Grand Rapids after graduating from Coyne Electric School in Chicago. John served for 21 years a Consumers Power Co. meter superintendent in Cadillac from 1929 to 1950.

John and Margaurete Shearer rented a house at 525 E. Garfield when they first got to Cadillac. Norma, John and Dick were born in this house. John and Margaurete were very fortunate to both be working during the ‘Great Depression’ period of the 1930’s. On the 17^th of July 1935 John and Margaurete bought the house next door to the one they were renting. They purchased 521 E. Garfield for $800.00. The family lived in town until John and Margaurete purchased a forty acre farm on the 5^th of May 1943. The farm was located as follows:

The property was in Selma Township of Wexford County, Michigan. The family lived there on the farm until John got promoted in 1950. At which time they moved to Traverse City, Michigan and purchased the house on Eighth Street. John was District Meter Supervisor for Northwest Division, Consumer Power Co. in Traverse City, Michigan until his retirement in 1969, after working for Consumer Power Co. for 43 years.

In 1945, John made a dollhouse for Dorothy, for Christmas in his garage. The whole time John was building the dollhouse Dorothy was not allowed in the garage. However being nosey and wondering why she was not allowed to go into the garage any more she peered through the window of the garage and saw what she thought was a doghouse. For a long time before Christmas she thought she was going to get a puppy that year. Once John completed the dollhouse he was asked to display it in a Bank window in Cadillac. Margaurete had sewn doll clothes for "storybook dolls", one outfit was a guy in uniform and one woman in a dress. These dolls were in the Bank window with the dollhouse. John was offered $500.00 for the dollhouse and he turned it down telling the offerer that it was his daughter's Christmas present. The dollhouse was built to scale of the "storybook dolls", was a two-store house, three feet by three feet, that opened on the sides and the roof. It had leaded windows, wired for lights, and home made furniture. The dollhouse is still in Dorothy's possession. Dorothy pulls it out for here granddaughters to play with. This dollhouse was such a piece of work, that Dorothy's 3^rd grade class made a field trip to her house to see the dollhouse⁴.

John had some good rules of thumb on the farm. Dorothy remembers her dad had the following sayings:

While living on the farm the family was involved at the local Grange Hall. Margaurete was always in charge of the kitchen at the dances. Johnny would play his guitar with the bands and Dorothy would relieve the piano player. John never danced at the Grange Hall, so at all the dances he would welcome people at the door and take tickets. John would like to say, "I don't know where Mom is, but Pop's on ice in the basement"⁴.

When John would cook at fund raisers or out at the cabin that he and Margaurete shared with several other people he always had a rule if you complained about the cooking you had to cook the next time. Well one time John stumped his toes when he added in the salt and the meal was very salty. One gentleman not wanting to have to cook the next time mentioned how salty the meal was but in the same breath said "but it was just the I like it." So from then on the family tradition was when ever you didn't like how something was cooked you always followed it up with "but it's just the way I like it" otherwise you had kitchen detail for the next meal.

John always liked to plant a big garden and Margaurete and the kids canned and froze the food. One year there was such a bumper crop, that Margaurete told John the next year not to plant so much. Plant only enough for fresh food for the table. Well John planted the same big garden again the next year so Margaurete had Johnny, Richard and Dorothy go into Cadillac when John went to work. John dropped the kids off in the old neighborhood on Garfield Street with the wagon, a scale and fresh produce. The kids learned to make change and weigh produce. All the time they would sell out of everything, then they played with their old friends until John got off of work and picked them up. The kids were able to keep the money they made from the vegetable sale⁴.

During World War II, John was a member of the Civil Air Patrol and Margaurete being a telephone operator was involved in the Red Cross communications, in Cadillac, Michigan. John in association with the Civil Air Patrol had to learn Morse Code and ham radio operation⁴.

John also taught night school, teaching Theory of Electricity and Electrical Mathematics. He received a letter of compliments for his contribution to education of all the people who went through his classes, by the Superintendent of Grand Traverse School District.

After retirement John and Margaurete split the year in where they lived, from May to October in Grand Traverse County, Michigan, on Spider Lake. From October to May they lived in Dunedin, Florida.

As young grandchildren, younger than ten, Grandpa Shearer thought the grandsons were a nuisance. He spent most of his time adoring his granddaughters. Until the summer of 1968 when Matt and Mike Beckwith and Jeff Shearer chipped and cleaned over 600 textured concrete blocks, that Grandpa salvaged from a building that was tore down. They worked on those blocks every day that summer. In addition to the block they tore down his chimney, brick by brick so that a mason could come in and rebuild the chimney. After that summer, the grandsons proved their value to the old man and he was much more amenable in the future.

John was a member and life subscriber of the Clam Lake Royal Arch Masons, chapter 103; a life member of the Clam Lake Masonic Lodge 331 of Cadillac; life member of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite Salladin Temple, Grand Rapids, Michigan, achieving the 32nd degree. In addition he was a member of the Civil Air Patrol and the International Association of Electrical Inspectors, and the Northwestern Michigan Technical Society in Traverse City.

