Person Page 541

Gerald Daniel Sutter was born on 25 November 1916 in Michigan.¹ He and Olive Alberta Doan were married on 29 November 1942. He died on 10 March 1999, at age 82, in Linwood, Bay, Michigan.¹

Olive Alberta Doan was born on 27 February 1919 in Bay County, Michigan.^1,2 She and Gerald Daniel Sutter were married on 29 November 1942. She died on 2 October 2000, at age 81, in Michigan.¹

Olive lived with her grandparents, Charles and Mary Doan, in both the 1920 aand 1930 Michigan Census.

Martin H. Doan was born on 2 March 1915 in Bay City, Bay, Michigan.^1,2,3 He and Dorothy M. (?) were married before 6 April 1940. He died on 15 November 2001, at age 86, in Northville, Wayne, Michigan.^2,3 He was buried in Grosse Pointe United Methodist Memorial Gardens, Grosse Pointe Farms, Wayne, Michigan.³

Martin H. Doan was a Mechanic in Steel Construction.⁴ Beloved husband of the late Dorothy M. Brother-in-law of Isobel Malzahn and Florence Jones. Uncle of many nieces and nephews. Memorial Service Tuesday Nov. 20th at 2 p.m. at the Alterra Assisted Living, 40405 Six Mile Rd., Northville, W. of Haggerty Rd. Memorial tributes suggested to the Salvation Army.

Cheri Maxine Doan was born on 25 October 1946 in Macomb County, Michigan. She died on 17 April 2006, at age 59.

Clara Sophia Mater was born in 1863 in Ontario, Canada. She and David Charles Berden were married on 30 January 1884 in Custer, Sanilac, Michigan. She died in January 1888, at age ~25, in Sanilac County, Michigan.¹

She may have gone by Sophia. She died after only 4 years of marriage. David C. Berden re-married and had additional children whose names are not known at this ime.

A drawing of "Sophie" exists that shows her around the age of 20 to 24. Clara Sophia died after only 4 years of marriage, when her children were aged 4 and 2, and Clara Sophia was around 24 or 25 years old. It is thought that she died in Sanilac County Michigan since her mother and husband both had homesteads in that region. Georgian Rawlinson Tashjian (Sophie's granddaughter) recalled in year 2000 that Nora Belle had told Georgian about the circumstances of Sophie's death. According to the family history, Sophie wanted very much to be babtised. Evidently she was determined to do this, even though it was winter time in Michigan and very cold outside. It is reported that she contracted pneumonia or something similar after the babtism and died shortly afterwards. Sophie's children stayed with her husband (Berden) for awhile after her death, but, eventually they mainly went to live with their aunt and Sophie's sister, Margaret Mater Young (Aunt Maggie to the children) and their grandmother (Mary Arabella Wintermute Mater). Sophie's husband remarried and he fathered additional children. Evidently the children of Sophie spent time at both their father's house and their grandmother's and aunt's homes during the 12 years or so following Sophie's death.

Emigrated from Ontario, Canada to Sanilac, MI. in 1882.
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David Charles Berden was born on 19 September 1855 in Canada.¹ He and Clara Sophia Mater were married on 30 January 1884 in Custer, Sanilac, Michigan. He died in Sanilac County, Michigan.¹

Nora Belle Berden was born on 9 December 1884 in Custer, Sanilac, Michigan. She and William Winthrop Rawlinson were married on 19 September 1908 in Ottawa, Kansas. She died on 15 August 1982, at age 97, in Leesburg, Florida.¹ She was buried in 1982 in Mount Ever-Rest Memorial Park, Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo, Michigan.¹

Nora Belle Berden was educated in Ferris State University BA/ Masters.¹ She was a Teacher.¹ "When Mother's mother died and her father remarried her step mother treated her very badly so she went and lived with Aunt Maggie and her mother who were living not too far from her father's home. Of course Aunt Maggie was on the Mater side, and I think it was near Custer that they lived. I do not remember her step mother's name, I know one son inherited the farm. The youngest daughter was Helen--about my age-- there was another daughter, I believe her name was Margarite who lived in Chicago. I assume that WWR and NBR were married in Ottowa, Kansas as it is much closer to Wichita than the county of Ottowa. Father was pastor of a church which I always assumed was in Wichita, but it could very well have been in Ottowa. I think they were there about three years--Father had some mental and health problems and Mother took Margaret and went to Aunt Maggie's who was living in Delaware." (account provided by Nora's son John to Pamela Jean Pohly 1998)
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"Nora's mother died when Nora was just barely 3 years old. Her father remarried, but, this was not a happy situation for Nora. Nora felt that her stepmother did not like her, so she learned to go to her grandmother's house (Mary Arabella Wintemute Mater) as much as possible. These houses were all in the same area. "Uncle Peter" was born when Nora Belle was 3 months old and these children became close. Nora learned to play piano at her father's house, which relative to other houses of that area, was a very nice and large house. When Nora Belle was 16, her father took her to college (Big Rapids?) to Ferris College in a horse drawn wagon. Making the trip with them were also her best friend Essie Phillips and her brother George Berden. At this college she achieved a degree called "Normal Professional." Nora attended a one year teacher certification program there, took a certification test and began teaching school when she was 17 years old. Nora Belle would have to go into the one room school building early in the morning, sweep and clean the classroom and build the fires for warmth. Then, she would teach the children. She lived with different families, as organized by the parents of the school children.

Years later, after her father died, Nora Belle visited her stepmother's home in Sandusky in 1932. This was during a trip to Michigan in which John was driving with Georgian, Margaret and Nora Belle. The purpose of this trip was to deliver Georgian and John to college in Kalamazoo. On the way, they stopped at Nora Belle's old home in Sandusky. Georgian remembers that this was a "substantial farm house" that stood in stark contrast to the type of life Nora Belle, as single breadwinner, had been able to provide for herself and 7 children in Virginia. As Clara Berden, the stepmother, came out of the house, and Nora Belle began walking towards the house, Nora Belle suddenly turned back towards the car and began crying. The "kids" (Georgian, Margaret, John) jumped out of the car and surrounded their mother. Georgian believes that Nora Belle still felt hurt about how her stepmother had treated her during her childhood and even now, after her father had died, in her not sharing her father's assets. Georgian remembers that the next morning, when Georgian awoke in this step-grandmother's home upstairs, she could hear her mother Nora Belle happily playing the piano and singing the song, "... the shade of the old apple tree..." downstairs. Georgian remembers understanding, at that moment, what music had meant to her mother. It must have been her refuge and joy, her way of coping with some unhappiness during her childhood." (as recorded from verbal recollections given to Pamela Jean Pohly by Georgian Rawlinson Tashjian in year 2000)
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"In 1928, Nora moved from Greenwood Delaware with her kids to Blackstone (Blacksburg?), Virginia to live with Aunt Maggie who was living on a farm. She was married to William Young and was Grandma's Aunt (perhaps her mother's sister). Uncle George Berden took the family to Aunt Maggie's farm. He was Nora's brother, living in Belle Fountain, Ohio at that time. He was a teacher and was Grandma's only full sibling. There were also some half sisters (maybe 2). Eleanor Berden is George's daughter." (account provided by Nora's daughter Mary Rawlinson Creason to Pamela Jean Pohly in 1998)
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Nora's funeral was held on August 18, 1982 at Grand Haven Presbyterian Chapel in Grand Haven, Michigan, with Dr. Gerald Pohly officiating.
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