Willis Retzlaff
known as Bill
also written Lieutenant Willis Retzlaff, Lieutenant Retzlaff, Bill in the book
Biography
Source of the account about wartime propaganda broadcasts. Iris explicitly uses Bill's name in an illustrative broadcast addressing Lieutenant Willis Retzlaff of the 450th Bombardment group and naming Mainz as his target; this is not presented as a documented broadcast or mission. Named in the description 'Iris and Bill’s Ben Franklin Store,' which flooded one Easter. With Iris, gave Barbara's family a black and white TV when Barbara was ten. With Iris, presented Diana with a 1954 blue Ford for college. Carol later told Diana that their father had asked Bill to buy Diana a car. Visited Floyd on his deathbed after Floyd had insisted on seeing him. Floyd wanted to make sure Bill would take care of Ethel. Goodies from Iris and Bill's Ben Franklin store were among the family's contributions to Mom's welfare. Relationship to Iris is not specified. Iris met Bill while she was working at Cozy Corners. The family celebrated many Christmas Eves at Iris and Bill’s after becoming too large for the narrator’s family house. Their relationship is not specified. Described as Marilyn's beloved husband. Carol lived with Iris and Bill while saving earnings for her first car. Carol mostly baby-sat for Iris and Bill, who invited her on summer cottage vacations and treated her kindly. The family went to Iris and Bill's for the holiday. A good neighbor and close friend of Carol's entire family. The narrator remembers visiting Iris and Bill’s apartment to watch wrestling on TV during childhood. With Iris, asked the narrator whether he would be interested in a Ben Franklin Store. The passage does not explicitly establish whether Bill is Bill Retzlaff. The narrator learned from Bill that ambition could get a person what they wanted. The passage does not identify Bill as Billy Johnson. Floyd never forgave him for marrying Iris so young, but Bernard thought the two grew to like each other as old men. Floyd was grateful for Bill and Iris's help and repeatedly called Bill a good man. Occupation also recorded as “Manager of the East Moline Ben Franklin store.” (Iris's Chapter). Met Iris at the Highland Ben Franklin store. Teasingly pretended to be her supervisor from Butler Brother’s Ben Franklin headquarters in Chicago and encouraged her in business and life. Iris describes her husband Bill as the spiritual backbone of their family. Shared the married-life homes described by Iris. Iris asked Bill to relate something about Mom and Dad. His recollections are introduced but not included in this passage. Responded to Floyd Guild’s call from jail, contacted Julie Lytton, attended the hearing, and provided seventy dollars for Floyd’s fine. Iris's husband of over fifty years.
Timeline
September 11, 1948
Iris and Bill marry
Married by a Baptist preacher.
Iris's Chapter1957
Building the family’s first home
Built their first home and lived there thirteen years. Iris says the whole family really grew up there.
Iris's ChapterChristmas holiday, 1967
Holiday gathering at Iris and Bill's
The family gathered for the holiday while Mom stayed home with Daddy.
Carol's Chapter1972; eight years before selling out
Leaving Bormann’s and joining Elliott’s
The narrator says he sold out of Bormann’s in 1972 and became manager and partner with Iris and Bill in Elliott’s clothing stores. This sale date conflicts with the stated 1983 opening of Bormann’s.
Bob's Chapter1976
Moving north to Roscoe
Bought a home and lived on Kinnikinnick Road for nineteen years.
Iris's ChapterMay of 1996
Selling the house in The Ledges
Sold the house Iris describes as beautiful.
Iris's ChapterMarch of 1998
Marilyn's beloved husband Bill passed away
Carol's Chapterthe spring of 2000
Moving into a three-level Rockton home
Moved from their town house into a beautiful three-level home.
Iris's ChapterOne Easter
Easter flooding at Ben Franklin Store
The store flooded. Barbara remembered the resulting abundance of Easter candy on the family’s back porch, while the other children remembered cleanup work.
Barbara's ChapterWhen I was ten years old
A black and white television from Iris and Bill
Barbara's family received a black and white TV from Iris and Bill.
Barbara's ChapterDays later, after Dad insisted on seeing Bill
A deathbed request to care for Ethel
Bill visited Floyd, who wanted to make sure he would “take care of Ethel.” Delores admired her father’s devotion to her mother.
