Sarah Willy and Frank Anthony Hess

Sarah Willy was the daughter of Ida Bell Lego and Frederick Willy born 03 Oct 1900 in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. She was probably born in Baldwin Township, 14 km south of Pittsburgh, where the family was enumerated in the 1900 US Census. By 1910, they'd moved to Pittsburgh, where they were living at 106 Frustum Street.

By 1920, Sarah or Sadie, as she was called, had moved with her parents and three younger brothers to 127 Saginaw Road in Pittsburgh. She was working as a saleslady in a department store.

The family moved to McKees Rocks, 8 km WNW of Pittsburgh, by May 1924. Ida died there on 27 May 1924.

I don't know if Sadie married before or after her mother's death, only that she married in or before 1927. Her husband was Frank Anthony Hess, the son of Rosa Kech and Frank Hess born in Pennsylvania - probably in Pittsburgh - 15 Mar 1899. Frank was in fact the only one in his immediate family born in the States. His parents and four older siblings were all born in Baden. One of Frank's brothers, Emil, specified his place of birth as "Ashbaugh" on his WWI draft registration and "Ashback" on his WWII draft registration.

Sadie and Frank's daughter, Jacqueline M, was born 25 Feb 1927. However, I can't find Jacqueline in the 1930 US Census. Sadie and Frank were living at 2400 Beulah (later Burham) Street in the house owned by Frank's sister Rose A Hess Berringer. The other members of the household was Frank and Rose's widowed mother, Rose, and Rose's 14-year-old daughter Rose Marie. Rose owned a candy store, while Frank was a labourer in a steel mill.

By 1940 Sadie and Frank had divorced. Sadie and Jacqueline were still living in Rose Berringer's house. Rose was herself divorced and thus may have been sympathetic to Sadie. Also living in the house were Rose Marie Berringer Johns (whose marital status is given as married), her infant son Lanny James and Rose's brother Emil Hess. (Rosa Kech Hess had died in 1932.) Rose still had her candy store, while Sadie was working as a laundress for private homes.

Frank may or may not be the Frank Hess Jr, said to have been born 15 May 1889 (a decade off) on 01 Dec 1945 in Cambria, Cambria County. This deceased spouse's name was Sadie. His parents' names were given as Frank and "Hoss." Certainly when Jacqueline M Hess married in Pittsburgh on 14 Apr 1947, she said that her father was deceased. Jacqueline herself was living at 3715 Forbes Street and working as a telephone operator. Her husband was Charles E Rodgers, the son of Mary Rea Anderson and Emil E Rodgers born 12 Oct 1925 or (per his gravestone) 12 Oct 1926. Their son Willam Charles was born in 1950.

Sadie herself remarried on 04 May 1949. Interestingly, she didn't produce a divorce certificate. Instead she said that her previous husband had died in 1947. She knocked six years off her age and said that she was born 03 Oct 1906, that she was a cook and that she lived at 3715 Forbes Street. Her new husband was Rudolph Trbovich, who also lied about his age. When he'd married previously in 1942, he'd given his age as 01 May 1918. This time he added four years and said 01 May 1914. However, he was still the son of Yugoslavian immigrants Paul Trbovich and Martha Widrovich or Winovich, and he was still working as a craneman. His divorce from the 1942 marriage had come through on 27 Feb 1946. He was living at the same address as Sadie, 3715 Forbes. The marriage may have been an officialization of an existing situation.

When Sadie's father Frederick died in 1951, his obituary referred to her as Mrs. Sarah Trbovich. However sometime between 1951 and 1978 the marriage ended, and apparently not happily. When Sadie's brother Fred died in 1978, his obituary referred to her as Sadie Hess.

Sadie herself died five years after her brother, on 24 Feb 1983. Her obituary in the Pittsburgh Press published 27 Feb 1983 describes her as being "of Allentown," "beloved mother of Jacqueline Rodgers, grandmother of William Rodgers, sister of Pete & Jim Willy." (This is one of the two times that I could find Frank Willy referred to as Jim or James.) Sadie was buried at Saint Michael's Cemetery in Mount Oliver, Allegheny County.

Jacqueline Hess Rodgers' husband Charles E Rodgers died in Pittsburgh 14 Jul 1991. He's buried in his family's plot in the Calvary Cemetery.

Rudolph Trbovich died in Oakdale, Allegheny County, 05 Feb 2000.