NameLillian Margaret Greiner
Birth14 Aug 1889, 17 Reiman St., Buffalo, New York
Death29 Oct 1938, Chicago, Illinois
Burial2 Nov 1938, Montrose Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois
MiscellanyDied Of Leukemia
Flags%MayerFam, Linked, Thumbnail, [FamLabel], [Gen10], [GenYes]
FatherJohn George Greiner (1863-1936)
MotherChristiane Louise Geiger (1866-1918)
Spouses
Birth31 Mar 1885, Chicago, Illinois
LivedOak Forest, Illinois
Death31 Dec 1964, Chicago, Illinois
Burial2 Jan 1965, Montrose Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois
OccupationMusician (pianist & accordion)
MiscellanyOriginally: Meyer. Lost leg & crushed skull under bricks when 5 yrs old
FatherChristoph Meyer (1838-1906)
MarriageMay 1908
ChildrenEthel Louise (1908-1979)
 Herbert F. (1920-1921)
Notes for Lillian Margaret Greiner

There were many evenings my Mother (Lil) didn’t have anything to cook, so we had potato pancakes almost every Friday night.

-- -- Margery Mayer Voutsas, 6 Mar 2008, in an e-mail message to her son Lynn.

“My mother Lillian [Greiner Mayer] never finished school, so her mother promised her a dress making career. At 13 she was a governess to the children of a wealthy furniture family. The children ages 12-8-5 sure gave her a hassle especially the oldest [daughter] who even tried to accuse her of stealing. But the chief cook (French) told on the daughter so that got mother out of trouble ([she] was as honest as they come). The cook took a real liking to her and taught her many French cookings.

After that she got into a school for sewing, run by a French Madam and learned so much. In those days clothing was really an art with so much hand work. It was a real challenge of long hours and six days work and wearing all that heavy clothing in the hot weather. Many women fainted so the Madam gave each a green bottle of smelling salts. I remember smelling it in later year--mother still had a bottle of it. She also made mens tuxedos and womens fancy hats.

The madam trusted mother so much, she chose her to deliver the clothing on Saturday nites, taking the ‘L’ to northshore areas and suburbs where the wealthy were having parties. They paid her and she brought it back to the madam—a few $1000s—and in those days that was something.

Mother would use what spare time she had at nite making party dresses and hats for Aunt Rose and Aunt Cal as they went to a lot of parties and dances. In later days when I was 12 or 16 I had to help mother (who took in sewing) especially ripping—even helped making powder puffs. Margie and I pulled a wagon to and from the factory. Every bit helped.

-- Ethel Mayer Vogt, May 1987 letter to her daughter Marcia

“This would have been my Mother’s 99th birthday. She was a most loving and selfless person who always thought of others first. She died at age 49 of leukimia in 1938, just 11 days before I made my debut with the Chicago Opera, so she never got to hear me sing in opera.

“What a way to start out a letter!!! . . .

-- Margery Mayer, Aug 14 1988 letter to Lynn, Mary, Margaret, & Catherine
Last Modified 24 Nov 2012Created 6 Sep 2014 using Reunion for Macintosh