Mark Ganter and Irene Nemetz Ganter

Mark Ganter tells his mom, Irene Nemetz Ganter, how much she has inspired him.

Irene says her own mother was her greatest influence. She says her mother was a strong person who overcame much hardship.

Irene remembers being 9-10 years old and having her mother make her wear a dress. Irene says she was a tomboy and her mother wanted her to be ladylike. Mark says he recognizes that fierce independence.

Mark asks about his maternal grandfather. Irene explains why she never talked about her father. She says she was about 7 when her family came to America. She says they lived at Seabrook Farms in New Jersey.

Irene talks about her parents separating and getting back together, only to separate again. She talks about feeling alienated from her father.

Irene talks about her brother Bill. She remembers him leaving for college and never coming back home.

Irene says she now sees her dad as a sad and unhappy man with his own demons.

Irene remembers seeing her dad just a couple of times after her wedding.

Irene says her father committed suicide. She says we are products of our upbringing.

Irene and Mark talk about mental health.

Mark says he wants to talk about Oma, his mom's mom. He asks Irene if she recognizes Oma's good qualities in herself.

Irene talks about her mother having to support herself and her 2 children.

Irene says we do become our parents. Mark talks about being called thrifty. Irene talks about her mom growing up hungry.

Mark asks his mom to talk about growing up in south New Jersey. Irene says everyone in the community came from Europe.

Irene remembers learning English in school. She says hundreds of foreign students came to Seabrook in the 40s and 50s.

Irene says at first most of her friends were other Germans. She says by high school there was more cultural mixing.

Irene talks about the church as a way to socialize with other families. She says her mom could speak German and Hungarian. She says her parents learned English once they started working.

Mark brings up his parents' love story. Irene says she married her husband after 3 months of dating. She says they were under duress from the military.

Irene remembers the government deciding married men were eligible for the draft. She says she and her husband were working for the World's Fair at the time.

Irene says dedication to one's spouse is not something she learned from her parents.

Mark talks about Irene being an archetype. He says he wants the world to know how much he loves her.

Mark says his kids appreciate Irene's stories and her cooking. Irene credits her mother, Rosa Poczah Nemetz, for teaching her to cook.

Irene describes Seabrook Farms as a frozen food factory, whose original owner acquired refugees and other displaced persons after WWII to be workers. She calls it a melting pot of Germans, Japanese, Estonians, etc. Mark says there were advertisements in Europe for families to come. He says the people were essentially indentured servants. Irene talks about the processing camp in Germany. She remembers coming to America on the USS General M. L. Hersey.

Irene says her mom was Hungarian and her father was Yugoslavian. She remembers living in Strasbourg, formerly Alsace.

Mark talks about Seabrook Farms developing frozen food with Birdseye. He says freezing allowed the food to be shipped to Europe.

Mark remembers traveling to Europe to meet his great grandmother.