Volume 1 No. 4 - August 1988

Tony Lang Visits Home Of His Great-Grandfather Antoine Lobsinger In Village Of Langatte, France

In his own words, in a letter to his mother, Tony Lang reports:"Langatte is very close to the border of Lorraine (Lothringen is the German name) and Alsace (Elsass in German). It (Langatte) is in Lorraine. The house with the inscription is on the northwestern side of the village. It is typical of the area in that it has the kitchen in the center, the living room (containing a stove) near the street, and bedrooms at the back.

The street is on the north side of the house. Right now it is being used for grain storage. The inscription over the door is on the outside and is on the south side of the house.

The name used is Andoni Lobsinger. Note the "d" instead of "t". This was typical in this German speaking area. The N's are reversed. Gilles believes it was because the people who put it there were poorly educated.I also took pictures of the area around Langatte, including the Estang Stock (pond) where Antoine (Andoni) was found dead.

Interior of the Church In Langatte, France where Andoni Lobsinger once served as tithe collector to the parish priest. Photo courtesy of Denise Gemma

I also took pictures of the church and the presbytery where the Cure' (priest) lived. The ghost of the Cure' was said to have inhabited it at the turn of the century. I also took a picture of a cross at the edge of a field on the east side of the village. That was put there by a Lobsinger. These are typical of Catholic countryside areas of Europe and were signs of devotion to the church. They bear short inscriptions. All we could make out was... " In ... Elisabeth Lobsinger .... .... Jahr 1859." (Ed note: One of Antoine's daughters, Marie Elisabeth Lobsinger Germain, reportedly died on 09 NO1857 - possibly the date of death could have been 1859)

Exterior of the Church in Langatte France. Dates from the 1700s.

Right now, a farmer is using it to anchor a barbed wire fence.

The Lobsinger tomb now belongs to another family and no longer has the headstone of the Lobsinger family. In Europe, if a family does not keep up a grave for more than... 40 years... then the church gives it to another family. The bones remain in the crypt (if they are still intact) and the new family places their bodies in it and puts their own headstone. They're deep and spacious, so they can accomodate many bodies.

Field Cross near Langatte France was placed there by an ancient Lobsinger. The monument now anchors a fence.

Langatte is still a small sleepy farming village. The people over 50 years of age still prefer to speak the local German dialect rather than French. Gilles and his sister also speak it by learning it from their grandparents, but are more fluent in French. They also took German in school.

(Ed note: Louise Ohmer married Jean Louis Lobsinger on 14 JN 1803, through whom most American and Canadian Lobsingers descend) Gilles was researching those Ohmers and found that a descendant married Walter Mondale, former US Vice President.

There are apparently no people bearing the Lobsinger name now in France, although there may be some in Switzerland. There are, of course, descendants like Gilles and we also met a few others in Langatte.

Gilles also gave me a photo that came from the US and ...was taken in Missouri. He hasn't a clue who it is but perhaps it could be published in the newsletter to solicit an identification. (Ed. Note: probably a daughter of Antoine Jean Michel Lobsinger who founded one of the American branches of the family)

The German name of Langatte was Langd and the name Lothringen came from Lotharingie. Lothar was a grandson of Charlemagne. At the time of Antoine, Lorraine and Alsace were very much German speaking areas... the culture has been pretty much uniformly German from the time of Antoine until the end of the Second World War."

Tony Lang is working on his doctorate in ornithology. For his thesis, he is studying the Eurasian tree sparrow. These sparrows are native to Germany, but in 1870, twenty were released in St. Louis ('spose a Lobsinger turned 'em loose?) and now there are about 150,000 in the US. He is comparing the songs of the American sparrows with the German ones, to find out if they are saying the same things in English as they do in German. Actually, it's more complicated than that...

It was during one of his trips to Germany to record the German sparrow that he and his wife Saragine located Gilles, whom he had read about in this newsletter. It is particularly intriging to note that Tony was able to see the home of his Great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, who by a strange coincidence, had the same first name!

