• Born: 27 January 1906, Letten (Sierning in Upper Austria)
• Died: 22 January 2004 in Enns

Parents:

• Father: VORDERWINKLER Ludwig 1876-1955
• Mother: MAYR Maria 1880-1965

Marriage:

• on 20 April 1926 in Linz with Anton MANN 1895-1972

Children:

• None

(Note by the author: our Aunt Mimi, actually a great-aunt as she was a sister of my grandfather)

From the stories of my aunt:

According to her stories, she spent a (relatively) happy childhood under modest circumstances with her family in the Parzerhaus (no longer standing) in Letten. She attended school in Sierninghofen together with her brothers.

Later (around 1923) she moved with the family to Steyr in the Wehrgraben (Wehrgrabenstraße 35).

She tried to do an apprenticeship as a seamstress, but could not find a position anywhere and later trained in a tailor shop on Pfarrberg as a „Nähfreulein”. There was no salary for this, but the training was free; however, it was not a profession one could really pursue.

She married Anton Mann on 20.4.1926 in the Linz Cathedral. The wedding took place under modest circumstances, with only the fathers as witnesses. Only these four were present at the wedding, while the mother cooked at home in Steyr. On the way home, they visited relatives of Anton Mann in St. Valentin, which delayed the newlyweds' return until the wedding meal was fully cooked.

They initially got an apartment in Wehrgrabenstr. 35. Around 1929, they could afford new furniture for the first time, delivered by the furniture store „Lang”. (Note by the author: these were the black furniture pieces with a pendulum clock that, newly renovated, still stand in our dining room today.)

In 1939, the couple moved to Letten. Anton became the plant manager at the Letten factory during WWII. During this time, they also took in a 6-year-old Dutch child (Hanni Dusch) for a six-month stay, which developed into a lifelong friendship.

After the war, Anton Mann faced a procedure as part of denazification, but he was acquitted. Nevertheless, due to his past, he could no longer become plant manager and had to settle for the position of deputy plant manager at the Letten factory for the rest of his life.

After Anton’s retirement, the couple bought a small house in Plaik (Kronstorf) with their savings. She lived in this house for many years after her husband’s death (1972) in great contentment.

But age also affected her, and in March 1981 she moved to a retirement home in Enns. She remained mentally active and alert until her death, solving crossword puzzles until shortly before she passed away, although she needed a magnifying glass. A few days before her 99th birthday, in 2004, she passed away peacefully in her sleep during the night.

Information about her husband:

• Anton MANN born 14.4.1895 in Steyr, died 22.6.1972 in Linz (hospital), buried in Steyr
• Father: Anton MANN died around 1929 in Steyr (approx. 68 years old)
• Mother: Josefine REICHEL

Sources:

• Oral sources:
  Stories told by Maria herself and my own memories.