Catherine Schram
January 1, 1970 ~ March 19, 2014
Catherine “Kay“ Schram, long time North Dakota resident, died on March 19, 2014 at Rosewood on Broadway in Fargo, ND at the age of 97.
She was born Catherine Evangeline Staber on August 27, 1916 to Leonard and Julia Staber in West End Township. She grew up in Wyndmere, ND with her 4 brothers - Joe, Jim, Gene & Freddie, and graduated from high school there in 1934. After high school she attended The Chicago Hair Academy followed by 6 months of advanced training in Saskatoon, Canada. In 1936 she opened her own beauty shop in the Wyndmere Hotel and operated it until 1938 when she moved to Ca. with her two younger brothers Gene & Freddie. In California she worked for Babe Staber in the family beauty shops there. Kay & " the boys" moved back to Wyndmere in 1940. In 1941 she moved to Manitowoc, Wisconsin and married Dan Schram on April 19, 1941. Dan was an auditor or the Soo Line Railroad and Kay worked as a waitress at the Manitowoc Hotel. When the war broke out Kay went to night school to learn to be a machinist and worked in the shipyards building submarines until 1945. She then went to work at the Murrow Aluminum Factory in the heat treating room doing casting for Harley Davidson Motorcycles for 2 years. Kay worked at Sears in the fabric department for 5 years until 1952.
In 1952 Dan was transferred back to Wyndmere. Kay worked at Kelly's restaurant in Wahpeton as a waitress and bar manager for 5 years. During that time Kay and Dan moved and built several houses and lived in Wyndmere until Dan retired in 1965. They then moved to Fargo where they opened and operated the Carlee' Wig Shoppe on Broadway until their retirement in 1976. Kay & Dan were lucky enough to spend 20 years enjoying their retirement between Ottertail in the summer and Texas in the winter until Dan died in 1995. During their 54 years of marriage they enjoyed traveling in Mexico and South America visiting family and friends. Kay kept the lake home until 1999 and then moved into Fargo at the Park Avenue Apartments.
When her health started deteriorating Kay moved in to Pioneer House Assisted Living for several years and then to Rosewood.
Kay is preceded in death by her husband Dan and her 4 brothers. "Auntie Kay" is survived by many nieces and nephews and their families.
In lieu of flowers the family would like donations to Rosewood for a memorial bench for Kay in the garden that she loved.
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I am Bev’s son. I know my mother (who doesn’t own a computer) would want to express her condolences and let the family know what great friends both Kay and Dan were to her and Chester in Siesta Village. That period in their lives, where they met so many wonderful people during retirement, will always be remembered.