This is the home of Andoni Lobsinger, whose name is on the lintel on the far side of the house, over the doorway. Photo courtesy of Denise Gemma, who is standing by the corner of the house. The building is now used for agricultural storage.

The Mildmay Apple Butter Factory...

Last issue, we explored the workings of the Lobsinger Bros. Foundry in Mildmay, On. The foundry manufactured "Lion" Threshing Machines sold throughout the area. But in the off-season, their was another improbable product produced at the foundry. Apple Butter.

According to John Schmidt, who recorded the process for posterity, apple butter kept the company in business during the lean years. Schmidt reports that after harvest season in late September, it was time to catch up on the company's bookwork and prepare the Cider Mill.

Several men would clear the stored parts out of the cider mill, soak the tanks, and repair the cookers. Everything was cleaned up and ready for the first apples to arrive. The early apples were not good for apple butter, so only cider was made for some time. Advertisements were put in the papers for custom apple butter cooking and when the later McIntosh and Spy apples were ripe, appointments were accepted to make apple butter.

Early in the morning, the boiler was steamed up, and Alf Meyer came in from the farm to fire it for the day. One man was kept busy hauling wood from the woodpile into the firehole. Steve Missere and Tony Berberich looked after the cider press, pressing 40 to 60 gallons at a pressing, while Eugene Schwehr emptied the bags of apples into the elevator. Another man pumped the cider into tanks, measured it and directed it to the various cookers. This man also recorded the gallonage and costs in a book, and collected the money.

Leonard Berberich operated the schnitz cooker which cooked the apples into applesauce for filler. Several men would also be peeling pumpkins for filler. John Schmidt and Thomas Berberich were the cookers. After the cooker was full, the cider was brought to a boil and skimmed to skim off all the impurities, care had to be taken to get all the impurities out before the cider boiled. A spoonful of lard was added to keep the cider from boiling out of the cooker, and the cider then had to be sweetened with soda until the desired sweetness was reached.

"Mildmay Brand Apple Butter" was shipped in small quantities throughout Canada, and delivered to many of the large grocery chains.

Many farmers made up to a hundred gallons of it each year, for their own use, and distribution to neighbors. A few customers made Pear Butter or Apple Syrup and others added oranges, cinnamon, etc. to their apple butter.

Peter Lobsinger and later Louis Ruetz were kept busy trucking 10 ton loads of apples from Thornbury, Clinton, Richmond Hill, Clarksburg, and other apple districts.

For several years in the late 1950's there was an exceptional yield of apples and the trucks and wagons were lined up for blocks from the cider mill. Every bit of storage space (including the shed and yard) were piled with customer's apples, and though running to full capacity, it was late in December before they were all cleared up.

For quite a few years, Doug Cleveland operated a booth at the large fairs in the province, and at the end of each day all the cider tanks had to be filled up so he could pick it up that evening as he sold several hundred gallons of cider each day.

Some customers put down several hundred gallons for hard cider, but several groups from Chepstow would put in over a thousand gallons for hard cider each year.

Business was good for the foundry and cider press until the advent of self propelled combines. Slowly but surely, threshing machine manufacturers went out of business, and many of them sold their stock and parts to Lobsinger Brothers, which continued to try to compete for the harvest equipment market. A proto-type combine was even developed, but never put into production.

The last new "Lion" threshing machine was sold in 1970 and while there was still a demand for apple butter, the building and equipment built in the 1890's was not suitable for present day conditions. Finally, the cider mill was shut down as well.

In 1976, the complete Mildmay Cider Mill was donated to the Ontario Agricultural Museum, which also houses the plastic sided Lion demonstrator, as well as the proto-type combine and an 1888 antique thresher.

