Katre’s Tale: A Life of Loss, Survival, and Unbreakable Bonds

Katre, as she was known, was born on the 23rd of February 1904 to Martin and Marike Genuth. She grew up with sisters, Elze and Marie and brother Vilius.  She married Martin Srugys and had a son, Gerhard Johannes. Sadly, Gerhard died of scarlet fever when he was 12. Later, Martin also passed away, and Elze remarried an older man. They had a small business making cheese in Šilute. He passed away in 1943.

At the end of World War II, Katre made her way to Germany and was reunited with her sister and her family. She lived with them in Displaced Persons camps around Germany. She travelled to Australia with her sister, brother-in-law, two nephews and two nieces. In Adelaide, Katre found employment as a cleaner at the Memorial Hospital. At first, she lived in the hospital basement apartment. Katre never learnt English fluently and her life in Australia, revolved around her family. She looked after her grandniece and nephew when they were young. She worked as a cleaner in a hospital until retirement.

Her nephew took care of her, bought her a house, where she lived until moving to a nursing home. She passed away in 1986.