Dee's ChapterA few weeks after Diana’s first week of college
Iris and Bill give Diana Tillie the Toiler
Unable to manage the long walk to nursing classes, Diana requested a car. Iris and Bill gave her a 1954 blue Ford, which ran for four years before stalling in her last school week. Carol later said their father had asked Bill to buy it. 1954 is the car’s model year, not a stated event year.
Diana's ChapterChristmas Eve, after the family became too large for our house
Family Christmas Eves at Iris and Bill’s
The family enjoyed many Christmas Eve gatherings at Iris and Bill’s.
Carol's ChapterDuring junior high and high school
Carol baby-sits for spending money
Baby-sat for neighbors and friends of Mom and Dad, mostly Iris and Bill.
Carol's ChapterIn the summer while Iris and Bill’s children were on summer vacation
Summer stays as a mother’s helper
Carol moved into their house to work as a mother’s helper.
Carol's ChapterSummers
Wisconsin cottage vacations
Carol joined their vacations and enjoyed boating, swimming, and fishing.
Carol's ChapterAfter three years in Oshkosh
Learning the Ben Franklin business
Following Iris and Bill’s inquiry about his interest in a Ben Franklin Store, the narrator left Penney’s to learn the business.
Bob's ChapterWhen I was little, before we had a TV
Childhood wrestling on TV at Iris and Bill’s
The narrator recalls his father taking them to Iris and Bill’s apartment to watch wrestling on TV. Argentine Aroca was their favorite wrestler.
Bob's Chapterdate not given
Bill and Iris marry young
Bernard says Floyd never forgave Bill for marrying Iris so young.
Bernie's ChapterAfter their marriage
Beginning married life in a friend’s house
They had a basement kitchen and an unfinished-attic bedroom, sharing a bathroom with the friend’s family of four.
Iris's ChapterOne year later
Renting an upstairs apartment in Moline
Rented a small upstairs apartment for fifty-five dollars a month and lived there two years. Post-World War II lodging was almost impossible to find.
Iris's Chapterduring the war
Overseas music and propaganda broadcasts
According to Bill's account, broadcasters played American servicemen's favorite music, then interrupted with false news and threats intended to demoralize troops. Iris's quotation naming Willis Retzlaff and Mainz is explicitly an example.
Iris's ChapterMay
Iris and Bill's first date
Went on a picnic; Iris describes the food as “Fired chicken—apple pie.”
Iris's ChapterSeptember, following their first date in May
Iris and Bill marry
Iris's Chapterdate not given
Buying the 6th Street Court house
Bought a small house and lived there six years.
Iris's ChapterDuring the six years at the 6th Street Court house
Linda’s birth
Named among the four children born where the family lived on 6th Street Court.
Iris's ChapterDuring the six years at the 6th Street Court house
Beth’s birth
Named among the four children born where the family lived on 6th Street Court.
Iris's ChapterDuring the six years at the 6th Street Court house
Jeffrey’s birth
Named among the four children born where the family lived on 6th Street Court.
Iris's ChapterDuring the six years at the 6th Street Court house
Laurie’s birth
Named among the four children born where the family lived on 6th Street Court.
Iris's ChapterWhile the family lived in the 4th Street Court house
Kurt joins the family
Kurt was born during the family’s residence in the house built in 1957; the actual birthplace is not stated.
Iris's Chapterfor fifteen years
Fifteen years with a summer place up north
Had a summer place described as 'up north in On Lake Enterprise,' among others.
Iris's ChapterAfter selling the house in May of 1996
Building a home in Arizona
Built what Iris calls a wonderful home.
Iris's ChapterThe following morning, at exactly 9 a.m.
Court hearing and seventy-dollar fine
Judge O’Neil told Floyd to open and read court letters and fined him seventy dollars. Bill supplied the money. Afterward, Floyd retrieved his belongings and found his car seats wet from rain through open windows. Julie never billed for his services.
Iris's ChapterOne summer evening
Floyd Guild spends a night in jail over property taxes
Floyd called Bill for help after being jailed for not responding to Judge O’Neil’s direct court order to pay property taxes. Julie arranged a hearing for the next morning.
Iris's Chapter
Stories mentioning Willis
- An Easter Flood’s Sweet AftermathIris and Bill’s Ben Franklin Store flooded one Easter. While the other children remembered the cleanup work, Barbara remembered the back porch filled with chocolate bunnies, gooey yellow chicks, and chocolate-covered eggs salvaged from the disaster.
- Radio Evenings and the Gift of a TelevisionBefore television, the family gathered around the radio for The Lone Ranger, Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, and The Shadow, while Mom listened to My Gal Sal as she ironed. Iris and Bill gave the family a black and white TV when Barbara was ten. Barbara lists many favorite shows and remembers having a screen placed over the television to draw on for Rudy Kazootie.
- A Car for College and a Family That Always HelpedDiana recalls demanding study habits, family gardening and tomato sales, and her anxious departure for college. Iris and Bill’s gift of a car made nursing school feasible. During an earlier John Deere & Company strike, Iris brought groceries when the family lacked money. Diana describes her scholarship, difficult college years, friendship with Martha Kawada, and graduation. Memories of planting a flower garden and helping haul water from the water works lead to gratitude for the family’s enduring support and resourcefulness.
- Daddy’s Turn to Enjoy Life and His Last ConcernAfter years of providing for his children, Floyd bought a beloved motor scooter, a turquoise blue Comet, and a travel trailer, despite Ethel wanting nothing to do with them. Three years after retirement he suffered a series of strokes. He wanted to be baptized before dying and to see everyone. Delores recalls his insistence on seeing Iris’ husband Bill so he could ask Bill to take care of Ethel, a devotion she deeply admired.
- Tuesday and Saturday with MomThe narrator recalls Mom's busy senior years, her pride in getting seven children through school, and her family, friends, card parties, and crafts. Carol and the narrator stayed in Moline, married, had a child each, and worked at the Moline Dispatch and a beauty salon respectively. After Daddy died, the narrator cared for Mom on Tuesdays and Carol on Saturdays; both followed similar routines of errands and lunches paid for by Mom. The narrator humorously insists Mom's light auburn hair was natural. Mom traveled to visit children from California to Florida and to Germany after Charlie's transfer. Family contributions included clothes from Bob's boutique and goods from Iris and Bill's Ben Franklin store. The narrative closes with gratitude for Mom's care, strength, and devotion, including keeping ten people fed and dressed.
- First Earnings and a Room to Be Proud OfSelling flower seeds door to door earned Dee two bedroom lamps, and she also babysat for the Hancocks and Iris. She recalls Iris meeting Bill at Cozy Corners, Iris’s wedding and emerald ring, and a frightening night babysitting in Iris’s large house, when she hid a knife beneath a sofa cushion. Summer work at Tasty Treat brought unlimited root beer and paychecks that Dee and Carol pooled for twin beds, turquoise bedspreads, a lamp, and a rug; Mom made matching curtains. Dee also praises Bernie’s lasting plasterwork in his room.
- Christmas Trees, Stocking Treats, and Family TogethernessCarol recalls Daddy waiting until close to Christmas to buy inexpensive trees, once paying fifty cents, and drilling holes to rearrange branches. The family decorated with paper chains, popcorn, ornaments, saved tinsel, and fiberglass angel hair that made their skin itch. Their everyday socks held fruit, walnuts, and candy; they later learned Daddy bought the biggest apples and oranges at Lagomarcino’s. He traditionally gave Mom two pairs of nylon stockings. Larger family gatherings moved to Iris and Bill’s for Christmas Eve. Christmas was Mom’s favorite holiday: after the children left home, she usually put up her tree by early December, shopped with Barb in Normal, and enjoyed specialty shops and tearoom lunches. Norm took the group to the Apple Barn for apples and cider. Mom also finished ornament balls at Barb’s and taught Amy and Jenny to make them. Carol believed Mom especially loved the holiday because it brought the whole family together.
- Caring for Daddy Through His Last MonthsDaddy suffered a stroke on Christmas Eve, 1967. Not realizing its seriousness, the family went to Iris and Bill's while Mom stayed with him. After Mom called Iris to report that he was worse, Lee and Bob took him to the hospital. Following two weeks there, his agitation prompted a search for other care. The family rejected St. Anthony's Hospital in Rock Island because patients were smoking while Daddy struggled to breathe. Mom tried caring for him at home with help from the girls and daily visits from Virginia, but the burden became exhausting. He was eventually taken to East Moline State Hospital. He died at sixty-three on May 23, 1968, surrounded by Mom and all the children, and is buried next to Mom at Riverside Cemetery in Moline, Illinois.
- A First Job and a Friendship That LastedAfter graduating from Moline High, Carol obtained her first full-time job through church friend Vendla Solmonson at Augustana Book Concern. She handled Sunday School material subscriptions for Lutheran churches throughout the United States, starting at a dollar an hour. She commuted with lifelong friend Eilene Peterson, whose family had been close neighbors, and stayed until December 1966.
- Next-Door Friends and a Lifetime of KindnessCarol remembers the McFarlands as next-door neighbors and closest friends. She played daily with Marilyn and Patty and attended school with them through high school. Virginia and Carol's mother supported each other through hard times over coffee and cigarettes. Despite working outside the home, Virginia helped with housework, ironing, babysitting, and overnight stays, once washing the girls' hair outdoors with collected rainwater. The two women were charter members of a 500 Card Club founded in 1948 and belonged for over forty years. The McFarlands moved into town in 1952, and Pat later moved away when she married. Carol and Marilyn remained close. Carol recalls the losses of Dale in 1994, Virginia in 1996, and Marilyn's husband Bill in March 1998.
- A Green Chevy and a Ticket to FreedomCarol recalls intimidating tenth-grade driving instructors who also taught Industrial Arts. Only four of about fifteen students finished and received permits, and her leg shook during parallel parking. Her father opposed the children getting licenses because he needed his car for work and could not afford another car or repairs after a wreck. After graduating and getting a job, Carol lived with Iris and Bill and saved all her earnings for three months. Her father then helped her find a green 1948 Chevy for three hundred dollars, which she used to obtain her license. She and her sisters drove it for years, cruising with friends even after it lost one of its gears. Carol remembers gasoline costing about twenty-five cents a gallon and the car representing freedom.
- Summer Helping and Cottage AdventuresCarol earned spending money baby-sitting, mostly for Iris and Bill. During summers she moved into their house as a mother’s helper and joined their Wisconsin cottage vacations, fondly remembering boating, swimming, fishing, and their enduring kindness.
- Jeff’s Bear Hugs and Loving HumorCarol remembers Iris and Bill’s son Jeffrey, who died July 7, 1987. She loved his sense of humor and the bear hugs he gave while teasingly calling her “Auntie Carol Mae.”
- A Lifetime of Cheering, from Wrestling to the PackersBob describes his lifelong enthusiasm for watching sports and reading the sports page first. Before his family had a TV, his father took them to Iris and Bill’s apartment to watch wrestling, with Argentine Aroca their favorite. During the 90’s, Bob and his son Steve regularly attended Milwaukee Bucks basketball games. After many years in Wisconsin, he describes passionate loyalty to the Green Bay Packers, complete with hats, T-shirts, and sweat shirts, win or lose.
- Learning the Business and Building StoresAt Iris and Bill’s suggestion, the narrator left Penney’s and learned the Ben Franklin business at Bob Retzlaff’s Madison store. He reports opening Bormann’s in 1983 as part owner and manager, with Bill Retzlaff cosigning his first loan, and five successful years of business. He also states that he sold out in 1972 to become manager and partner with Iris and Bill in Elliott’s in Janesville for eight years. These dates conflict and are retained as written. In 1988 he bought a Janesville Ben Franklin Store and converted it to an all-crafts store. He also served five years on Rock County Bank’s board, finding it especially interesting to learn who borrowed money for country club dues.
- Small Gifts, Family Pride, and Big DreamsA modest tenth-birthday gift made Bernard feel poor, especially beside Billy Johnson's new bicycle. His parents encouraged hard work and ambition, while Mom insisted the children should be proud of themselves and dreamed of travel. Inclusion in Jenny Swanson's luncheon for poor children wounded his pride. In high school he hid his modest home from wealthy friends, a choice he later regretted.
- Daddy's Daughters and the Men Who Married ThemBernard reflects on Floyd's protectiveness toward his daughters and his demands that sons-in-law prove themselves. Although Floyd never forgave Bill for marrying Iris so young, Bernard thought they eventually liked each other, and Floyd acknowledged Bill's goodness and the couple's help. Don Bonney alone avoided an on-the-spot test, perhaps because he was a Marine hero. Bernard also remembers no parental discussions of marriage or sex.
- Gathered Around the Radio: Music and Wartime NewsIris recalls the constantly playing radio and the Moline Daily Dispatch as the family's main news sources, including news that might affect Uncle Lloyd in New Guinea. The family mourned President Roosevelt around the radio, but also enjoyed singing and dancing to popular songs and big bands. She recounts Bill's description of overseas propaganda broadcasts mixing favorite music with frightening, specific military information; she attributes that information to spies within the U.S. government. She remembers divided reactions to the August 6, 1945 bombing of Hiroshima, her father's approval, and Harry Truman's presidency.
- Candy Counters, a Picnic, and a September WeddingWhile managing the candy and cosmetic counters at the Highland Ben Franklin store, Iris met Bill, manager of the East Moline store. He teased her by pretending to be a supervisor inspecting her counters, but also sincerely encouraged her business interests. Their first date was a picnic in May, with food described as “Fired chicken—apple pie.” They married in September.
- Faith and Family in Iris's HeartIris reflects on God as creator, guide, source of strength, and comforter during difficult times. She affirms answered prayers while trying to understand unanswered ones, believes in divine forgiveness and a purpose for every life, and describes her husband Bill as the spiritual backbone of their family.
- A Good Life in the Homes We SharedIris recalls marrying Bill on September 11, 1948, and beginning married life in cramped shared quarters during a postwar housing shortage. Their next home was a fifty-five-dollar-a-month upstairs apartment in Moline, where Daddy brought the kids for Monday-night wrestling, potato chips, and Pepsi. They bought a small East Moline house where Linda, Beth, Jeffrey, and Laurie were born, then built a home on 4th Street Court in 1957, where Kurt joined the family and the children grew up. Iris traces later homes in Roscoe, a northern summer place, the sale of their house in The Ledges, a newly built Arizona home, and their move to a three-level Rockton home in spring 2000, calling it a good life.
- Dad’s Night in Jail and Friends Who Came ThroughOne summer evening, Floyd Guild called Bill from jail in Rock Island, asking for an attorney. Bill enlisted their friend Julie Lytton and found deputy sheriff Jack White at the jail. Floyd complained about surrendering his belongings and receiving bologna sandwiches instead of the steak dinner he had left at home. After a night in jail, he appeared before Judge O’Neil over an unanswered court order to pay property taxes. Julie explained Floyd’s impression that he did not have to pay, referring to Cook County. The judge instructed Floyd to read court letters and fined him seventy dollars, which Bill provided. After retrieving his possessions, Floyd discovered rain had soaked his car seats through the open windows. Julie never charged for his services, and Mom later found the court letters unopened in Daddy’s dresser drawer.
- Remembering the Flower Lady with LoveIris hopes to be remembered for her floral work and decorating at the little white Congregational church in Roscoe, Illinois. Being known there as The Flower Lady makes her happy. She also hopes her children, grandchildren, and Bill, her husband of over fifty years, will remember her with love.
In the family geneagram
Recorded in the geneagram kept with the book. Where the corrected pages and the master run differ, both readings are shown and the corrected one is the reading the archive follows.
Corrected record · Iris Lee Guild & Willis Richard Retzlaff
- Born
- May 11, 1918, Antego, Wisconsin.
Master record — superseded · Iris Lee Guild & Willis Richard Retzlaff
- Born
- May 11, 1918, Antego, Wisconsin.
Referenced in
- Barbara's Chapter — LIVING ARRANGEMENTS
- Barbara's Chapter — CHILDHOOD PASTIMES & FRIENDS
- Diana's Chapter — FAMILY MEMORIES
- Dee's Chapter — DADDY
- Dee's Chapter — EASTER
- Dee's Chapter — MY TEENS
- Carol's Chapter — COOKIES
- Carol's Chapter — BEST NEIGHBORS. BEST FRIENDS.
- Carol's Chapter — DRIVING
- Carol's Chapter — SITTER
- Carol's Chapter — SOME OTHER THINGS I REMEMBER ABOUT DADDY
- Carol's Chapter — LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL
- Bob's Chapter — SPORTS SPECTATOR
- Bob's Chapter — MR. J. C. PENNEY
- Bernie's Chapter — WINTER
- Bernie's Chapter — MOSQUITOES BITES
- Iris's Chapter — A WORKING GIRL
- Iris's Chapter — RADIO DAYS
- Iris's Chapter — ANGELS
- Iris's Chapter — MARRIED LIFE
- Iris's Chapter — ROCK RIVER
- Iris's Chapter — REMEMBERING DAD
- Iris's Chapter — REMEMBERING ME
Family corrections
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