Social Notes

Weddings:

Kimberly Dawn Lobsinger and Gary Douglas O'Connor were married in Huntsville, On on March 18th, 1988. Kimberly is the daughter of James E and Sharon Lobsinger of Tehkummah, On. (House of George)

Anniversaries:

New Branches In The Family:

Erica Brooke Lobsinger -Born to Gregory and Wendy Lobsinger (House of George) on April 7th, 1988, a daughter, Erica Brooke Lobsinger. She is the new sister of Curtis, and 5th grandchild of James E and Sharon Lobsinger of Tehkummah, On.

Steven Robert Lobsinger - Steven Robert Lobsinger arrived on June 2, 1988 at 2:47 pm. He is the second child of Byron Louis and Christine Strother Lobsinger, and the umpteenth grandchild of John Ross and Catherine Marie Davis Lobsinger of Lake Worth, Florida. (House of Peter)

Jessica Alise Lobsinger - Arriving on July 2, 1988 was Jessica Alise Lobsinger, daughter of Michael Eldon and Kimberly Susann (Cummings) Lobsinger of Lake Worth, Fla. This makes the umpty-one-th grandchild of John Ross and Catherine Marie Davis Lobsinger (House of Peter)

Paul and Debbie (Marsland) Lobsinger are the parents of Lucas Victor Lobsinger born on Thursday, April 21, 1988. The youngster is an 8 pounder with one ounce to spare. Grandparents are Jim and Joan Marsland of Guelph, On, and Vic and Susan (Graff) Lobsinger of St. Catherines, On. (House of Peter)

Tyler Harry Roper - Cody Paulitzke - Two new arrivals in the House of George: First, Tyler Harry Roper was born on May 17, 1988 to Linda (Paulitzke) and John Roper. Second, Cody Paulitzke was born earlier this year to David and Cindy Paulitzke. No exact date on Cody's arrival was available. Grandparents are Marjorie (Lobsinger) and Roy Paulitzki. Great Grandfather is Howard John Lobsinger of Elliot Lake, ON.

Tyler John Schmidt- Tyler John Schmidt was born on September 17, 1987 to Connie (Easton) and John Blair Schmidt of Mississauga, ON. Grandparents are John and Dolores (Lobsinger) Schmidt of Mildmay, ON of the House of Peter.

More Info Needed...

Newsletter Goes To Four Continents

With the addition to our mailing list of the addresses of Lobsingers in Austrailia and now Tanzania, Africa, our little newsletter is becoming somewhat international in nature! We have circulation in 5 countries (U.S., Canada, France, Austrailia, and Tanzania). Six if we include Texas. (just kidding, Ken)

Deaths and Funerals

Julius Lobsinger - Julius Lobsinger, Tombstone, Az. died January 29, 1988. Details of funeral not available. Julius was an adopted son of Emil Lobsinger of Peoria, Ill. He was born in Belgium and came to the US in 1914 with his original parents and older sister. A younger sister was later born in Peoria.

His parents were divorced a few years later, and his mother married Emil Lobsinger, who adopted all three children.

Many of the descendents of the House of Joseph live in Michigan, and Joseph Lobsinger was married to a Josephine Emil, so there may be a connection ...

Notes From The Mailbag

Harold and Allean Lobsinger

Nice note from Harold and Allean Lobsinger of Apache Junction, Az. Harold was surprised to find out there is at least one other Harold Lobsinger from the last newsletter. "Do you think the world is ready for two Harold Lobsingers?" he quips.

There is a picture of Harold and Allean in this newsletter. We took it on a visit to Harold's place a couple of years ago. Allean does needlework, and Harold has become quite an artist. He's completed 20 oils just since last November.

Harold is a retired United Airlines employee, and spends the winters in Apache Junction, and the summers in Denver, with a lot of traveling in between. His grand daughter Robin Jones of Oklahoma City also gets our newsletter and says she enjoyes receiving it as well. (House of Antoine)

Mr. Laurier Lobsinger of Kitchener, On. (House of Louis) sent us a newspaper clipping about the man who spells backwards. You'll find that story in this issue, too.

Bruce and Julianne Lobsinger of Snyder, NY (House of Peter) sent us the names of their children, Jenny Lee and Luke David. That brings their family chart up to the current generation. Bruce is the son of Melvin E., son of Melvin R., son of George M., son of Peter, son of Count Joseph.

