OUR AMERICAN FAMILY
The families of Lyle and Ethel Faulring Zahler
Fourth Generation
Lyle and Ethel, 1939
These pages are dedicated to the extended families of Lyle
Zahler and Ethel Faulring Zahler. Brief biographies of
Lyle and Ethel are included below. The history
and genealogy of their families can be accessed through the links below. In each case,
the family history begins with the individuals who established the family in Western New
York. From there, you can access information on their descendants and ancestors:
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| Sketch of Boston Home |
Both Lyle and Ethel were born in Erie County, New York, where they were
married on September 11, 1939. Initially, they lived in Sardinia, New York in an upstairs
apartment, located on the corner of Savage Road and Matteson Corners Road, which they rented
from the Place family. In 1942 they moved to Boston, New York, where they lived for
nearly 60 years, most of the time in the family home on Boston Cross Roads. There, they
raised a family of five children.
Fifth Generation
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i. |
Warren Zahler
| Warren married Lucy Perez..
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ii. |
Carl Zahler
| Carl married Shirley Osstifin.
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iii. |
Earl Zahler
| Earl was born on July 25, 1945 and died on November 11, 2005.
Earl married Robin Johnson.
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iv. |
James Zahler
| James married Deborah Neilsen.
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v. |
Margaret Zahler
| Margaret married Anthony Bonasera.
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Family of Lyle and Ethel, 1983 Celebrating Lyle's 70th Birthday
Lyle Herbert Zahler was born July 23, 1913, in the Town of
Sardinia,
Erie
County, New York, the son of Floyd Zahler and Wilhelmine "Minnie"
Merlau. He grew up on their 50 acre dairy farm located on Savage road near its
junction with the Matteson Corners Road. While growing up he attended school in
Sardinia, helped on the farm and generally enjoyed rural life.
As a youth and young adult, Lyle developed two life-long interests: baseball
and hunting. Early on, baseball was an avid summertime activity. Lyle played for
the Sardinia town team which competed with teams from surrounding towns. Other team
members included his cousins, Jess and Gordy Tharnish, who lived on an adjacent farm; their
father, Uncle Clare, served as the team's coach. By all reports, the team was very
competitive; cousin Jess even aspired to a career in professional baseball and played in the
minor leagues. Lyle's interest in baseball remained over the years. Not only did he
follow games on the radio and then TV, he also coached Boston's little league teams and
served as Vice President of the South Towns Baseball League.
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Lyle's White Wash Truck |
Hunting was Lyle's other passion. When school and farm work allowed, he would take
his dog Shep into the field and woods, hunting fox, coon and other wild animals, even treeing a
skunk at times. Lyle continued to hunt throughout his life and, since he worked seven
days
a week for many years, Lyle focused on raccoon, which he could hunt at night.
Lyle was educated in the Sardinia schools and graduated from Sardinia High School as class
Valedictorian on June 25, 1930. The subject of his valedictory speech was Thomas
Edison. We were told that Lyle wanted to attend college. However, this was the
time of the Great Depression and, anyway, his father could see no use of a college
education. Lyle therefore continued to help on the farm while beginning an independent
career white washing barns.
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Lyle's Sesquicentennial Beard |
Soon after World War II began, Lyle was drafted into the Army. However, before he
could report for duty, the County Health Department intervened, citing Lyle's occupation as
essential to maintain public health. As a result, he was exempted from the draft and spent
the war years white washing barns in the Summer and working in an aircraft factory at Warsaw,
New York, in the Winter.
In 1945, Lyle attended a two-week training session in Ithaca, New York, to learn the techniques
of artificial insemination. Following his training, Lyle was employed by New York
Artificial Breeders Cooperative, breeding cows in the southern portion of Erie county.
While breeding cows meant working seven days a week, the flexible hours and contact with
farmers suited Lyle well. Lyle's career breeding cows lasted over 30 years ending with his
retirement in 1976.
