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Washington Women’s Heritage Project records, 1900-2000 
University of Washington Libraries Special Collections 
Erna Dora Meerscheidt Bouillon 
October 6 & 13, 1980 
Cassette 4, Side 1 
 
 
Erna Bouillon  00:01 
Where the sewer, they had a big break in the sewer. Do you remember?  
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  00:06 
[?Oh, yes I do?]. 
 
Erna Bouillon  00:07 
Well, I had lived with them for a whi-- Decorated their house, and I decorated their living room, 
dining room, breakfast room and kitchen. Then I decorated the house that we put into this album, 
Victor, in the forefront, we put, "Decorated by Erna M. Weeks," wasn't married. I went, used that 
name because that was my decorating name. So he took the pictures and, "Photographed by 
Victor Bouillon." He photographed them, and we made this beautiful album of them. And then I 
decorated the house in Laurelhurst, I did the living room.  
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  00:53 
Where was the house that you took the pictures of?  
 
Erna Bouillon  00:56 
Well, all of these that I mentioned were John Case's, that house on the univer-- On the boulevard 
there. Then I did a house in Laurelhurst, did the living room, the dining room, and the daughters-
- Oh and the breakfast room, the daughter's big bedroom. Then I did an apartment. It's out from 
the University District, [Inaudible]'s apartment. She's a wonderful person I met through the 
university teachers, Miss Raitt and Miss Denny, she was a friend of theirs, and she had a house. 
And I did her apartment, have pictures of it. I did the George King's, they were friends of mine, 
living room, breakfast room, den and bath. Bob Capeloto house, the den, the breakfast, the living 
room, the dining room, the powder room. The Walter Shiel house and the family room and the 
guest room. And then I did the-- Oh, the widow of Henry Schmitz. He was drowned, he had been 
the president of the University, he was drowned in a boating accident. And I did the widow's 
house in the, in Washington-- No, it wasn't, wasn't Washington Park, it was across from 
Washington Park, I don't know what they call that district anymore, the bedroom, bath, living 
room. Then I did Jim [?Lawler's?] house, that was north of Laurelhurst, living room, dining 
room, entrance hall. Ruby Fredo's house, that was in an apartment, the entrance hall and dining 
room. Oh, [?Carl Moldens?] house, that was in Laurelhurst. They lived next door to my son and 
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his wife, Elizabeth House's office. She was connected with the University, and she had a, an 
office downtown. The Joy Anderson house, the living room, sun room, dining room. Joy 
Anderson house, sun room and dining room. [?George?] Toner's house, she was connected with 
the university, I don't know just what her job is, very hard job, and bedroom, living room, dining 
room, den. Then I did my, we did my oldest daughter's house and some friends, Taylor Green, 
guest house and breakfast. Mary Hoff, she was the daughter of Schmitz that was drowned. And 
then I did Don Johnson hall, the hall, Don Johnson's hall, living room, dining room, and so on 
and so forth. And my own, I showed my different rooms. And I did the Bouillon home, that's his, 
Victor's, oldest son's home. And let's see, these are just about my wedding, the different places. 
Here, I, then over here, I, I had a bedroom that-- We had three rooms, three apartments here and 
now we have two, I have two, I gave that one up. Well-- 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  05:25 
You had three apartments here in the Hearthstone? 
 
Erna Bouillon  05:27 
Right, right through there, there was a shuttered door, where that mirror is, made for the wall in 
there. You can see the little lines, real faint. And then Victor died here after he lived here 13 
months. Well, [inaudible].  
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  05:59 
What made you decide to come to Hearthstone? 
 
Erna Bouillon  06:02 
Here? We did because we were going to go to the Horizon House, downtown, because Victor 
thought he could, as governor of that group, he could go to the Olympic, where they had their 
luncheons, and I could go to the Women's University Club and carry on a social life in the 
daytime. And then we went to dances at night for all those places, but they said we could get in 
the Horizon House in a year's time. And when he went there, we had made a 1,000 dollars 
deposit. When we went there, they said, "I made a mistake. It will be five years yet." Well, 
Victor only lived there a short time after that, and I knew it, because the doctors told me he 
couldn't live very long. And we were out here visiting a friend, right on this hall, she was sick in 
bed, and her mother had died. And we came to see her, because I had not done anything for the 
funeral, in fact, I didn't know she died, the mother, and Lois, Mrs. Legg. And so we came to see 
Lois, her daughter, who was sick in bed, and we went out-- Oh, later on, she was sick in bed, she 
was well then, we went and sat on her lanai in October, just like now, nice weather, you know, I 
can sit out there. And when I came back to the Victoria apartments, I said, "Victor, you know 
that--" I knew I had to get into a retirement home because I knew he, I'd need help with him. He 
was getting worse, and I couldn't get, times had changed, I couldn't get the cleaning woman and 
the laundress and what all I had to help me there. 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  07:58 
May I ask what was wrong with him?  
 