Dixie L. and Eugene R. Lobsinger of Grayling, Mi sent us photo copies of the naturalization papers of Petter Lobsinger and wife Frances. They are his great grandparents. Dixie is training to become an animal control officer, and her husband Eugene is a mechanic with the National Guard and reserve sheriff's deptuy. They have two children, Jeffrey R. and Melissa K. They are of the House of Joseph, descending from Count Joseph through his son Joseph and Josephine Emil, Petter, Peter Paul, and Eugene Myron. Dixie also sent considerable information on the families of the other children of Petter and Frances. The House of Joseph has been hard to reconstruct, and this was important new information which we appreciate.

Mr. and Mrs. Richard J. Lobsinger of Warren, MI (House of Peter) sent in their kids names and addresses. That brings them up to date until grandkids start arriving! They have two daughters and one son. Daughters are Mrs James (Laurie E.) Cross of Bloomfield Hills, MI., and Mrs. Dale (Denise A) Alexander of Warren. Their son is Terry R Lobsinger, of Warren.

From the House of Louis comes a note from Arthur Peter Lobsinger of Hanover, Ontario. He is the son of Isadore Alexander, son of Peter, son of Louis, son of Count Joseph. Says he hopes the rest of you also write and send in interesting articles so we can continue to pass family stories around. He and wife Lois June Weidner have two children, Allen Peter and Ann Elizabeth; also three grandkids, Adam Peter, Trevor William, and Jason Allen, all sons of Allen Peter and wife Joan Louise Cronin.

Julietta Lobsinger McIntee updated our list of her grandchildren quite a bit. She reports that in addition to her recent County Fair special award, she has also received her 60 year pin from the Catholic Women's League. Congratulations!

Just about the time I fancy myself a full fledged newspaperman... big shot publisher and all, I get a letter from Irwin (Lobie) Lobsinger of Walkerton, Ontario. This fellow has been writing a newspaper column for 20 years or so. One of 'em is partially reprinted in this newsletter.The difference is he's 80-something and newspapers only part time in between running a couple of businesses and spending 54 years in public service. Lobie is a truly remarkable individual. He's from the House of Louis, son of Bridget Tschirhart and John Lobsinger, son of Louis, son of Count Joseph.

Jerome Lobsinger of Minot, N.D. (House of George) sent us his new address, and we appreciate that. I have no way of knowing where to send the newsletter if you move and don't tell me. Post Office will only forward for so long before they return them. Got several back the last time.

Wildlife Paintings by Jerome Lobsinger Of Minot, N.D.Jerry is an artist, and sent us color slides of several of his works, which are simply beautiful. At least one will be reproduced in this newsletter, but I doubt that my black and white printing will do justice to these outstanding wildlife portraits.Jerry's son, Christopher James Lobsinger lives in St. Lucia, Queensland, Austrailia, which makes him the first known Lobsinger to have settled on that continent.

Jerry also has visited the Viet Nam Memorial, and sent us the location of the name of John Dillon Lobsinger, son of Harvey, son of Simon, House of Peter, who was killed in the war. If you get the chance to visit the Memorial, his name is on panel 35E, line number 16. So far as we know John Dillon is the only Lobsinger killed in Vietnam. He died in 1967.

Four Generations Of Lobsingers: From left, Howard John Lobsinger, son James Edward holding Curtis James, and Gregory James. The family is of the House of George, and they live in Northern Ontario.

James Edward Lobsinger of Tehkummah, On sent us a four generation photo you'll find in this issue. He's from the House of George, too. James and wife Sharon also have a brand new grandaughter, bringing them up to 5 grand kids now. Also got a subscription check from James Edward's dad, Howard Lobsinger of Elliot Lake, On..

