Janet Magdalen Cerny Sattler

  General Notes:

Janet Cerny Sattler remembers when Johnny Petersen was a youngster and would come visit his Grandpa Frank Cerny. He would sit on Grandpa's lap and Grandpa would tell him stories. One of the stories was about Grandpa Frank's brother Cyril who remained in Austria. Johnny remembered the story and the next time he came to visit he wanted Grandpa to tell him more about Cyril but couldn't remember the name so he asked Grandpa Cerny to tell him about "Oatmeal"!

Janet Sattler was interviewed by Harlan Stahlecker for the Circuit Rider section of the Naper Paper. Interview was in September 2005.

An Interview with Janet Cerny Sattler
Throughout one's lifetime, education never ceases. The Circuit Rider learns from every one of his interview and visits. This rider's formal education began in the first grade with Janet Cerny Sattler in Naper Publics School District #21 and now picks up 64 years later with that same teacher, Janet Cerny Sattler.
One story from a trip down Memory Lane goes like this: One cold day in mid-winter, the '32 Chevy wouldn't start. (Even after starting a fire with corn cobs in a pig feeding pan, and placing it under the engine to pre-warm it.) This necessitated a walk to school across the cornfield into town. Bundled with an "Ear-flapper" cap and a "scratchy" wool mackinaw buttoned to the ears, this little first-grader stumbled into the schoolhouse to be "unwrapped" and "thawed-out" by Miss Cerny.
Drs. Seasongood and Beatty of Butte assisted in the arrival of Janet, the tenth child born to Frank and Anastasia Cerny in their recently built home three miles east of Naper, on April 26, 1910.
At age 7, Janet was saddened by the death of her Mother; at this early age, a terrific loss to a little girl. One of the fond memories still retained was a train ride that she and her Mother took from Anoka, NE to Stanton, NE to visit her aunt and family for a whole week.
Janet attended District #2 and loved her teachers. In the first grade she had Eva Rockholm Reitz and in the third grade Pearl Strack Milligan.
On one occasion Janet and her sister Anne took a short cut while walking the one and three -fourths miles to school. They took off across a big corn field and became lost! Finally after a near panic they spotted a house that looked familiar and stopped and asked directions of Mrs. Sievers, who set them in the right direction. Needless to say, this lesson ended shortcuts.
Most school functions were followed with "box socials" as one form of community entertainment. Boxes were auctioned off and bid on by folks who tried to get the box of their favorite lady so they might open the box and lunch with that lady. Sometimes bidding became fierce.
On one occasion during World War I, Janet was asked to memorize and recite a patriotic poem to a group. She received a prize for doing a good job and to this day still has the prize - a leatherette sewing kit. She also can still recite most of the poem.
Janet's sixth grade was spent with her sister Anne in the Butte Parochial School where they boarded and went home on weekends. It was here she began violin lessons from the Nuns. That old brick school now is the Butte Historical Society's building.
During her freshman year Janet went to Butte, but got homesick and went back to Naper for grade ten. An orchestra leader, Mr. Siegrist and his daughter Millie of Gregory came to Naper on Saturdays and started a school orchestra. They also gave individual lessons. Janet continued with the violin.
Butte was offering a two- year normal training course, which enticed Janet to finish high school in Butte, where she continued also with the orchestra. From there she continued to work on her teaching certificate at Wayne State and Lincoln.
Her first year of teaching was west of Naper in a rural school. She stayed at the home of Connie Sattler, which was about 1/4mile walke to the school house.
Among new experiences was the enrolling of 3 home -taught children that had never attended a public school. The eldest was 14 and in the 8th grade. (Janet was only 17). They became fast friends and stayed in touch for years.
The next several years she taught rural schools in Eastern Boyd County. Janet also had the occasion to teach English and Civics to a group of Nuns, recent arrivals from Germany, who came to operate a hospital. They wished to become American citizens and upon being examined were successful.
After becoming properly certified, Janet taught primary grades in Naper for six years; followed by six years in Spencer. From Spencer she moved to South Dakota, teaching in Burke, Bonesteel and Gregory. In Gregory she taught kindergarten for two years. After teaching for 25 years, Janet retired.
Growing up memories include the camping of Gypsies near the Cerny farm. This encampment always concerned locals because of stories about the Gypsies. In addition to the camp, the Gypsies also got water from the Cerny well. The Gypsies did move on without trouble and there was a sigh of relief. Traveling peddlers came through occasionally with goods to sell. Janet remembers with much fondness a red coat and cap that was bought for her.
Folks never seemed to lack for entertainment. Girls had "kitten ball" teams. (Softball)
They even had tournaments and played other towns. Sunday evenings, movies were shown at the town hall or outdoors on the side of the "state shed". (A big flat-sided building off on a side street in which the state highway department stored equipment).
Imagine sitting under the stars watching a Tex Ritter movie. A recent Chautauqua in Gregory brought to memory, one which Janet had seen as a little girl in Butte.
Janet's first car was a 1936 Plymouth. When the brothers left home, Janet's job was to help the family with transportation.
Emil Sattler came into Janet's life 51 years ago. Emil's family of three (Mary age 7, Arthur a freshman, and Donald, a junior in high school) also became her family. Emil passed away a few months after retirement. He and Janet had been married for 22 years. All the children are married with homes in South Carolina, Missouri and California.
The home in Gregory was sold and Janet moved into Nemer Apartments, where she spent 25 years. Two years ago, her doctor advised her to move into an assisted living quarters, so she moved into Pheasant Meadows in Gregory where she lived until its closure. Now, Janet resides in Rose Manor in Colome, South Dakota.
The Circuit Rider had many old memories rekindled with this visit. Not all are so fortunate to have first grade teachers like Janet. There's an extra "Star in the Sky" for this special teacher and old friend.



