‘I was young, dumb, and in love’

Woman followed heart from Germany to US

By Patricia Buschette

For Roswitha “Rosie” Cady, it has been an exciting journey from her birth home in Aschaffenburg, Germany to her home now in Hutchinson, Minn.

While Rosie is proud of her cookbook, she has accomplished much from the time she arrived in the United States unable to speak English. Contributed photo

Aschaffenburg is the site of a U.S. Army base where Rosie lived with her mother and family. Her aunt owned a coffee shop where soldiers from the army base would gather at times, and it was there that Rosie, met Robert Cady. They began to see each other in the company of Robert’s friends. 

The German rules for dating were quite specific.

“It was not very proper to bring a man home until you were nearly engaged to him. We couldn’t entertain at home, and we didn’t go to restaurants in those days. The first time I brought him home, nobody knew I was dating him,” she said.

There was an even greater obstruction to their relationship.

“We were hardly ever by ourselves because I could not speak English and he could not speak German,” Rosie said. “We dated with Robert’s friends, who could translate. How we ever got this far, I don’t know,” she said laughing.

During this time Rosie was attending a two-year textile fashion designer course. The admonition to not date American servicemen was strong.

“You were a bad girl if you went with a soldier,” Rosie said.  “I told Robert he could not pick me up in front of the school,  so no one would know I was dating an American soldier. I finally brought him home to meet my mother – my father died in the war. She loved him. But she also didn’t like it because she knew I would go away.” 

There was another barrier to their continued relationship as it was necessary for Robert to reenlist, allowing him to stay in Germany so they could be married. Robert reenlisted Sept. 25, 1959, for two more years and on Jan. 30, 1960, Robert and Rosie were united in marriage at St. Peter’s and Paul’s Catholic Church in Aschaffenburg, Germany. They remained in Germany until Robert was transferred to the United States.

“Our son Floyd was born in 1961 and was six months old when we left for the United States. We lived with Robert’s parents for two weeks and then lived in Kansas for two years,” she said. “I didn’t speak English for a long time. Robert took care of me like I was a child. I didn’t have skills. The only thing I can say is that I was young, dumb and in love.” 

The culture shock was one of the worst problems. It was totally a different culture.  Robert took care of matters, but when he wasn’t there...

“Cooking was difficult,” she explained. “I couldn’t start with a recipe because I couldn’t read it.” At times she made choices of canned foods depending on the image on the label, but the label could be misleading at times. However, as Rosie describes her life during those days, she was happy.

“We had a small house, just three rooms, and I couldn’t drive – there were all of those little things you cannot do,” she said.

“My favorite movie on television was Lucy. I watched her, listening to her when she talked and saw her facial expression. I learned English by hit and miss. I was amazed. German is a lot different than English. In the American language words are spelled totally different,” she explained

Rosie and Robert have two children; Floyd, who was born in Germany, and Pamela Ann born in 1965.

“Written communication with the children’s teachers was very embarrassing,” she said, and then went on to explain, “When kids missed a day and I had to send a note, the kids wrote it, and I signed it,” she said.

January 30, 1960, Robert Cady and Roswitha Jakob were united in marriage at St. Peter’s and Paul’s Catholic Church in Aschaffenburg, Germany. Rosie loves uniforms and it was her request that Robert wear a uniform for their wedding. Contributed photo

“What got me through was the kids, and I was happy. When Robert came home, I had baked and cooked for him,” she said.

Applying for citizenship was a lengthy and demanding process. 

“I had to have a physical, and needed dental and health records; two copies, one in German and one in English,” she said. “I needed to have signed documentation that if something happened to me, my husband’s parents would vouch for me and be responsible for expenses,” she said.

Rosie said Hubert Humphrey swore her in as a citizen. 

“There were many rules. You had to register every year at the post office, had to live in the United States five years before becoming a citizen, and two people have to verify they know you,” she said. “I studied and studied. 

Rosie remembered Humphrey saying that new citizens know United States history better than native-born Americans because of the requirements needed for citizenship.

“When we got to the end of the test, I was to recite the Ten Commandments. I rattled off the Ten Commandments. When I was done, he said, ‘Ma’am, I want to know the Ten Amendments!’ That was June 7 1967.”

St. Anastasia Catholic Church in Hutchinson is an important part of Rosie’s life. The church is not only a spiritual home, it was an opportunity for her to express her faith and to practice English.

“I am a Eucharistic minister,” Rosie said, “and when Sr. Carolyn asked me about being a lector, I eagerly agreed.”

She said she used her phone to record her voice so she could hear herself proclaiming Scripture in English.

“I left the recording on the phone by accident,” she explained, and the recorded message had become her recorded greeting. Friends who called her and heard her recorded message became very concerned, calling each other and saying, “Something happened to Rosie. There is a Scripture reading on her phone.”

“People told me they liked it when I read the Scriptures because they liked to hear my accent,” she said.

For 12 years, Rosie took on the role as manager and cook at the local Prairie House Restaurant in Hutchinson. Her cooking expertise had grown, and by now Rosie’s reputation as an accomplished cook had become well known in the community.

Because of this reputation, an opportunity was offered to open her own restaurant known as “Rosie’s.” That enterprise turned out to be very demanding, and after a time, Robert simply said about the venture, “It’s either Rosie’s or me,” and the restaurant was closed.

A new opportunity took a lesser toll on their lives. Rosie managed the Hutchinson Health Auxiliary Coffee Shop where she was a manager and cook. By now, her  reputation as a good cook was legendary.

“People would ask about recipes and I said I should write a cookbook. They responded that I better do something, because everybody wanted my recipes.” Rosie’s good friend Cathie Wallyn helped Rosie create it. This was not just an ordinary cookbook! Along with recipes, there were photos and favorite quotations. She and Cathie spent a great deal of time organizing the book.

In 2021, Rosie and Robert Cady posed for this photograph. Contributed photo

There was a book signing in the coffee shop in 2019. Half of the proceeds were for a fundraiser for the auxiliary. Rosie told about a doctor who bought 20 books, saying, “I am going to give them to all my nurses.”

However, Rosie’s cooking skill does not involve just recipes, she said.

“It is taste – it is 70 percent taste.” She won first prize at a chili cookoff for the local country club, her recipe developed through taste – “I have good taste buds!” she said enthusiastically.

Cooking is just on activity that Rosie enjoys. She also likes to downhill ski, golf, sew, cook, garden and bike, shop, and serve as volunteer Girl Scout leader and as a Eucharistic minister. She is a member of the pastoral council, welcoming committee, and a lector at St. Anastasias in Hutchinson.

“I decided that I wanted to skydive,” Rosie said. “Robert got his pilot’s license. It took a couple of years to accomplish. It was very expensive, and he went out whenever he had time. Because my husband was messing around up there, I thought I have to do something, so we would have something in common to talk about.  I did one skydive on in 1973. You had to have a license to do that. I still have it.”

Rosie has made several trips back to Germany.

“I didn’t go the first five years, but later went every 3-4 years. My brother and mom would come between and stayed several weeks. My mother was a strict German and when Floyd was 6 or 7 he wanted to play games with her. He said, ‘Oma let’s play games.’ Knowing she did not speak English, he talked to her very loud and very slow.”

Life changed for Rosie when Robert died Nov. 19, 2022.

“I still miss him,” she said.

Rosie, once a young woman with few skills to navigate American culture, now is an accomplished and active member of the community. While she once described herself as “young, dumb and in love,” she has made many memories, and has accomplished much in her lifetime.