The Nichols-Kulick Family (Pt 2) - Aunt Mary

                                                  *          *          *

Mary Nichols (shown here in the 1930s)

Mary Nichols was born to Gustiv & Caroline (Rienas) Nichols in Germany, March 5, 1883.  She would be living in the United States with her family in Detroit, MI by the time she was a year old.

(Note:  I have three photographs of the many sisters in the Nichols-Kulick family from which many of my individual 'portraits' like the one above will be copied from.  The three originals can be found in Martha Findahl's album on my Facebook account and will be reproduced in one of my blogs here for Martha's birthday in November 2010.)

Mary met and married Frank Temme (who was born on June 20, 1879) around the year of 1900.

From Don Ash:  I believe Aunt Mary worked with my mother in the cigar factory until she was married and did not work outside the home after that.

Uncle Frank was a pattern maker with Ford Motor Company and eventually was promoted to a "Star Man" which is (one step up from what) a foreman (is) today.  When Uncle Frank started with Ford he worked with a Charles E. Sorenson who was also a pattern maker and later became the president of Ford Motor Company, but under the strict hand of Henry Ford.

(Some history from the internet states basically Mr. Sorenson was an 'officer of the company' and goes on to say "Speaking figuratively, he saw himself during most of his career as "a viceroy ruling the production province of the Ford empire", and at the end as a "regent" who managed the company during the "interregnum" between the reigns of Henry Ford I and Henry Ford II.")

Donald continues:  The reason I mention this is because at Uncle Frank's funeral Mr. Sorenson told Aunt Mary not to worry about transporation for the family or guests.  He furnished all of the cars from the Ford 'motor pool' and all of the drivers.  When the driver of the car I rode in wanted to know just who (had died) I told him he was my uncle and a good friend of Mr. Sorensen...and he said no more.

Mary (Nichols) Temme (right) at my parents' (Robert & Marjorie Stoscup) wedding, January 7, 1950.  From a rare photo not used in their wedding album.  (Note:  I do not seem to have any photographs of Mary's husband Frank Temme.)

Donald continues:  Before Mary & Frank moved to Grosse Pointe they lived on Sheridan in Detroit not too far from Belle Isle.  Every Sunday afternoon Uncle Frank would like to ride around Belle Isle no matter what the weather.

He loved to travel but Aunt Mary did not and when Uncle Frank wanted to move to Grosse Pointe she hesitated for many years.  (It appears they were living in their new home for only about a year before Mr. Temme died.)

Frank Temme passed away on August 28, 1935 in his Grosse Pointe home.  My mother Marjorie remembers when she was a child that home in Grosse Pointe seemed so big to her she could get lost in it.  She also recalls they liked having a very ornate wreath on their door at Christmas time but Aunt Mary stopped that practice after Uncle Frank died.

Clarence W. Temme 

Mary & Frank had two children.  Clarence was born October 17, 1903 in Detroit and in the late 1920s & early 1930s he played piano in a band.  He worked mostly as a teller in banks and cashier work for different companies in the Detroit area.  He also served in the Army during World War II.  It is not certain if he was ever married but he had no children.  He died March 7, 1977 in Rochester, MI.  (He was living at that time in Lake Orion, MI.)

Gladys Temme

Their second child, daughter Gladys was born February 10, 1910 in Detroit.

Update June 2, 2011

Gladys Temme

Knowing that our photograph of Gladys must be near 100 years old and that, in my opinion, it was in excellent shape always irritated me that I could not reproduce it well digitally.  I thought I'd take the time to illustrate the difference by leaving the original scan (above) posted along with this new scan.  The original print shows a lot of 'silver' which causes the distortion shown above.  We had a new print made from the original and that is what you now see.


Donald writes:  I believe Gladys after graduating from High School worked as a sales person in many of the large and well known stores in Detroit and Grosse Pointe.

Gladys (Temme) Gore

Gladys married Edward Gore (ca. 1936).  Ed worked in one of the automotive plants in the area and one day after work he came home and found Gladys on the floor of their home where she fell after having a massive heart attack.  The date of her death is June 29, 1970.

Gladys and Ed had no children.  At the time of this writing (1994) Ed was still alive but we have no other information on him after that.

Mary Nichols Temme passed away on January 1, 1953 in Grosse Pointe, MI

                                                                                          *          *          *