Janet Sattler turns 103 years old
Published Wednesday 24 April 2013
Janet Sattler will celebrate her 103 birthday on Friday April 26, 2013. She live at the Avera Rosebud Country Care Center in Gregory, SD.
Janet can't point to any one thing that's responsible for her log life. She said, "Perhaps it was because I always ate healthy food, and I got plenty of exercise when I taught school."
Janet was born on the family farm three miles west of Naper, NE. Her parents, Frank and Anastasia Cerny were natives of Bohemia. The couple married in Europe and for their honeymoon they sailed to America and settled on a homestead three miles west of Naper.
All ten of their children were born here in the US. Janet was the baby of the family and she was the only child that wasn't born in the sod house on their farm. She entered the world in the house they built shortly before her birth.
Janet's Mother died when she was seven years old. Her older sisters helped raise her. "My Dad stayed on the farm for a long time, and the girls took turns coming home to take care of me" she explained.
She learned to play the violin from one of the nuns at her school and played in the school orchestra. She still enjoys music, and when she was 100, she pecked out several tunes on the piano. For entertainment, she and Emil went to dances on Saturday nights. Today, she wishes she could still dance.
Janet was 17 years old when she started teaching in a country school near Naper. It was her first time away from home. Every Friday her Dad came in his little Ford and took her home.
Janet's first car was a 1936 Plymouth. It was her job to take the family places after her older brothers left the farm. She drove well into her 90's.
Janet completed a two- year teaching course in Butte, NE. She went on to teach in Lynch and Spencer, NE, Burke, Gregory and Dallas, SD. She taught in elementary schools for 25 years before she retired.
Janet met her husband Emil many years before they married. He first caught her eye when Janet was a teacher boarding near Naper with his parents.
Then a teaching opportunity in Lynch, NE took her 40 miles away, and, "That was the end of that," she said. Emil later married. He and his wife had three children before she died in 1946. Eventually Janet and Emil renewed their friendship. In 1953, 25 years after they first met, Janet and Emil were married. Before he died in 1975, the couple enjoyed trips around the country and one trip overseas. They went to Rome, Italy. Janet still recalls the beauty of the sights they saw.
Today, Janet enjoys visits from her children, friends and former students. She still receives cards and visits from her pupils. Her daughter Mary planned to come to Gregory this week and help arrange the birthday party.
Janet plans to celebrate more quietly than she did when she turned 100. Then she received many congratulations and citations.
She remains an avid Minnesota Twins fan, and watched their games for many years.



In March of 2007 Frank and Betty Cerny and Don and Midge Effle visited Aunt Janet in Colome. Frank, Betty, Don and Midge were all impressed that Aunt Janet could play the piano. She played for them "The Missouri Waltz". We were there one other time with Frank and Betty and Aunt Janet reeled off a phrase in "French". We have to ask her what she said!!!!



Gene and I visited Aunt Janet on April 27, 2007, one day after her 97th birthday. She was very happy. Her daughter Mary Curtis left for home earlier that morning. Janet is happy that Ray and Pat Cerny who live in Colorado Springs, CO and Julie Jons who lives in Colorado Springs, CO see each other often. Janet said, "Ray and Pat Cerny even helped Julie paint her house!" She is happy that John and Melinda Peterson, Tom and Pam Cerny and we (Gene and Judy Cerny) are doing things together in Omaha. She said, "The family has to stay together and keep in touch with each other."
Janet graduated from Butte High School in 1927. That is 80 years ago. She graduated from high school in the spring and began teaching in a Lynch rural school that fall. After graduation from high school Janet attended a "Normal School" in Butte that gave them their teacher credentials. The course was two years of instructions. Janet said that they had to pass 17 state tests with a grade of at least 80% to pass the certification class. Ann Cerny also took the teaching class and taught in a rural school around Lynch but she only taught three years.
Janet remembers that the Lynch Hospital was built around that time and the nuns that came to run the hospital were all of German ancestry and couldn't speak English. So after school each day, Janet stopped at the hospital and taught the nuns to speak English and learn the things needed to become a US citizen. Janet said that they all received their citizenship so she must have done okay. Janet also said that her sister Catherine was one of the first cooks at the Lynch Hospital.
During their high school years Janet was taught how to play the violin and Ann played the piano. Janet said that when they were growing up on the farm all her siblings were able to play a variety of instruments.
Janet also spoke of Joseph Cerny's wife Mary Brezina Cerny. The Brezina family lived in the Colome, SD area. Mary Brezina's parents was Julia Nezveda Brezina and Robert Brezina. Julia Nezveda Brezina and Robert Brezina remained in Czechoslovakia. Julia Nezveda Brezina and Anastasia Nezveda Cerny were sisters.
Janet talked about a Robert Brezina who was a contractor that lived in Rapid City, SD and was the contractor that built the cathedral in SD. Robert became an airplane pilot and would fly home from Rapid City to the farm in Colome. Robert's son who was around 7 years old was killed when he ran into the airplane propeller. He was running to his Grandpa when the accident happened. The Grandpa would be Rudolph Brezina and Robert's son who was killed in the accident was Richard Paul Brezina.

Janet married Emil Sattler on 29 Aug 1953. (Emil Sattler was born on 25 Dec 1909 and died on 19 Jun 1975.)