Biopic of Oscar Allen Menke

The maternal grandfather of David Menke was Oscar Allen Menke, who was born April 26, 1888 in St Louis, Missouri. He was the 3rd child of Henry (1854-1911) and Philippina Menke (1861-1937). Four more children came after Oscar.

Oscar and his large family were fairly poor and didn't always have a lot to eat. The family needed for Oscar to work, so he went only up through the 8th grade. As a boy, he worked for Lemp's Brewery putting bottle caps on. Oddly, he never did become a drinker, nor did he smoke.

His picture here was taken about 1918, when he was 30 years old.

In 1903, he met his future wife, Elizabeth Helena Meyer (1889-1972), while he was working at the St Louis World's Fair. They dated for 7 years, then eloped to the next county. As a young man, he worked for Skinner-Kennedy Printing, and later saved up enough money to start his own business: The Menke Printing Company (1921-1966). Oscar and his wife had two children: Wilbert Allen Menke (1914-1972) and Dorothy Lillian Menke (1921-1981)

Oscar worked hard and made a good deal of money. He was able to buy some land and build a beautiful home on it, paying for all of it in cash. He was never in debt, and invested wisely in stocks, bonds, real estate, and other instruments. Because of this, he was able to wear expensive clothes, drive a series of luxury automobiles, (including a 1923 Buick Touring Car, 1929 Buick Model 27, 1936 Buick Roadmaster, 1942 Oldsmobile 98, 1947 Oldsmobile Club Sedan, 1951 Cadillac Sedan de Ville, 1957 Cadillac Fleetwood, 1961 Coupe de Ville, and his final car, a 1967 Cadillac Calais Coupe), and travel the world with his wife in his later years. He left a sizeable estate upon his death on May 6, 1972.

Oscar was an avid lake fisherman and loved playing gin rummy. He also really enjoyed listening to the radio of the games of the St Louis Cardinals baseball team.