Sisters share special relationship

by Cori Hilsgen

news@thenewsleaders.com

Sisters often share special bonds and friendships. Two local sisters, Lucy Laudenbach and Dorothy Schulte, have shared many memories during their lifetime.

The two women have lived about one-half mile apart on the same road as neighbors for the last 40 years, not far from where they grew up as children.

Both said they feel lucky to have each other as sisters because they have been able to rely on each other for so many years.

The two women sat together in Lucy’s house sharing stories during an interview with the St. Joseph Newsleader. Dorothy got up to let Lucy’s dog, Bandit, outside. She also got up to check on the bread dough Lucy had set out to raise on the kitchen counter.

Sharing their stories, they could often finish each other’s sentences. One story was about Bandit. When Lucy’s adult children went to the Tri-County Humane Society to choose a dog for her, they chose Bandit, who is part Australian shepherd and part border collie.

When they brought him home, they were very excited for her to see the dog.

“I took one look at him and said, ‘It’s a bandit’,” Lucy recalled.

She said this is because of the dark ring markings around the dog’s eyes which make him look like a bandit-burgler.

Later, when Lucy’s husband, Bernie, drove with Bandit to the end of their road to pick up their daily mail, he stopped by Dorothy’s house to introduce her to the dog and asked her what she thought the dog’s name was.

Dorothy immediately guessed Lucy and her family had named the dog “Bandit” just by looking at the dog.

“You could just guess it after looking at the eyes,” Dorothy said.

Another story was about hosting Christmas gatherings with their siblings where they exchanged funny gag gifts they had picked out to give to each other. One year the women got fancy nightgowns they modeled over their clothes.

Another time Dorothy said she could chop a watermelon in half with one chop, so she took an ax and chopped it in half. According to Lucy, pieces of watermelon flew all over the place.

Dorothy, 81, and Lucy, 77,  grew up in a family of 11 children born to Theresa and Al Bechtold. The family lived close to where the two women live now, on property that was their grandfather’s land.

Both women and their husbands bought land from their parents and built their homes in which they now live.

Dorothy married her husband, Bill, in 1956. After living in St. Cloud for a while they moved in 1961 into their current house.

Dorothy has five children, 13 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

When Dorothy’s husband, Bill, got laid off from his job at Electrolux, she began working the night shift at Fingerhut in St. Cloud. She later worked in the cafeteria at the College of St. Benedict for 30 years.

Bill worked at Electrolux in St. Cloud, ColdSpring – the granite company in Cold Spring, then worked as an over-the-road trucker and later for Lakeland Bakery for 30 years.

Three of Dorothy’s and Bill’s sons also became truck drivers.

Lucy and Bernie were married in 1960. They lived in St. Cloud and in St. Joseph before moving in 1977 to their current house.

“We had seven kids and decided there’s nothing for seven kids to do in town, so we built this place and moved here,” Lucy said.

After the couple had lived in their house for three years, they had a huge house fire.

“It was a horrible thing, but nobody got hurt and we got the house rebuilt again,” Lucy said.

Lucy has seven children, 14 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Lucy worked several jobs, including at Graffiti Pizza in St. Joseph, as head cook at the College of St. Benedict and as a special education paraprofessional in the St. Cloud School District – working at Kennedy Elementary, McKinley and Roosevelt schools.

Bernie, who died in 2014, was a beer salesman for Bernick’s in Waite Park for 41 years.

Both women said they are grateful the other has been able to help them.

They often helped care for each other’s children.

“Her kids and my kids are like brothers and sisters,” Dorothy said.

“They still do things together,” Lucy said.

Before Bill died in 2010 he was diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, also called Steele-Richardson-Olszewski syndrome. The disease  causes serious problems with walking, balance and eye movements and caused him to often fall backwards.

“He had a very bad disease,” Lucy said.

“Yes, he did,” Dorothy said.

Dorothy often needed help getting Bill up because she was not able to lift him by herself. She often called Lucy and Bernie to come and help and they both did. Sometimes they even came over in their pajamas.

When Dorothy was no longer able to care for Bill at home, he spent two years in a nursing home, and she appreciated having Lucy and Bernie nearby to help.

After Bernie died, Lucy appreciated having Dorothy to help her. Lucy is a double cancer survivor, and Dorothy often walked over to Lucy’s house to help.

With Lucy’s first cancer, Dorothy helped watch Lucy and Bernie’s children so Bernie could have a break. With Lucy’s second cancer, she needed help while recovering from surgery. That sometimes happened in the middle of the night, and Dorothy sometimes came to Lucy’s house in her pajamas.

“Many times when I was sick, she would come and sit with me,” Lucy said.

“We helped each other out,” Dorothy said.

“My kids just love her,” Lucy said. “She is like a grandma to them. If there’s nobody at her house, she better be coming over. It isn’t just my kids that really love her, but my grandkids too.”

Both women have had knee replacements and can share stories of their recovery and therapy.

The two often drive places together. After all, they attend many of the same family gatherings and celebrations.

Both belong to St. Joseph Catholic Church and volunteer when they are able. Lucy volunteers with the church’s “Willing Hands” to make a variety of greeting cards.

Both sisters attend St. Joseph Senior Citizens meetings at the St. Joseph Community Fire Hall where they enjoy lunch and playing cards and bingo. Dorothy also enjoys playing cards at the American Legion Post 328 in St. Joseph.

Lucy and Dorothy enjoy watching the birds in their bird feeders and putting puzzles together. Their sister, Tessie, gave them about 50 puzzles several years ago. They take turns putting them together and sharing them with others.

Together, Lucy and Dorothy take care of Bandit, attending to the dog’s needs and wants.

“He’s been a wonderful pet,” Lucy said. “There’s at least some noise, and I’ve got someone to run after.”

Dorothy is looking forward to a visit in July from her daughter’s family from Pennsylvania. Lucy is looking forward to a visit in August from a foreign-exchange student from Germany who lived with her daughter.

Both women said they are fortunate their children check on and help them with housework and yard chores. Two of Lucy’s sons work close by, and they stop often to check on her.

Lucy said she has thought about moving, but isn’t ready to do so yet.