Otillia Hoefner was born 8 Nov. 1885 in Buffalo, NY to George and Mary Hoefner. She hated the name Otillia so whenever possible she used the name Matilda but family and friends always called her Tillie. Soon after her mother died in 1896 her father placed her, along with her sister Martha and younger brothers Andrew and Henry in the German Roman Catholic Orphan Asylum on Dodge St. in Buffalo, probably because he was simply not able to care for them all by himself. Records show that in 1905 she was working as a domestic for the Monaghan Family in downtown Buffalo. Sometime between 1905 and 1906 she met and married George Bower of Pendleton, NY. They moved to Amherst, NY and their first son, George Jr., was born in 1907. Sometime between 1910 and 1912 they moved to Hake Rd., Town of Newstead just outside the Village of AKron, NY, where they lived for the rest of their lives. They had eight children in all. Tillie loved to sew and made most of her children's clothes and was always quick to volunteer to sew uniforms or outfits for school or church functions. Tillie also loved to cook for her family and even when her children were grown and moved out Sunday dinner at "Grandma's house" was a regular occurrence. Tillie was a devout Catholic and attended Mass regularly at Saint Teresa of Avila Catholic Church in Akron. Otillia Bower died 26 March, 1972.
Otillia Hoefner was born 8 Nov. 1885 in Buffalo, NY to George and Mary Hoefner. She hated the name Otillia so whenever possible she used the name Matilda but family and friends always called her Tillie. Soon after her mother died in 1896 her father placed her, along with her sister Martha and younger brothers Andrew and Henry in the German Roman Catholic Orphan Asylum on Dodge St. in Buffalo, probably because he was simply not able to care for them all by himself. Records show that in 1905 she was working as a domestic for the Monaghan Family in downtown Buffalo. Sometime between 1905 and 1906 she met and married George Bower of Pendleton, NY. They moved to Amherst, NY and their first son, George Jr., was born in 1907. Sometime between 1910 and 1912 they moved to Hake Rd., Town of Newstead just outside the Village of AKron, NY, where they lived for the rest of their lives. They had eight children in all. Tillie loved to sew and made most of her children's clothes and was always quick to volunteer to sew uniforms or outfits for school or church functions. Tillie also loved to cook for her family and even when her children were grown and moved out Sunday dinner at "Grandma's house" was a regular occurrence. Tillie was a devout Catholic and attended Mass regularly at Saint Teresa of Avila Catholic Church in Akron. Otillia Bower died 26 March, 1972.
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