Throughout his adult life, Lyle continued his favorite activities, hunting raccoon at night and
coaching little league baseball in the Summer. He was active in the community as a
member of the Methodist Church, as a volunteer fireman and as a representative from Boston on
the school board. Any depiction of Lyle would be incomplete without noting his love for
music. From singing in a community chorus and church choir to playing the harmonica
for his children and grandchildren. Lyle always brightened one's day with a song.
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Chaplain's Pin |
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Fireman Service Award |
After retiring in 1976, Lyle remained active in the church and community and continued hunting
raccoon. In his spare time, he took up woodworking, using his skills to create miniature,
cane-seated chairs and various Christmas decorations, which were sold at church bazaars.
But, most of all he enjoyed traveling with Ethel to visit his grandchildren. They made
regular trips to Texas, Missouri, Michigan and Long Island.
In his last couple of years Lyle suffered from Alzheimer's disease, which took an increasing toll
on his memory. Lyle died on January 7, 1997 at the age of 83.
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Ethel |
Ethel Barbara Faulring was born December 8, 1914, the daughter
of George Faulring and Alice
Needham. The first of two children, Ethel grew up in the Town of Boston,
then a rural township south of Buffalo. She attended school in Boston and Hamburg, New
York, graduating from Hamburg High School in 1933. After graduation, she attended
Fredonia Normal School (now the State University of New York at Fredonia), at the time a three
year teacher's college. Ethel graduated in 1936, a member of the last class awarded a life
certificate to teach in New York. Upon graduation, Ethel began a teaching career in the
local schools.
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Home in Boston |
Ethel was always a strong minded woman, who would have her
say, and usually her way, in matters. In her youth, she had an active social life, including
dating her future husband, Lyle. It is said, that they (she) postponed marriage while she
established herself as a teacher. In the end, however, they were married on September 11,
1939. But not before Ethel made a cross country trip with her cousins, Kathryn and
Florence May to attend the 1939 World Fair in New York and San Francisco.
After marriage, Ethel's career soon became that of housewife with the arrival of her first child in
1941. Four more would follow over the next 10 years. Ethel remained active in the
community as well, particularly in Church. She was a member of the Methodist Church,
known today as the Churchill Memorial Methodist Church. Over the years, she
participated in many church functions, but was particularly known for starting a chair caning
class. Anyone interested in learning how to replace the seat in a cane-seated chair was
welcome. Of course, the sessions were full of socializing and many "students" returned
year after year for the shear enjoyment. With the help of good friends, Ethel continued
the class as long as she was able and those friends still continue to meet 'til this day.
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Old Fashion
Peony
from Ethel's Mother-in-Law |
In 1957, as her children approached college age, Ethel resumed her career as a first grade
teacher in the Springville Central School system. She greatly enjoyed teaching the young
children in her classes. In the summer, one of Ethel's favorite activities was gardening, a
pastime she begin many years earlier. Each year she would plant a vegetable garden, at
first near the barn and later out behind the tennis court/back lawn. The rows would
contain assorted vegetables, such as beans, peas, potatoes and carrots. Somewhere around
the yard would be a patch of rhubarb and thorny raspberry bushes. In addition to
vegetables, Ethel prized her many flowers, particularly the long row of gladiolas, which fronted
the vegetable garden, and several bushes of peonies along the driveway. Of course, this
was all made possible by the efforts of Lyle tilling the soil and helping with planting and
weeding.
Along with her husband, Ethel retired in 1976 to enjoy her many social
activities and to visit her many grandchildren spread throughout the central and eastern
U.S. Over the years, Ethel had accumulated a large collection of heirlooms, trinkets and
other collectibles and one of her greatest joys in retirement was to organize her
"Treasures". These she carefully arranged in the basement on an equally interesting
collection of shelves, tables and bookcases. Ethel delighted in inviting friends and
visitors to her basement to a "show-and-tell" session.
In her final years, Ethel continued to demonstrate her strong will while fighting forgetfulness
and Alzheimer's disease. After a long struggle, she passed away on March 8, 2008, at the
age of 93.
We welcome any additions, corrections, comments or questions and are particularly interested in
new pictures and information which will add to the story of our families. We may be
contacted at:
