Peninsula Genealogical Society

The following picture of the DEBROUX GARAGE was contributed to the PGS Website by Millard CHRISTIANSON on 23 Mar 2012. DEBROUX GARAGE was located on the now West Side of Sturgeon Bay (formerly known as SAWYER), on the corner of Madison and Maple Street which now (Mar 2012) a resale shop.

Millard included a listing of the people in the photograph the he recognized (see list he provided with the picture below). There is one UNKNOWN Person that he could not recall: the fella third from the left wearing glasses and overalls. The list as he provided is the following:

LEFT to RIGHT: Oscar KLENKE, Joe DeBROUX, (UNKNOWN man with glasses and overalls), Kermit JOME, Ed ROPSON, Robert FEIFAREK, Cliff BOSMAN, and Bert ANDERSON.

If you recognize who the man-third from the left with glasses and overalls is, please contact the PGS at [email protected] . Millard is trying to remember his name but no luck yet! Also, if you have further information you would like to share regarding the DEBROUX GARAGE or those pictured here, please contact the PGS at [email protected] .

PGS Email received 27 Dec 2014 included here with permission from Delane JOME:

"The picture was also found in the old pictures that I have and I had a conversation with Millard Christianson about it.

My father was Kermit Jome. I believe he started working for "old Joe DeBroux" near or at the end of WW II. Prior to that Dad was working in the Sturgeon Bay shipyards as many, many men and women did in those years. It was WORK and the shipping industry brought economic boon to our city.

Dad worked for this dealership under several owners; for well over 40-45 years in all. We lived very close to it on the Westside so Dad came home for a noon meal every day. My father was a musician well known to people in Door and Kewaunee County during those years and well after. He took his accordion to work many times for the Christmas Eve "early closing" party with all the guys and the owners. They had food, drink and Dad's music to send them on their way home to families for Christmas. Often a ham was also a bonus gift and it was always needed and appreciated.

I don't think I have any other pictures of the people from the garage or at the business. The fellows pictured, other than the younger ones, were long time workers; Bosman, Anderson, Ropson worked for DeBroux for years also.

My four brothers and I have also wondered why they are standing in back of this tool kit, but then I wondered if perhaps it was given to the garage as sales gift or purchase. Otherwise, they are probably just standing near by it for the picture. Interesting. Wish I would have asked him more about it , but that's the way these things always end up.

Thanks to my sister in law to get the picture on the Web and thanks to Pen. Gen. Society for all you do to keep history alive from our most beautiful county."

- Delane Jome

CLICK ON PICTURES TO SEE THEM ENLARGED!

Above: LEFT: DEBROUX GARAGE-1940's: Left to Right as remembered by Millard CHRISTIANSON on 23 Mar 2012: Oscar KLENKE, Joe DeBROUX, UNKNOWN man with glasses and overalls, Kermit JOME, Ed ROPSON, Robert FEIFAREK, Cliff BOSMAN and Bert ANDERSON; RIGHT: Millard's notes of identification of folks in the picture.