Erna Bouillon  07:59 
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Well, he had anemia of the of the marrow bone. And that's something like pernicious, like an 
anemia. It follows the same course. He'd had it for 12 years. He had it way when he lived in 
Ellensburg, but you see, it got worse with the years, and so. Let's see what [?I’m trying to?] say.  
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  08:30 
So you went back to Victoria apartments? 
 
Erna Bouillon  08:32 
Oh yeah, and he got a refund on some of the money. They should have given him all of it, 
because was their mistake and not ours, we weren't [inaudible]. We went here, and I said, "You 
know, it's kind of nice sitting out there on the lanai like that." He said, "Call them up and see if 
they have any vacancies." And we called them. She said, "I have, yes, come out." And we said, 
"We'll come tomorrow morning." So they showed us these three apartments, and Victor said, "I'll 
take all three of them." Well, there's only one other couple in the building who has three 
apartments. Two is the most any of them had. So when he died, I gave up that one. That's a 
bathroom there, there's a bathroom here, and those are all wall closets. 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  09:21 
And you don't have any cooking facilities, you only eat downstairs?  
 
Erna Bouillon  09:25 
Well, I made, I have a kitchenette. I turned my second bathroom, I didn't show you that, I could 
show it to you, but I made that into-- Because I'd had seven operations all across here and few 
back, they took a rib out. And the doctor called my children, said I could only live two hours 
longer, they better come and see me. And then I fooled them and got well. And, but I'm allergic 
since those operations, there's so many things I can't eat, so I get my breakfast and my lunch up 
here, and I only go down for dinner.  
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  10:06 
I see. In your life, would you consider yourself to be pretty much a healthy woman?  
 
Erna Bouillon  10:14 
Oh, I'm very healthy, and I have a lot of resilience. Everybody's always amazed how I can throw 
things off because I have resilience. Well, I reached age 87, that's longer than any of my 
ancestors have lived. Well, not I don't come from a long lived family. But the therapist who 
treated me for this broken hip said she was amazed how quickly I got well from that, I just did so 
well. And she said, "A lot of that is due to your attitude." 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  10:55 
Pretty much throughout your life, you've had, been able to cope with your problems?  
 
Erna Bouillon  11:00 
Oh yes, I have gotten along very well.  
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  11:03 
[Inaudible] to pieces? 
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Erna Bouillon  11:06 
I tumble now, but all older people do that, because every day someone comes down, "So and so 
broke her rib, so and so broke her leg, so and so broke her arm, she fell, she fell and he fell," and 
that's part of old age. You're not, I don't know what it is that makes you topple-y. Well, they're 
getting these shots at the health center, vitamin B12 twice a month, and I take a pill of that and, 
but I'm, I'm a strong person. I'm a strong person.  
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  11:50 
I see. 
 
Erna Bouillon  11:52 
Now, let's see, 3:30, I have to, I have to leave at four, that's all right, but I have to-- 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  12:01 
Maybe we should call this the end of it.  
 
Erna Bouillon  12:04 
Well, is there anything else before you shut it off that you wanted to know? 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  12:07 
Not that I know of off hand. Okay? 
 
Erna Bouillon  12:11 
Yes, I have a lovely lanai here, and I can sit out, and I can go out in my house coat and sit in the 
sunshine. I don't think we happened to have any this summer, we're having it now. And no, and I 
get along fine, I miss, because my children are very good to me. My son comes at lunchtime to 
see me, once a week after his lunch, he comes in here for half an hour. This daughter that lives 
up the hill, the one that never married, she-- And is on that six weeks trip, she is so good to me. 
And I go over there for dinner about once a week, and she sends some good food home with me, 
and I'll help my meals along. And my daughter from Bainbridge comes over twice a month. She 
has responsibilities over there, and she used to come over once a week, but she can't do it 
anymore. She's got responsibilities and grandchildren, great grandchildren-- No, no greats, but 
grandchildren of her own. 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  13:25 
How many great grandchildren? 
 
Erna Bouillon  13:27 
I have seven great grandchildren, or eight? No seven and, great grandchildren, and seven 
grandchildren. And that was from only two children that married, I had four children, and one 
died, and one didn't get married. So that's doing pretty well, considering that the family's grown--  
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  13:49 
And no great, great grandchildren, not quite yet?  
 
