NEW BREMEN — Loretta Rempe will celebrate her 100th birthday on July 23, 2020, at Elmwood Assisted Living of New Bremen. She was born July 23, 1920, in St. Johns, Newfoundland.
Loretta grew up in Canada for six years before she and her family moved to the United States, as her father, James Glynn, had always said that one day all his family would be U.S. citizens. He had set aside enough money to leave Newfoundland for Boston, Massachusetts, in 1925 and had earned enough to bring his wife, Johanna and their daughters, Mary, Dorothy, Elizabeth and Loretta, to the states in July 1926. James and Johanna welcomed a son, James Jr., after settling there. James earned his first papers, but during the waiting period for the second papers, he was killed at his job on Aug. 6, 1929.
Johanna continued her husband’s dream and attended night classes at the local high school to learn U.S. history. She completed her courses and passed the test for citizenship. The whole family became U.S. citizens in 1932.
Loretta worked at the printing shop at Harvard University, where she worked until her marriage to Herb Leugers. She met Herb in 1944, when he was a sailor stationed at the Boston Naval Yard. He said he was from a small town near the Indiana border. In his free time from Navy duties, he learned to ride the subway, trains and busses to keep his dates with Loretta. They were married on June 1, 1946, and moved to Minster, where Herb worked at the Minster Machine Co. He passed away from cancer in 1987.
Loretta and Herb had four sons, James and Karen Leugers, of Minster, the late Bernard Leugers, the late Kenneth Leugers, and the late Herbert “Herb” Leugers Jr.
On Sept. 1, 1989, Loretta married Robert Rempe. They enjoyed retirement, family and traveling together until his death in 2007.
Loretta lived in her home in Minster for over 60 years. She worked at Sherman’s Drugstore and later worked at Globus Printing. She is still active and enjoys visiting with her large extended family including children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, in-laws and her many friends.
