Ada Grace Hessler

Ada Grace was born to Wilhelmina (Minnie) A. and John C. Peglow on September 14, 1917 in the home of her aunt. Many years later, Ada spoke briefly of this time and said she was not breathing and her mother was bleeding profusely. The doctor gave Ada to her aunt and said, “You do what you can, I must attend to the mother.” Alternately Ada was immersed in cold water and the warm oven. After this miraculous beginning, Ada was baptized Ada Grace in Saint Paul Lutheran Church.

Ada started her formal education at St. Paul’s Lutheran School. During these formative years a special bond developed between Ada and her father John. He often took her and her friends tobogganing in the Indiana dunes, ice skating in the park, or wherever they wanted to go. John taught her to play tennis (for which he was her favorite opponent), shoot a rifle, and most certainly, how to toss a horse shoe. John was an avid sports fan; perhaps this is why she enjoyed watching both football and basketball games.

As time progressed, Ada was confirmed in St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. After graduating from St. Paul’s Lutheran School, she entered Hammond High School. These years must have been special for her. A favorite story from that time suggests Ada’s gumption. One day it was too cold to hold classes at the high school, so she borrowed the family car and drove to Chicago with her friend Ruth and a few others. They wanted to attend a show by Jack Benny.

School was not the only source of Ada’s social activity; she was an active member of the Walther League of the Lutheran Church. It was through the Walther League that she traveled to St. Louis, Missouri, and ended up baby sitting a young Paul Maier, for Prof. Dr. Walter A. Maier (first speaker of the Lutheran Hour 1930-1950). Most importantly, it was during one of these trips to St. Louis that she met Katherine Taetz, later Katherine Little. Aunt Kay, as she is known, was in Ada’s opinion, her most faithful and best friend. Although separated by many miles, each would call the other on the anniversary of the other’s birth. In fact, for Ada’s 90th birthday, Kay sent a beautiful hand written note that acknowledged Ada’s difficulties over the past year, but was full of faith in God, positive wishes, and encouragement.

After graduation from Hammond High School, Ada attended Hammond Business College where she became a skilled comptometer operator. Armed with this skill, she was able to get a job through her father in the accounting office of the Indiana Harbor Belt railroad, where he was an accountant. However, since it was the middle of the depression, Ada had to work the first two years without pay. She simply had to wait for someone to vacate a position before she could earn a wage.

One fall in the late 1930’s, Ada traveled with Ruth Lichstinn, her friend of many years, to Detroit. Ruth wanted a friendly traveling companion, for she was going to meet her future in-laws. During their stay in Detroit, Ruth, Edward Hessler (Ruth’s fience), Ada and Harold Hessler, the youngest brother of Edward, went to the Michigan State Fair. At some point during that evening Harold asked Ada if he could carry her coat. He must have done something right, because Ada and Harold became engaged on August 10, 1940.

On October 11, 1941 Ada Grace and Harold Herman Hessler were joined in Holy Matrimony by Rev. Walter F. Lichstinn in St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Hammond, Indiana. Harold’s brother Edward was the best man, and Ada’s friend Ruth was the maid of honor. Ada and Harold had a brief honeymoon at the Palmer House in Chicago and then moved to Detroit.

Prior to their marriage, Ada and Harold’s social life revolved around the friendships they had established through their churches. This continued after marriage, as well. They joined Our Savior Lutheran Church in Detroit. Harold was a member of the men’s club, and taught Sunday school classes while Ada was a member of the Amica Circle. This circle was composed of twelve women who met monthly at a home of one of the members. Whenever the meeting was at the Hessler’s home, each woman would try to drink coffee out of a different cup. Ada had a collection of twelve different cups and saucers; one from each country that Harold had visited. Memories of this and other events are preserved in a scrap book that Ada has kept close to her at all times.

Ada and Harold had two children: Jan Paul born January 13, 1944 and Tamara Grace born November 24, 1948. Their childhood was not typical. Just as Minnie had made sure Ada would start each new school year with a new dress, Ada made sure her children would receive a solid Christian education. Jan Paul attended Redemption Lutheran School for the first and second grade, and when it closed, transferred to Bethany Lutheran School. Tamara attended kindergarten at Bethany, however, when she was to enter first grade, she was not allowed to continue there. By the end of the day, Ada had found a way to overcome this, and Tamara was enrolled in first grade at East Bethlehem Lutheran School. To Ada, East Bethlehem did not just provide a school for her daughter, it also provided a group of people with whom she enjoyed working. Soon she was an active member of the PTA.

Upon completing grade school, both Jan and Tamara attended Laura F. Osborn High School, one of the newest high schools in the Detroit Public School System. It was at this time that Ada truly blossomed. She soon became president of the PTA and started to initiate many programs for the benefit of the students. She was particularly proud of starting an annual excursion to take a group of students to Stratford, Ontario, Canada, to see a Shakespearian play. On May 1, 1975, ten years after her children had left the Detroit School system, Ada was honored both by the Michigan House of Representatives and the Congress of the United States of America for her service to all of the students of the city of Detroit. In addition to a citation, a flag of the United States of America was flown over the Capital in Washington to honor her selfless contributions.

Also in 1975, Ada and Harold moved from Detroit to a small farm north of Parchment, Michigan. Soon after, they joined the First United Methodist Church of Kalamazoo, where they became active members of a group of seniors called the Nautilus Club. As one might anticipate, after a few years Ada was elected its president and continued to be associated with its members even after the group had officially disbanded.

After a long and difficult period of failing health and sagging spirits, Harold passed away on March 22, 1999. Ada and Harold had been married for almost fifty-eight years. Tending to Harold’s needs during the last years of his life extracted a tremendous toll from Ada’s health and spirit. Therefore, in 2000, she moved from her home to Crossroads Village, a retirement facility, where she appointed herself a “one-person” welcoming committee.

Sadly, Ada Grace Hessler passed away on August 26, 2008.

Ada Grace Hessler (nee Peglow) is survived by her children and their spouses, Jan Paul and Nancy R Hessler, and Tamara Grace and Harold E. Ballen, her brother and his wife, Edgar L. and Eleanor M. Peglow; her sister Sylvia M. Holmes, her grandson and his wife, Todd A. and Karen G. Ballen, her granddaughter Andrea Kyung-Sook Ballen, and her great-grandchildren, Gregory Michael Ballen and Stephanie Grace Ballen.