Anna Marie Wise Bueltmann Rowold, 1913–1989

Anna Marie Wise, the eldest daughter of George Franklin Wise and Bertha Abigail Loy, was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on 13 August 1913. She attended first grade in Cairo, Illinois, second grade at Emerson School in St. Louis, and third grade at Pierre Laclede School. For grades four and five, she attended Garfield School in the Normandy School District, St. Louis County, and she completed grades six through eight at Kinloch School. In St. Louis, the Wises lived in an apartment on Olive Street, a house on Dixon Street, a lower flat on Clara Avenue, and an apartment on Cote Brilliante. Their last rental was a house on Oakwood Avenue in Pine Lawn. In 1925, George and Bertha bought two lots in Ramona Park (now part of Berkeley City) on Flavia Avenue, where the Wises and their children felled seventeen trees and built their own home, living in it before it was finished.

There was no high school in the district where Anna Marie lived, and her parents could not afford tuition. Taking a county-wide competitive examination, Anna Marie won a four-year scholarship to the school of her choice, Normandy High School. Despite coming from a three-room school and entering Normandy High six weeks late due to a broken ankle, Anna Marie did well in her studies. In her junior year, she was business manager of the yearbook, The Saga, and in her senior year she was the editor-in-chief. She also worked part-time for Kresge’s in Wellston, working after school, on Saturdays, and during the summer. Although Anna Marie received a half-scholarship to Washington University, she could not raise the other half of the tuition, so she accepted a full scholarship to Harris Teachers’ College in South St. Louis. When transportation difficulties caused her to leave after one semester, she took some commercial courses at Brown’s Business College, where her father taught.

Anna Marie was confirmed in 1930 at Elim Lutheran Church, Ramona Park. On 25 June 1933, she married Rev. August John “Bill” Bueltmann, (14 August 1906–24 May 1970), son of August Charles Bueltmann and Rose Miller. Bill was a graduate of Concordia Lutheran Seminary. Anna Marie and Bill had one daughter and three sons. The family lived in California, Oregon, Illinois, Washington, and Ohio. While living in Cleveland, Ohio, Anna co-founded the East Cuyahoga County Genealogical Society.

In 1973, Anna moved to Libertyville, Illinois, to help care for her widowed son’s four young children. While there she co-founded a genealogy group that became the Lake County Genealogical Society. Anna wrote many published articles on family history, gave lectures, and helped anyone who wrote to her with genealogical questions. On 6 January 1979, in Mascoutah, Illinois, she married Walter Rowold (9 November 1907–30 March 1995) a widowed family friend. In 1981, Anna helped find classmates for her 50th Normandy High School class reunion and then created a well-received newsletter, which lasted through the 55th class reunion. Anna did everything with a cheerful, loving heart, but she also never hesitated to boldly confront injustices. She died on 8 January 1989 in Mascoutah.

Written by Faith Stern
June 2025

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