NameMary Schepper 
BirthJan. 28, 1899, Vienna, Austria
OccupationFor a time she was a cleaning lady St. Mary’s Catholic Church rectory in New Britain, Conn.
DeathJuly 7, 1961, Garfield, NJ
BurialCalvary Cemetery, Paterson, NJ
FatherJosef Schepper (1870-?)
MotherMaria Szakasits (1865-?)
Short bioMary came to the US in 1912 at age 13 with an aunt, Kristina Szakasits, her mother’s youngest sister. The National Archives came up empty on two requests for her passenger ship records, and ellisisland.org similarly comes up empty (though we may try again with a different spelling of her last name). Mary lived briefly in New Rochelle, NY, perhaps with a relative, before moving to Passaic, NJ. Two of her brothers also immigrated to the US, while three others remained in Austria. When Mary was 2 years old, the Scheppers moved from Vienna to Punitz in Burgenland (now southeastern Austria) near Güssing, according to her niece, Mary Schepper Klucsarics. The Austrian government ordered the remaining family members to change their name from Schepper to Sepper and finally Seper in the 1930s. (On Ancestry.com, her last name is listed as “Schepper Schaeper.”) Mary would sometimes say she came from Hungary, and indeed Burgenland was formed from a slice of Hungary following WWI.
Spouses
BirthJan. 14, 1879, Finsterwalde, Germany
DeathAug. 25, 1967, Middletown, Conn.
FatherJohann Friedrich Sporn (1835-1901)
MotherJohanne Wilhelmine Barthel (1847-1898)
MarriageOct. 6, 1918, Parsonage of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, New Rochelle, NY
ChildrenErnest “Ernie” (1926-2010)
Mildred (“Midgie”) (1924-1987)
Lillian Elizabeth (1922-)
Helen (1921-1995)
Gladys (1919-2005)
Mildred (“Midgie”) (1924-1987)
Lillian Elizabeth (1922-)
Helen (1921-1995)
Gladys (1919-2005)
-
- Mary Schepper in a photo taken shortly after her arrival in America in 1912 at age 13.
-
- Felix and Mary Sporn with daughter Gladys in 1920.
-
- Christmas at the Sporn household in New Britain, Conn.: Felix at left, Gladys, Lillian (front left), Midge (on floor), Helen and Ernest in mother Mary’s lap. Photo taken in December 1927.
-
- Mary Schepper Sporn with her three daughters: Lillian (in lap), Helen (left) and Gladys in 1924.
-
- Ernie Sporn with mother Mary Schepper Sporn, circa 1931.
-
- Mary Schepper Sporn with daughters Gladys, left, and Helen. Photo taken in early 1920s on School Street in Passaic.
-
- Ernie and Lorraine Sporn with their wedding cake and guests at their reception in 1947. Email Lasica and Mary Schepper Sporn are at the left.
-
- Helen and George Rashevich, Lillian Lasica holding daughter Kathleen, Mary Schepper Sporn, Lorraine Puzio and Ernie Sporn, and Midge Sporn. Photo taken in 1948 by Emil Lasica.
-
- From left, Mary Schepper Sporn, Gladys Sporn DeVries, Dan DeVries, Email Lasica, Lil Sporn Lasica holding son Joseph on his 1st birthday in 1956, Midge Sporn and a family friend.
-
- Mary Schepper Sporn holding her grandson George Lasica alongside Gladys and Dan DeVries in 1958.
-
- A somewhat blurry photo of Mary Schepper Sporn with four of her grandchildren, Kathy Lasica holding Joe Lasica and Kenn Sporn holding Gale Sporn, around 1957.
-
- Mary Schepper Sporn with daughter Gladys Sporn and Ken Sporn’s uncle John Luiszer at the Sporns’ home in Wallington, NJ, in the late 1950s.
-
- Mary Schepper Sporn, possibly in the Catskills in the 1950s.
-
- Mary Schepper Sporn and her daughter Midge Sporn at Midge’s sister Glady’s house in Clifton, NJ, in the late 1950s.
