Person:Karolina Ruppel (1)

Karolina was born in the Black Forest area of Germany, according to stories received form her youngest daughter, Annie. She became an ardent Christian after the death of her husband, Henry. A minister moved next door, Pastor Whitehead. He led her to the Lord, along with Annie, her daughter, who was still living at home. She became active in the Bethel Temple, which had some ties with a strong movement in Zion, Illinois. Annie indicated that Karolina was heart–broken, not only due to the death of her husband, upon whom she had been greatly dependent, but also because of the alcoholism that claimed each of her sons.

Karolina became a Christian through the influence of a minister who moved next door to the family. Her remaining child at home, her youngest, Annie, also became a Christian at about the age of 16. Her next to youngest, Carrie, also was a life-long Christian. There was an extremely close bond between Karolina and her youngest child, Annie.

That bond was an important issue in a story told to me (Ken Wackes) by Annie. Once when Annie’s youngest son, Paul, had fallen from the back of a trolley and developed a high fever, she was on her knees at his bedside. It was, she said, a life or death matter. As she was praying she heard her name called, looked up and saw her mother, Karolina, standing in the doorway. Annie had been extremely close to her mother. Karolina called to Annie to get up and to come over to her to embrace her. Annie felt that this was an attempt by Satan to cease her praying in order to converse with her mother. She fought the impulse, turned her back on her mother, although she desperately wanted to run and embrace her, continued in prayer, and Paul was by morning healed of the high fever.