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View Tree for Christine/Justina Mae BankoChristine/Justina Mae Banko (b. October 7, 1905, d. January 29, 1977)


Picture of Christine/Justina Mae Banko

Christine/Justina Mae Banko (daughter of Jakob Banko and Emelia "Amalia" Jurick)51 was born October 7, 1905 in LaSalle, Illinois52, and died January 29, 1977 in 1212 Calhoun St., Peru, Illinois53, 54. She married George William Koehler on September 19, 1925 in Princeton, Bureau Co., IL55, 56, son of Leopold William "Dody" Koehler and Elizabet V. Noel.

 Includes NotesNotes for Christine/Justina Mae Banko:
April 2003

Griestina "Justina" Christine Banko
Christine was the 4th child of Jacob (Jakob) and Amelia (Amalia) Juricic Banko. She was born on First St. in LaSalle attended by midwife Barbara Harris. There should be records at St. Roch's Catholic church in LaSalle, but I couldn't find her. Jacob was 32 at the time of her birth and was a miner. It says Amelia was 22, but according to 3 of her remaining daughters and her birth certificate date she was born in 1844 so she would be 25.
Gramma's German name was Griestina and she is referred to other places as Justina. I love both of them. Wish I'd known about these names when I was naming my girls, although Jennifer does carry the middle name of Christine, just as I do.
My Gramma Chris was a pip. She was the mother of four sons, and I don't know how she kept her sanity because they were wild ones. She told us she had to put them to bed in half-hour increments so they would fall asleep and not fool around. She was not particularly domestic that I could tell, and I knew her a long time. In fact, Grampa did a lot of the cooking. Of course, we weren't wild about that either! He cooked a lot of things from his hunting and always used too much pepper as far as we grandkids were concerned! Mic and I used to groan when a pot of soup came up through the yard for dinner.
We spent a lot of time with she and Grampa since they lived within a few blocks of us. It was a very different household in comparison to my other grandparents, the Mauritzens. I think, in retrospect, she was probably a bit flighty, (could have been the Manhattans she enjoyed) but she had a heart of gold and an irrepresible spirit. She bought me my first bicycle when I was five and always bought me a new dress at Easter time. Of course, I was the first grandchild, and even though I was unplanned, I know they adored me. She always remembered her grandchildren's birthdays (and there were many), and had them marked on her calendar.
She could talk a blue streak and always made me laugh. I never felt like a child with her. She treated me as a grownup, I felt. She seemed to have a zest for life and just loved people, a remarkable trait since I don't think her life was a bed of roses. She was well-liked by all who knew her.
One of the things I remember so well is her desire to learn to play the organ in her later years. She bought herself a small organ and would sing along to her own accompanyment for anyone who would listen, especially at Christmas. I thought she was adorable, but I remember my grandfather grouching at her, "Chris, for Chrissake, that's enough!" He wasn't a very tolerant man. I think he really was jealous that she was enjoying something so much.
In early years she worked in their paint store. I do remember this store, although I must have been under five. She apparently had a wallpaper section in the back of the store and sold nicknacks and Hummels. My grandmother would have probably been an interior designer in this day and age.
When Grampa lost the store due to his gambling problems, she began working for Debo's Hardware as a sales clerk. I don't think Grampa was working then. I don't know if he was retired or had lost the paint business. She was rumored to know the inventory of Debo's better than the owners. Many people would come back at another time if Chris was there to help them.
Christmas time was an event for our family. We had three gift exchanges, starting with the Koehlers on Christmas Eve. This included our Aunts Linda & Anne and our Uncles Jim & Kent. They all lived close by. Their other son and his family were rarely there on holidays. Uncle Speck was a career Navy man and they lived all over the world. The opening of gifts was a boisterous affair and since Gramma couldn't wait herself, she passed out the gifts almost all at once. As a result, no one knew what anyone else received.
Of course, Christmas morning was at our home, but then in the afternoon the other side of the family met at Gramma Mauritzen's house for dinner and the gift exchange, a much more orderly process and a tradition which I've carried on. Gift opening takes well into the afternoon and is broken up by several brunches in our home!
I remember fondly a trip Gramma and I took together. I was working at the Peru Bank and on my vacation time I drove her to Tennessee where her son Speck was stationed. Gramma didn't drive but her chatter fueled us all the way down and back. She was a lot of fun. She was very candid and to the point and I thought she was a very practical, realistic person. I always felt comfortable talking to her.
I suspect she always wished she had had a daughter along with those four boys. That's probably why she was always buying me nice dresses. I know she adored my mother and probably was grateful for all my mom put up with during my father's rough times.
She lived three years longer than my grandfather and was only 71 when she passed away at home. I was married and had three children and we were living in Lewistown, MD. at the time. Gramma wanted no funeral service and she was cremated. Since there was no service to go home to, it never really felt like she left me. In my heart she's still back there in Peru.
She was a member of the Lily Rebeccah Lodge, Peru, whatever that is.


FTM Index
SS 352-16-2267 in file
Birth Cert in file
Death Cert in file
Obituary in file

1930 Census in file

More About Christine/Justina Mae Banko:
Occupation: Sales Clerk.57
Residence: Born 1st Street, LaSalle, Illinois.57

More About Christine/Justina Mae Banko and George William Koehler:
Marriage: September 19, 1925, Princeton, Bureau Co., IL.58, 59

Children of Christine/Justina Mae Banko and George William Koehler are:
  1. +James "Jim" Koehler.
  2. +Kent L. Koehler.
  3. +Merle Douglas Koehler, b. April 12, 1927, Peru, Illinois60, 61, 62, 63, d. May 29, 1995, Peru, Illinois64, 64, 64, 64, 64, 64, 65, 66, 66, 66, 67, 68.
  4. +Richard K. Koehler.
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