Dennis Agombar, grandson of Salome Lobsinger Bohnert of the House of Louis wrote us from an article he read a while back in the Mildmay Town Crier. We put him on our mailing list, too. He provided some new information on the family of Peter Lobsinger, son of Louis and Catherine Gehl, and we sent him all of his Lobsinger ancestors back to Nicolas of Langatte, France in the 1600's. We are continuing to swap and compare information on his branch of the Lobsinger family.

Kenneth Lobsinger, Houston, TX

Kenneth R Lobsinger of Houston, TX, stopped by our office in May, on his way back home to St. Louis. Kenneth is a son of Leslie Lorenzo and Irene Louise Palmer Lobsinger of O'Fallon, Ill. Ken is one of the St. Louis Lobsingers, a descendent of Michael Lobsinger, the brother of Count Joseph. He is an area manager for Hardy Shoe Stores in the Houston area, and he has a couple of children named Michael and Dawn Darlene. We took a mug shot of Ken while he was here, which is printed somewhere in this newsletter..

Florence Lobsinger Kretsch of Elbow, SK dropped us a nice letter with lots of information on her family. She is a daughter of John Lobsinger ( House of Louis) and Bridget Tschirhart, and a sister of Alfred Edwin, Clarence J, David Pius, and Irwin, all of whom we have corresponded with from time to time. Florence was 93 years young on May 17th of this year. Happy Birthday!

Florence (Lobsinger) and Peter Kretsch Family: From left, Allan, Mervyn, Earl, Leonard, Clarence, Cyril, Milton, and Raymond. Front, seated, Bernice, parents Peter and Florence Kretsch, and Florene

Cyril and Rita Huber Schnarr dropped a note along with their family tree. He reports remembering the Hergotte Threashers rolling off the line when he was a boy in St. Clements. The Lobsinger Bros. bought out the Hergotte plant in Mildmay, as was reported in the last issue. Cyril is a descendant of Anna Lobsinger and Herbert Schnarr, of the House of Louis Lobsinger. They have 7 children and 6 grandchildren at this point.

Susan (Graff) and Victor Lobsinger of St. Catherines (House of Peter) sent word of a new grandchild, plus some very good photos of the family of Joseph L. Lobsinger and hi second wife Catherine Beitz. The also sent the information on Dr. Jane M. Moran, and a clip of the obit of Reuben J. Lobsinger of the House of Louis who was the father of Bishop Tom Lobsinger.

Beatrice Lobsinger Lang of Buffalo, NY dropped us a nice note. She's from the House of Louis, and recently celebrated her 80th birthday with a noon Mass celebrated by Bishop Tom Lobsinger, courtesy of her nieces and nephews in Buffalo. She also reports recovering nicely from open heart surgery and cataract surgery during the past 18 months.

Irma Toffler of Coral Gables, FL saw her mother Barbara Lobsinger Mier's name in the index in the last issue. She's from the House of Joseph and wants us to put her and her sisters Luella Lee, Barbara Blancher, and Betty Brownyn on the mailing list. We're happy to add them! Now that you're all on board, send us what you can about your familiy. Kids, grandkids, photos old or new, etc!

From Leo S. Ruetz of Shaunavon, SK, comes a nice letter and picture postcard of many of the early Lobsinger and Ruetz family members. Leo has done a complete Ruetz family tree, which includes the descendents of Caroline Lobsinger Ruetz which fit nicely into our collection of Lobsinger descendents.

From Ottawa comes word from John Patrick Lobsinger that he and his wife Theresa Anne (White) will be moving to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in East Africa for a few years. Kids will be going, too, we presume. They are Alison Mary, Meghan Patricia, and Timothy John (who was born in Bangkok, Thailand on the family's last foreign excursion. John is an employee of the Canadian Department of External Affairs. He's from the House of Peter, son of Dr. Allan Joseph, son of Ignatius Franz, son of Peter. More on him elsewhere.

Also received a note from Ken Lobsinger, who asked us to put him and his brother Jim Lobsinger on the mailing list. Which we have. They are sons of Leo Lobsinger, son of Francis X, son of Peter. Ken and wife Margaret (Green) have two children, Blair and Brandon. Jim and wife Sharon (McCulloch) also have two youngsters Michelle and Kevin.

Francis Xavier Lobsinger and wife Caroline Krug. Photo taken in early 1900s. Photo courtesy of their granddaughter Doreen (Lobsinger) Robson, who reports that the 4th Clayton Lobsinger (her dad) reunion was held on Father's Day in Clesley, On., with 94 descendants attending.

Doreen (Lobsinger) Robson sent us the photo of Francis X. Lobsinger and wife Caroline (Krug) at the top of the page. She also sent a snapshot of the 94 people who attended the 4th reunion of the descendents of her father Clayton Lobsinger. Unfortunately, I can't enlarge that one enough to print.

Dr. James B. Wise, M.D., of Oklahoma City is a descendent of the mysterious Paul Lobsinger, the son of Count Joseph who moved from Ontario without leaving many tracks to follow. Dr. Wise is trying to find out what happened to the rest of that clan for us.

Irwin Lobsinger - Businessman, Public Servant,
And Winner Of Coveted Julian Crandal Award

Once in awhile a truly remarkable individual surfaces without making many waves. The Lobsinger family sprouts such individuals every so often.

Fire Safety Officer Irwin Lobsinger and small friend

"Lobie," as he is known, is over 80 now, and still just as active as ever. Among his many lifetime accomplishments, Lobby has served on the Walkerton, Ontario Fire Department for 54 years. He was fire chief for 37 years, and is still active as their Fire Prevention Officer.

In addition, Irwin spent 22 years on the town council as Mayor, Reeve (I don't know what a Reeve is, we don't have Reeves in Oklahoma), and Councillor. His public service career includes the founding of the Saugeen Valley Association, and in 1973 he won the Julian Crandall Trophy, Canada's highest Conservation award.

The Julian Crandall Trophy is awarded annually to the Canadian citizen who through word, thought, effort or deed is considered to have contributed most to the conservation of the renewable resources of forest, field and stream in Canada.

The trophy was donated in 1952 by Julian T. Crandall of Ashaway, Rhode Island to the Canadian Travel Industry Association as an award providing national recognition to individual conservation achievements by Canadians. Mr. Crandall, a manufacturer, donated the trophy in appreciation of many enjoyable fishing trips to Canada.

Irwin Lobsinger ranks among such Canadian notables as Richard Passmore, executive director of the Canadian Wildlife Federation, Charles Sauriol, of the Nature Conservancy of Canada, and David Munro, director of Canadian Wildlife Service, all of whom have been awarded the Julian Crandall Trophy.

Among his services in the field of wildlife conservation, Lobie is a Hunting Safety Instructor for the Ministry of Natural Resources. Since 1957, he has instructed over 3,000 students in safe hunting techniques.

Now, you might think that is enough to keep an 80 year old busy. But not Lobbie.

He owns and operates Lobie's Riverbend Tent and Trailer Park, and Lobies Flea Market.

The Tent and Trailer Park is midway between Hanover and Walkerton, On on highway 4. It boasts 42 acres of natural beauty, with serviced and unserviced campsites and trailer hookups, with modern conveniences like showers, shuffleboard courts and nature trails. Lobies Flea Market is open weekends in June, July, and August, same location.

And sometime in between his other activities, Irwin Lobsinger is a veteran Newspaper Columnist. For over 20 years, Lobie has been the author of "Our Valley," a regular column of the Walkerton Herald-Times.

Irwin's columns are a poupourri of hometown humor, wit, and wisdom from his observations of everything in sight. A recent (February 3, 1988) column noted that as he and wife Ruth (Last) were "loafing in the lobby of a hotel on Woodward Ave, a boy of about 14 came in and asked the hotel clerk to reserve a bridal suite for a date in 2009. Nothing like looking ahead," quipped Lobie.

"The hostess at a restaurant asked us if we had a reservation - we must have looked like Indians."

"We laughed loud and long when a lady came along dragging a little wagon on the sidewalk with a goldfish bowl, fish and all. She was taking the dear thing for a walk."

Lobies column is one anecdote after another, all quaint observations of a life he enjoys to the fullest!

Daughter Nancy is married to Doug Koeslag, and daughter Grace is married to Harry K Schnurr. Grace and Harry have a daughter, too, named Laurie, and a son Michael.

This last May, Lobie sold his campsite and flea market operation with the idea of maybe taking it a little easier. But...

By now, there may be even more grandkids we don't know about, yet. And Lobie may be operating another business or two, or maybe off on a safari somewhere, or making movies, or running for Prime Minister...

The Family Of Franz Lobsinger Continues
To Feast On Adventure

Ignatius Franz Lobsinger left the relatively civilized area of Bruce County, Ontario and trudged out west to the wilds of Saskatchewan to homestead near Kyle. Franz, or Frank as he became known, was a grandson of Count Joseph Lobsinger. And he showed the same pioneering spirit that brought the Count and his family across the Atlantic to the new world.

Franz and his spouse, Mary Fehner, settled in an unforgiving frontier area with harsh winters and harsher summers. His early dwelling consisted of a single story frame hut maybe 12 feet wide and 15 feet long. It had one small window and one door. And Franz filled most of the doorway when he stood in it.

If farming wouldn't feed the family of several children, lumberjacking would. Franz raised his children on sawdust and ketchup, and seems to have given them big doses of spunk for good measure.

That courage that comes from facing the unknown, whether it be an ocean, a new frontier with no promises of a cushy job, or a tornado on the plains, seems to pervade the history of the descendants of Franz Lobsinger...

His daughter Emellia became the chief operator at the Regina Telephone Exchange and in 1912 when a disasterous tornado ripped into that bustling town. She refused to leave her post until the danger had passed, and continued to place calls from frightened victims and worried relatives across the country.

Another son, Leo, helped tame the great farming areas of the Canadian bread basket from the tender age of 16 when he went to work for International Harvestor Company. From Regina, to Swift Current, to Edmonton to Winnipeg, Leo climbed the laddar of success with the farm equipment giant. He was a one company man, and worked from the bottom of the ranks to the top before his death in 1952.

John Eugene was the lanky kid with bushy hair who helped develop things around the homestead. Dressed in oversize work britches, probably his father's discards, John Eugene built the fences and cared for the plow horse, and fed the big shaggy dog who hung around the shack for what little was discarded.

Today, John Eugene's descendents are still developing the Canadian prairie; still insuring that things go right. Most of them are in the Real Estate Development business and the Insurance Business. At least one sails the pacific in search of adventure. Another is an inventor of electronic gadgets for the handicapped. All showing that spirit of innovation, wonderlust, and search for adventure that brought Count Joseph across the ocean and Frantz to Saskatchewan in the first place.

And there was Dr. Allan Joseph Lobsinger, who managed to work his way off the farm and through medical school... a field few if any Lobsingers had attempted prior to him. After obtaining his medical degree from the University of Manitoba, he moved to Edmonton, married, and set up shop. Dr. Allan Lobsinger was the father of three: Allan William is a salesman in British Columbia. Daughter Judith is married to Leo Dooling and lives in Vancouver, B.C.

And then there is John Patrick. While the rest of the family was moving west to the coast, John Patrick really went west. All the way to Bangladesh, which is so far west that they call it east when you get there. Wife Theresa Anne went along, and pretty soon it was time for their third child, son Timothy to arrive. Alison Mary had arrived first, while the family was in Ottawa in 1976; another daughter, Meghan Patricia, was also born in Ottawa in 1979.

John Patrick works for the Canadian government in the Department of External Affairs, and satisfies that urge for travel and excitement by pulling up stakes every few years and heading to another far away land.

Now, after another breather in Ottawa, the John Patrick Lobsinger family is again heading out into the unknown for yet another adventure. They are packing up for the trip to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in East Africa.

Dr. Moran Specializes In Emergency Medicine

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