Maria (Rettig) Gerbracht

Maria, age 86, of Williamsville NY, passed peacefully at home, surrounded by her loving family, and joined our Lord on Tuesday, December 31, 2024. She is survived by her devoted husband of 63 years, Elmer, sister, Elfrieda (John) Georgal, cousin/brother, Anton (Gunthilda) Rettig, and children; Kathleen (Robert) Cremins, Lorraine (Stephen) Myers, Brian, and Donald (Ruth). She is also survived by 10 grandchildren, 1 great grandchild, and many nieces and nephews. She was a wonderful, loving human being and will be greatly missed by her family and many dear friends. It was Maria’s desire to be cremated and buried in her beloved Adirondack Mountains. A memorial service will be held at the convenience of the family in the spring when the flowers are all in bloom.    

In celebration of a truly amazing person, we share Maria's story...  

Maria was born July 6, 1938, in Gakovo, Yugoslavia (now Serbia) which was part of a region along the Danube River where the people spoke a dialect of German. Her parents were Martin Rettig of Gakovo and Anna Rettig (nee) Kuhri of Militisch, Yugoslavia. At first, the young family lived with Maria’s paternal grandparents on a small farm in a house with no running water and dirt floors. Her parents could not earn enough to save any money, space was limited, and conditions were difficult. 

In 1939, the family moved to Germany to take jobs on a large farming estate in Calbecht, where workers were needed. Maria spent her early years in the fields with her parents as they worked. She would play with the field mice and always admired the wildflowers. Her mother would reminisce that the best way to keep Maria still was to give her a flower. World War II began soon after, and they had to stay in Germany throughout the war. They rented a small apartment with running water, but only an outhouse. There were two woodburning stoves on the first floor and no heat upstairs in the bedrooms. Maria often shared a memory of her mother heating bricks or potatoes, wrapping them in rags, which they would take to heat up their beds. In 1941, her sister, Elfriede (Elli), was born. In 1944, her cousin, Anton (Tony) Rettig, also came to live with them after his mother died and his father was away at war. During this time Tony became like a brother to Maria. Later, in 1944, her father was drafted into the German Army, even though he did not have German citizenship. The chores on the farm, coping with rations, and surviving the nightly air raids filled her childhood. She remembers her First Communion dress being made from an American parachute found near town. During that time, her mother’s sisters and their children found their way to them in Germany, fleeing the Communist rule in Yugoslavia. Maria always cherished her family ties and kept in touch with her German Aunts, Uncles, and cousins her whole life. 

In post war Germany, once again the family could not make ends meet financially. So, in 1952, when she was almost 14 years old, the family immigrated to the United States under the Displaced Persons Act and with the sponsorship of the Catholic Church. It took 9 harrowing days to cross the Atlantic and they had to work on the military boat to pay for their passage. Maria spoke some English because she had been taught British English for three years in middle school, so she became the family’s translator. Since she had not completed 8th grade in Germany, she repeated 8th Grade in the fall at Cathedral Catholic School in Buffalo. Maria excelled in Math, however, American History was a new topic to her and American English (especially writing) was a great challenge. She fondly remembered going to the nickel movies on weekends to learn American slang. Her parents greatly valued education and made the sacrifices necessary for her to attend private school at Mount Saint Joesph’s High School. As soon as she turned 18 years old, she applied for American citizenship, and in early 1958, she became an American citizen.

Maria attended Erie Community College where she got her Associates Degree in Chemistry, and met her future husband, Elmer, who was often her lab partner. For a short time, Maria worked at Linde after graduating, where her German came in handy for technical translations. Elmer and Maria were married June 10, 1961. Their first two children, Kathleen and Lorraine, were born in the city of Buffalo. Maria joined the Buffalo Garden Club in 1967 and learned the value of using native plants in her gardens and was introduced to floral design. When their third child, Brian, came along in 1970, they moved to Clarence for a larger house and yard. Plenty of room for child #4, Donald, and many beautiful gardens that bloomed all season long. Maria was an accomplished seamstress - making pretty party dresses, altering many hemlines for growing children, and creating her children’s unique Christmas stockings, to name a few. She was an excellent baker and cook – “It’s Chemistry”, she would say. She also found time to be a 4-H leader for 10 years (passing along her knowledge and many skills) and she helped with the harvest, the freezing, and the canning at her parent’s farm in Elma. And so, whether she was making a home inside or tending her gardens outside, her children would be nearby making happy memories with her… giant waves in the pool, hockey in the basement (to see who had to do the dishes), playing card games and board games, and the many extended family gatherings.

Maria was always an avid gardener and was an active member of the Town and Country Garden Club from 1973 until 2024. She went on to become a member of the Erie County Iris Society in 1979, and often entered floral designs at flower shows and at the Erie County Fair, winning numerous awards. In 1985, she became an accredited National Flower Show Judge and frequently gave informative presentations for state and local flower societies. Learning was a lifelong pursuit for her (her Harry Potter-loving family joked that she was definitely a Ravenclaw), so she returned to school and completed her BA in Biology/Botany at Buffalo State College in 1985. It was during her time at Buff State that she began volunteering at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. Initially, she was a docent (guide) and educator. She went on to be a docent coordinator, helped to design educational programs at the Gardens for school-aged children, and served as an advisor on the Plant Collection Committee until 2018. She was also on the Board of Directors for the Botanical Gardens Society for 12 years, and she served as President 1998-2000. A memorial plaque recognizing her service to the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens will be placed in her honor at the Gardens this spring (2025). 

In early 1991, Maria gained the new title of “Oma” (grandma) when her first grandchild, Matthew, was born. Soon after came Gregory, Madeline, Rachel, Timothy, Isabelle, Pamela, and Sophia, and later Troy and Hannah. Very recently, her first great-grandchild, Landon, was welcomed into the family, too. She routinely made time for her beloved grandchildren - to interact with them, hug them, learn about their interests, explore the natural world with them, acknowledge achievements, and always host a Christmas celebration complete with the singing of some German carols. 

Maria was creative, intelligent, generous, hardworking, artistic, kind, compassionate, devoted, honorable, and above all else, loving. She was always sharing her time, energy and knowledge to help and appreciate nature and the people in her life. Rest in beautiful peace, Maria.  

The family invites you to add your own details to Maria's story, share with us some details that maybe we didn't get quite right, or pass along any other thoughts, photos or videos that you would like to convey via the Guest Book section below.  Thank you.