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741st

Walter Zank

Walter Zank marks 100 years

By Chad Karnitz

At first glance, it doesnt seem possible that Neillsvilles Walter Zankcould be 100 years old.

His youthful appearance, lively step and easy laugh seem like those of amuch younger man.

One hundred is just a number, Zank would tell you; hes likely moreproud of having led a full life.

From farmer to soldier to small business owner to inventor and tinkerer,Zanks life has been packed with interesting experiences.

He was born, Zank recalled, on a farm in south Pine Valley. His parentsWilliam and Emma (Stelloh) Zank farmed and raised eight boys and twogirls. He attended Silver Crest School.

We only had to walk one mile to school, he explained.

The boys in his family were well-known as hard workers, not ones to turndown a chance to help a fellow farmer.

And they loved books.

The Zank boys were all great readers. Wed walk to town to get anarmful of books from the library, he remembered.

Like so many children of the early 1900s, once he completed eighthgrade, his formal education was finished.

But his real-world education was just beginning.

It was baseball that brought much joy in those years, Zank said, recallingvividly, how his mother rolled up rags to make a ball for her sons to playwith.

He found a couple of guys who wanted to play ball and they played at thefairgrounds. From 1930 to 1936, he played for teams in Neillsville,Colby and Loyal, playing catcher, a position that many were unwilling totry.

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Back in those days I got $10 for every game I caught, he said.

In 1936, Zank married Freida Gerhardt. In the beginning, they operated afarm for Katie Wasserburger, earning $40 a month.

The Christmas of 1942 is one hell never forget, Zank said, with his draftnotice coming in the mail. At 34 years old and with three children, hewas off to basic training in Texas. At St. Louis he trained on the AltonRailroad in preparation for Europe.

After a stop in New York, he was off for the European Theater, Zank,said, with the Armys 741st Railway Operating Battalion. There heserved as a brakeman, assembling supply trains that ran to Holland,Germany, France and Belgium.

We hauled anything anyone needed, from ammo to bombs to food andclothes, Zank said.

After the war, Zank returned to Neillsville and worked for two years atAmerican Stores Dairy Company, which later became the MilkCondensary. His other work experiences included the Farmers Store inNeillsville and Preway and Consolidated Papers in Wisconsin Rapids inthe late 1920s.

He also purchased an 80-acre farm north of Neillsville on STH 73. In1959, he and his wife retired from farming.

By then, Zank remembered, he was looking for something he hadnt donebefore, and he found it in the form of a grocery store.

I thought it would be kind of fun; youd get to meet a lot of differentpeople, he said, It was an education.

Hearing of a store for sale in Fairchild, Zank jumped on the opportunityand opened Zanks Corner Grocery, which they operated for adecade. They lived above the store.

Freida worked the sales counter at the front of the store while Zankworked in back wearing a lot of different hats.

It was the warm, inviting atmosphere of the store that Zank like; therewas always a pot of coffee on the stove and customers stopping in to visitand sit awhile.

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The customers provided a storehouse of great memories, Zank said,recalling the boy who tired to steal fireworks and was caught byFreida. Zank told the boys father but he didnt believe him.

He said, Oh no, it wasnt my kid; he was on the farm all day, Zank

said with a chuckle.

Then there was the boy who was given an exact amount of money to buygroceries but who came home with a candy bar. His parents made himreturn the candy bar.

Thats the difference in parents, he said. The Zanks felt sorry for theboy and gave him a candy bar.

Zank also found time to develop a product he called Custom Chimes, adevice operating on a timer that played chime music. He sold it to 16

different churches, Zank remembered.

He had always loved fixing clocks, Zank said, pointing to several in hisapartment that he had reconditioned. Its a hobby he still pursues, Zanksaid, pointing to a small shelf clock that was awaiting delivery to itsowner.

Zank said he never smoked or drank and even at 100, he takes the stairsto get to his second-story apartment.

Ive never been on a special diet; those will kill you, Zank said,laughing. He pointed to the wholesome homegrown food he ate whilegrowing up as a possibility for his longevity.

But hes quick to give the most credit to The good Lord, he said,pointing heavenward.

Its been a good life, Zank said. We had a hard row to hoe, but I dontregret any of it.

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Walter Zank, who recently celebrated his 100

thbirthday with family

and friends, holds a photo of himself taken in the 1930s. (Photo by

Chad Karnitz)