John served as chairman of the Salvation Army advisory board in Cadillac, vice chairman of the Wexford County Farm Bureau board of directors, chairman of the Wexford County Red Cross fund drive and as a director of the YMCA.

John died on January 30, 1986, of nonalcoholic hepatic cirrhosis, which afflicted him for two years. His last 3 days were in a hepatic coma, while in Mease Hospital, Dunedin, Florida. John is buried in Grand Traverse Memorial Gardens in Traverse City, Michigan.

Margaurete Dorothy Oelerking, grew up in Chicago, Illinois and Petoskey, Michigan. While growing up her mother Hanna was institutionalized for a mental disorder, her father was deemed unable to provide adequate care for the children. The state of Illinois placed the children in an orphanage, The Chicago Orphan Asylum, 5120 South Park Avenue, Chicago, Illinois.

Margaurete, her sister Florence and her brother Edvin were in the Orphan Asylum from 1914 to 1920 when their Aunt Mary and Uncle John Lundberg took the children to Petoskey, Michigan. Margaurete was unable to attned High School because she had to work to help finanically raise her brother Edvin and sister Florence, who were still at Aunt Mary’s and Uncle John’s. The Lunberg’s believed only the boys were to go to High School, the girls were expected to get a job.

Aunt Mary and Uncle John Lunberg raised 15 children, in which only one was their own (Fred Lunberg). Fred was killed in a boat accident on Lake Michigan. Margaurete, Edvin and Florence were among these 15 children.

Margaurete worked as a telephone operator for Michigan Bell Telephone in Petoskey, Grand Rapids, and Cadillac, Michigan. Margaurete lost her thumb while assisting in the building on the farm in Selma Township after that point she could no longer work for Michigan Bell Telephone, because it was required to have ten fingers. During the summers from 1960 to 1962 she worked for The Cherry Growers Factory. From 1962 to 1968 she worked summers at the bath house in Clinch Park, in Traverse City.

Margaurete or Maggie as some called her would make her own patterns to make clothing for herself and the children. After the war the family purchased some surplus parachutes, with a white parachute Margaurete made a formal gown for Norma's prom. The dress was so beautiful that Norma was the "Belle of the Ball". She also made for Norma a "label blouse" where she had cut labels out of other clothes and sewed them on one-by-one onto this blouse⁴.

Margaurete was a 4H leader while on the farm when Richard and Dorothy where in 4H. She was always there to help anyone in need. She was considered to be one of the most kindest and most loving person in the community, and was loved by all who had come to know her.

One of the stories I remember of Margaurete Shearer was she loved to bargain shop. Once a year Traverse City downtown would have a sidewalk sale. Grandma Shearer with 5 to 7 grandkids in tow hit the downtown. It was everything the kids could do just to keep up with her. It was said we all looked like duck and her ducklings. Another time I remember Grandma going into a store that had an item on sale but with a limit per customer. Grandma went up to the cashier with more than the limit and told the cashier we can do this the hard way or the easy way. The cashier not understanding, told Grandma that there was a limit on the number she could purchase. Grandma instructed one of the grandkids to stay in line, she purchased the limit of the item, paid for it walked out of the store and came back in and said now I’m a new customer and I’ll purchase the rest of those items.

Margaurete was a 4H grouper leader, a member of the United Methodist Church and the Order of the Eastern Star, both of Traverse City.

Margaurete died of a acute cardiac infarction while in the emergency room, of Mease Hospital, Dunedin, Florida, on December 21, 1990. For the last 3 years she was experiencing complications with diabetics and a cardiac condition.

Margaurete is buried in Grand Traverse Memorial Gardens in Traverse City, Michigan.

Notes:

1. [Brøderbund Family Archive #110, Vol. 2, Ed. 4, Social Security Death Index: U.S., Social Security Death Index, Surnames from M through Z, Date of Import: Dec 3, 1996, Internal Ref. #1.112.4.71726.81]; Individual: Shearer, John, Birth date: Oct 26, 1904, Death date: Jan 1986, Social Security #: 367-05-3500, Last residence: FL 33528, State of issue: MI
2. NORMA JEANNE SHEARER: [Brøderbund Family Archive #110, Vol. 1, Ed. 4, Social Security Death Index: U.S., Social Security Death Index, Surnames from A through L, Date of Import: Dec 2, 1996, Internal Ref. #1.111.4.28488.30]; Individual: Brazee, Norma, Birth date: Sep 16, 1929, Death date: Jul 12, 1993, Social Security #: 367-28-1013, Last residence: 34207, State of issue: MI
3. MERWIN FRED BRAZEE: [Brøderbund Family Archive #110, Vol. 1, Ed. 4, Social Security Death Index: U.S., Social Security Death Index, Surnames from A through L, Date of Import: Dec 2, 1996, Internal Ref. #1.111.4.28488.24]; Individual: Brazee, Merwin, Birth date: May 13, 1926, Death date: Jun 20, 1994, Social Security #: 383-22-8560, Last residence: 34207, State of issue: MI
4. From notes written by Dorothy A (Shearer) Beckwith, daughter of Murice John and Marguarete Dorothy (Oelerking) Shearer, January 2001.