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Erna Bouillon  13:52 
Not quite yet, no. Well, I think that finishes it, don't you? 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  13:56 
Okay. Thank you. Erna Bouillon, interview by Susan Ehlers for Washington Women's Heritage 
Project, October 6, 1980 end of tape four, side seven. [Tape stops and starts]. Erna Bouillon, 
interviewed by Susan Ehlers for Washington Women's Heritage Project, October 13, 1980, tape 
four, side seven A. Okay, go back a little, back to your childhood. Did you feel closer to one 
parent than another?  
 
Erna Bouillon  15:47 
No, our family unity was smooth. Everything went so easily, I don't remember any discord in our 
family.  
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  15:59 
Well, I'm not talking about discord, but just that you felt that if you had any problems, that you 
could turn more to one parent than the other. 
 
Erna Bouillon  16:07 
Depending on what the problem was, I looked for help. 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  16:12 
To both of them? 
 
Erna Bouillon  16:14 
Yes, usually.  
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  16:15 
I see, did you feel close to one of your brothers or sisters than any of the others?  
 
Erna Bouillon  16:21 
I only had the one brother, and he was sick, and it was sympathy and caring for and, I kept trying 
to help him, but. Well, I naturally felt closer to the sister that was two years older than I because 
we were doing the same things. I had to take care of a lot and, but I liked my older sister very 
much, and I loved the little one, but she was nine years younger than I, so we went our own 
paths. But until we grew up, and then this younger sister belonged to a lot of the organizations, I 
got her into to the organizations that I was in, doing and chairman of, and president of, and 
whatnot. Got her into them. 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  17:16 
Okay, did you do much together as a family?  
 
Erna Bouillon  17:18 
Well, we traveled together, did all those things. Yes, we did everything together. It was family 
life. That's the way that they were in Germany, and that's the way they were in Texas. It was all 
family life, 
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Susan Lynn Ehlers  17:40 
I see, did the family traveling about a fair amount and changing residents several times as a girl, 
did that cause any problems with you making friends?  
 
Erna Bouillon  17:53 
No, none at all, I thought of it as a challenge. My daughter asked me, when we went to the 
family reunion in San Antonio, that five last days of-- Well, we were at the reunion, three days 
on the plane, one day going and one day coming back. So, we were gone five days, and when we 
got-- She said, "Mother, do you regret that your family moved away from Texas?" I said, "Not at 
all. If I had stayed in Texas and had the loving arms of all these cousins protecting me from 
everything, always having a background to flop down on if things were difficult," I said, "I 
wouldn't have developed the same way I did." When I got up here, I didn't know a soul, it was a 
challenge, a new life. And I rose to the occasion and, and made friends right away, I did. I went 
to the Summit School, the seventh and eighth grade, two years, no, fifth and sixth. They only had 
six grades. And then I went to Broadway. Well, I'm not sure about that, I'm not sure, maybe they 
had seventh and eighth. Then I went to Broadway High School and carried along some of those 
friends and made new ones. And they were lifelong friends. I mean, even when we moved up 
here, I had letters from them, cards from them. And when they got married, they wrote to me. I 
kept all those friends. I had one Catholic friend and two very good Jewish friends and I, well, the 
Catholic friend moved to Seattle and married, and we went out to parties together, dances. And 
later on, I decorated her house. But the Jewish friends got married and moved to San Francisco, 
some other place in California, and I kept them as friends. And they were very bright girls. I had 
three Jewish friends come to think about it. One, one of them married Sol Lewis, he was a 
newspaper man. I don't think you have heard of him, because you're not of that generation, but 
he wrote a daily column for the times, and he made such a name for himself. He lived in Linden, 
Washington when they got married, he and Aimee. And he made such a name for himself that 
Eastern concern-- Papers, big papers, he got calls from all over to come and live there and, and 
write that column for their paper. And he turned it down because there was insanity in his wife, 
the little Jewish girl's family, and he was afraid that if he moved to new places, a new place and 
lived, that the boys, he had two boys, one of them, or both of them, might not be able to adjust to 
the situation and go [?all to pieces?]. So he stayed in Linden, Washington. He gradually trained 
his boys in that and they had, they did very well. And later, years, my second husband and I went 
out to see Aimee, he was dead, and she took us out to see her two boys' homes and they were 
mansions. In the meanwhile, while Aimee’s husband was still alive, as he was handing over the 
newspaper, see they had a newspaper, besides his writing that column for the Seattle paper, let's 
see what I can say. 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  22:05 
This was the newspaper in Lindon, Washington?  
 
