Irene Blau, who owned Germantown's Sinter Klausen Christmas Markt for 31 years, remembered

Irene Blau of Germantown impacted people around the world by sharing Christmas traditions — especially ones from Germany — that people can have forever.

Whether it was talking about the German Christmas traditions as a 31-year business owner of Sinter Klausen Christmas Markt or telling fun and inspirational stories about Christmas traditions to her family, Christmas is what Blau was known for.

In the words of Blau's daughters, Janet Larsen, Joan Morrissey and Mary Brandt, their mother "owned Christmas."

Blau died Dec. 25 at age 94. Christmas Day.

"How appropriate," said Larsen.

In Blau's final days, Larsen, Morrissey and Brandt set up a hand-carved Nativity set from Oberammergau — a municipality in Bavaria, Germany — with 300 twinkling lights in a small area near Blau's bed. When Blau woke up each morning, it was the first thing she'd see, said Larson. "She explored ways to instill the story of Christ, the Holy Family, and the Bible and to discover, share and pass it on," Larsen said.

Sharing Christmas traditions

There were many Christmas traditions that Blau shared with her family that will keep Blau's spirit alive, her daughters said. This was especially true with her ornaments, said Morrissey.

One is the pickle tradition, a German tradition where parents hide a pickle ornament in their Christmas tree. Before the kids could open their presents, they needed to find the pickle, the sisters explained.

This year, Morrissey said she hid five pickles in her tree to celebrate with her children and grandchildren. "They have to look with their eyes (and not search with their hands), and it is a way for them to see the other ornaments," she said.

Blau sold glass-blown ornaments at her Christmas shop

At her Christmas shop, Sinter Klausen Christmas Markt, Blau sold many glass-blown ornaments from Germany, which are very popular there, said Morrissey.

For instance, Blau sold a lot of glass mushroom ornaments, which symbolize good luck, and glass birds, which are a symbol of happiness and joy. She also was known for selling Inge Glas ornaments from Germany at the shop.

Customers came from all over the country to shop there, her daughters said. The store — a fixture on Main Street in Germantown — closed after the 2019 Christmas season when Blau retired at age 90.

Preserving German's history in Germantown

But Blau, with roots in Germany, wasn't just about Christmas. She also was fascinated with the architecture of historic buildings and fought to preserve and share Germantown's history.

Many members of her extended family, including her great-grandfather Joseph Schimmels, were among the first German settlers in Milwaukee. Schimmels was a carpenter who shared German designs with other contractors and people in Milwaukee, Blau told the Journal Sentinel in December 2019. He provided carpentry work for Milwaukee City Hall and many hospitals, including St. Joseph's, and churches.

Blau's passion for historic buildings and landmarks, according to Larson, was crucial in preserving the buildings in Dheinsville Park, Germantown's oldest crossroads settlement.

Dheinsville Park is where Blau opened the 1862 Christ Church Museum and campaigned for the building to be on the National Register of Historic Places.

For the museum to be restored, Blau reached out to William Gay, a 35-year retired English teacher at Germantown High School, whose National Honor Society students helped wash windows and walls and did maintenance work to help open the museum. Blau also created sketches of the historical buildings in the park to share with different developers so the history would be preserved, Brandt added.

Active in the community

Blau was married for 73 years to her surviving husband, Frank, raised 10 children and had 21 grandchildren and 32 great-grandchildren.

She was the founding president of the Germantown Historical Society from 1974 to 2009.

Blau also was fundamental in starting the Deutschstadt Heritage Foundation, a foundation for preserving the village's German heritage. Maifest, a traditional German festival, which occurs every May in Germantown, is a fundraiser for the foundation.

"There are people who say she put the German in Germantown," said Morrissey.

Known as the 'history lady'

Blau was known as the "history lady," Morrisey said. She said Blau was very interested in learning more about the history of the house she and her husband bought when they moved to Germantown in 1963.

"Her humbleness of talking about history, and the things she did with it ... became a hobby and a passion," explained Brandt.

Blau was involved in promoting Germantown's history as a member of both the Germantown and Washington County 1976 bicentennial committees and was active with the Wisconsin Historical Society, Wisconsin Trust for Historical Preservation, the Wisconsin Office of Tourism and the Wisconsin Landmarks Commission.

Gay said Blau was an "excellent communicator." She went into the elementary classrooms and talked about the history of Germantown and also enlisted high school students to act out parts in historical plays. He and Blau also authored three books with local graphic designer Tiffany Brandt. The Germantown Historical Society published these books, and they are at the Germantown Library.

The books chronicle Germantown's history beginning in 1838: "Germantown, The early years: 1838-1915," "Germantown in the 20th Century, Part 1: 1900-1959" and "Germantown in the 20th Century, Part 2: 1960-2015."

"(Blau) had all of these memories and all of this information," said Gay. "She was like a walking, talking encyclopedia."

Irene Blau's legacy to continue

While known as a true historian and for sharing her Christmas traditions, Blau was also known as a talented, hardworking person in so many facets, her daughters said.

After raising 10 children, she went back to school to get a college degree at Mount Mary University in art history and communications in 1983. Larson, who graduated with dual college degrees in business administration and communications, said it is "extraordinary to have that connection" of graduating the same year as her mom.

Blau was named the Germantown Chamber of Commerce's Citizen of the Year in 1983. In 2003, she was the recipient of the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award, which was renamed the Irene Blau Lifetime Achievement Award. She also was a Germantown 4th of July Parade Grand Marshal in 1983 and was the Germantown High School Homecoming Parade Grand Marshal in 1986.

Brandt also said her family members have had booths at Christkindl Markets such as the Christkindl Market in Menomonee Falls.

Brandt said that continuing to be at those markets will help keep Blau's Christmas traditions alive.

Donations in memory of Irene Blau

The family is asking for donations to be made to the Germantown Historical Society's Irene Blau Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 31, Germantown, WI, 53022

Cathy Kozlowicz can be reached at 262-361-9132 or cathy.kozlowicz@jrn.com. Follow her on X at @kozlowicz_cathy.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Germantown Christmas shop owner, 'History Lady,' dies on Christmas Day