Today’s Prompt: Write about a loss: something (or someone) that was part of your life, and isn’t any more.

The first post in this series was about losing my job and gaining liberty.,

The next was a loss of the freedom of our country. The story of my grandmother also matches in this subject of loss and gain.

This post is about her meeting my grandfather Emry who was recovering from his losses.

My grandfather Emry was born in 1881 in a province far from Copenhagen. His father was a teacher and a parish clerk. He and his brother got the same occupation.

Emry second to the right at his teachers’ College about 1900

Emry to the right with his student freinds in Jonstrup about 1900

From Emry’s time as a teacher in the country 1906-1914

Emry married Anna in 1908, and they had elven years together. He worked as a sole teacher in a village school at the coast in the western part of Sea land.

Asnæs School and Emry about 1908

Emry on a school excursion to Copenhagen about 1910

During the WWI they moved to Holbæk a garrison town. That is an important detail because the Spanish flu took many lives there due to the dense population. They lost a new-born boy, and in 1919 Anna died of the Spanish flu.

Ermegaard and Emry after his first wife died 1919

Ermegaard two years old in 1917

He was now alone with Ermegaard, their four-year-old adopted child, and he also suffered himself from after effect having had the Spanish flu. He was convinced that his heart was damaged after fainting at some occasions during his work at school. He took his former father in law with him to a heart specialist in Copenhagen, because he didn’t dare to take the train travel on his own. The heart specialist convinced him that he was completely healthy, but just needed some more time to recover completely.

His mood was lifted to such a degree that he took the chance to make a phone call to a dealer in the Centre of Copenhagen where Asta Nielsen worked. Shortly after the death of Anna Emry had announced for a housekeeper in the hope to find someone who was an excellent cook and whom he could marry. He had hired someone, but she was very dull and not very interested in the little girl Ermegaard either.

The photo Asta sent to Emry in response to his contact ad

Asta was beautiful in the picture but had admitted blankly that she couldn’t cook yet.

She was allowed to take a break from her work that day, and they met at The Dragon Fountain at the Town Hall Square.

The Dragon Fountain from 1912

The Dragon Fountain. Belongs to Simon Bang’s private collection 1907

The meeting was a success, and they had dinner together while the former father in law was sent off to the Zoo.

On the train back to Holbaek, they waved to each other discreetly as Asta was standing on a bridge as the train passed.

Dybbelsbro photo belongs to Ole Berg Kristensen

Dybbelsbro Photo belongs to Enochs collection

Dybbelsbro photo belongs to Karsten Kehlet

I have a bunch of passionate love letters from Asta to Emry from that period the autumn of 1919 only half a year from the death of Anna. Anna had a huge family, and they soon found out about Emry’s new relationship.

“You have been seen with a woman at a station in Copenhagen”?

Emry chose to admit it all at once.

When they sometimes met on Sundays, they made promenades at the famous “Langelinje” close to the “Little Mermaid”. My grandmother lived close by at the historical houses “Nyboder” built in the 1600s by King Christian 4. for the Naval personnel.

Asta & Emry walking at the Langelinje.

They married in February 1920 in Copenhagen, and the church was full of Asta’s family and relatives and friends. Hardly anybody of Emry’s family came because “The Spanish” as the flu was called then had a new outbreak; so his family were afraid to come.

Asta and Emry at the time of their wedding 1919-20

Emry was 39 years old and came into the church entrance with his mother. The usher at the door asked if she was the bride?

My grandmother did learn to make delicious food, so Emry didn’t have reasons to worry.

She also loved Ermegaard as much as she loved her own three children.  She even had a WWI child from Berlin the first three or four summers of her marriage.

Asta my grandmother 1921 with her first-born

Ruth and Eva 1930s

Ruth and Eva 1930s

They had a good marriage loving each other as long as they lived though they had a lot of worry during WWII as all their children left home in those critical years. The young adults didn’t see any future life in a province town but wanted more excitement and education in Copenhagen.