Erna Bouillon  22:07 
Yeah, and he went into the, he bought a bank, and he became president of the bank, so he'd be 
absolutely out, handed over those, that newspaper business by degrees to his two boys, and they 
did well. Now those were, those were those children, but-- I mean friends, the Jewish history of 
that little girl, she was a darling. Aimee Michaelson, married to Sol Lewis. And then all my other 
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friends, and I kept them, went, a lot of them, went to college with me. And I made one of the best 
sororities, I think, and was active in that, made a place for myself, became house manager, and-- 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  23:03 
So you made friends easily-- 
 
Erna Bouillon  23:05 
Oh, yeah. 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  23:05 
--and you kept them? 
 
Erna Bouillon  23:06 
And I kept them, I always kept them. They weren't just fly by night and gone-- Here today and 
gone tomorrow, they were friends I carried through the years and still see. Now, five of us still 
go down to the Women's University Club once a month to a luncheon. Well, I'm afraid now there 
will only be four, because one of them, she's been, this one Catholic friend, she's now at the 
[inaudible] home. My church deaconess took me out to see her, and she said, "I'll be here the rest 
of my life," and she will. She's a woman [?of maybe four?], and she just, well, she just looked 
terrible. But, and she was a lovely girl. She was Miss, Miss Spokane when she was a young girl, 
in Spokane, Washington. They featured her, and she was in all the newspapers. And I've got, 
they wrote songs about her, I've still got all that. And now she's, she tried to get in here, and they 
wouldn't take it because she was ready for a nursing home.  
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  24:18 
And her name is? 
 
Erna Bouillon  24:21 
Marguerite Shiel, she married Walter Shiel. Football captain. 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  24:30 
You mean in college? 
 
Erna Bouillon  24:32 
Yes, and then he became a [inaudible] broker and they were very wealthy. 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  24:39 
Would you say you chose your friends from all sorts of different kinds of people or? 
 
Erna Bouillon  24:44 
Yes, they were very, very different kinds of people. And it's funny, I, when I go to that, that 
Women's University Club with those few women, they'll talk about someone, and I'm always, 
and I'll pipe up, "Well, they had me over to their home," or they, you know, those people in the 
past had been more intimate with me than with anyone there. I've noticed that so many times I'll 
say, "Well, I remember that, and I remember going to so and so's home," or, "I went on that trip 
with them," or something like that. I have that faculty, I think, of being interested in people, 
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more so than now, when I'm older, I don't care as much. I don't want to care about making new 
friends, here, for instance, I only go down to one meal and I get along. 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  25:49 
Okay. Who were your favorite teachers, at least your most memorable teachers, anywhere at all 
in school. You know, grade school, high school, college? 
 
Erna Bouillon  25:59 
Well, I never will forget one primary teacher, I mean grade school teacher who-- See, my father 
always kept us together, held Emita back, that sister, two, that was 10, two years older than I. He 
wouldn't let her start school until I could start, that meant waiting two years. And this Jewish 
teacher, in the grades, and Emita was bright, had a better memory than I did, and she didn't like 
that situation. She put Emita ahead, let us skip, they called it in those days. I don't know what 
they call it now. And just made me stay behind, where I was, you know, and then pass but Emita 
would be a grade ahead, always. And my father didn't like that, but he knew he couldn't do a 
thing about it. He just had to accept it. That was in Seattle, no, that was, that was down. Yeah, 
no, let's see. I don't know whether [?it was?] Seattle, no, that must have been done there in 
Texas. Then I remember a teacher that I had in Seattle, she lived down on the waterfront below 
the Madrona District, and Miss Rucker, and this, right now, I can't remember why I she stood out 
so in my life, but she did. She, she made quite an impression, and she was really, kind of a not 
very attractive woman, but she was very, very nice, and I'll never forget her, but I can't 
remember. Maybe someplace I've got some notations about her, but I don't remember them now. 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  28:13 
I see, that's the really remember-- Remarkable teachers? 
 
Erna Bouillon  28:18 
Yes, those two that I, that stand out. Oh, I had a lot of fine teachers at the university, but, you 
know, they never, they never get personal there. It's too big, you know, and, but I had a lot of 
fine teachers. 
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  28:43 
Okay, as for your decision as to what you were going to study in college and where were you 
going to study? Did any discussion in your family about that?  
 
Erna Bouillon  28:53 
Well--  
 
Susan Lynn Ehlers  28:54 
Why did you pick home ec? 
 
Erna Bouillon  28:56 
I picked home economics. Well, it was a new course on the campus, a very new course, and it 
was all for women, and I think my parents liked that. But I like to sew, I like domestic things, I 
like to sew, I like to cook, when I was cooking for parties later, I didn't like to do it just for 
everyday cooking. And I didn't have to, I had a maid. But I put on beautiful parties. Everybody 
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always said they'd never eaten such a meal, and that was the best meal they have ate, and they 
meant it too, but I went-- [Recording ends]. 
 