Josephine Savell was born July 29, 1923, in Bamburg, Bavaria, Germany. She is the youngest of four children and had two sisters and one brother, all deceased.
In her younger years, she was a clerk in a large department store in Bamburg and also worked at the local hospital. She loved to go dancing with her sister, Katerina, and that’s how she met her husband, James Savell.
After his return from WWII in the Philippines, he was stationed at the army base in Bamburg. They were married in the cathedral in Bamburg in 1951. Josephine came to the USA by ship and met a popular actress of that time named Jane Russell, and they were friends throughout the long trip. James was then stationed in Korea for over a year, at which time, Josephine lived close to her in-laws here in Louisiana.
James and Josephine had seven girls and one son. Two daughters were tragically killed at a young age in an accident here in Minden in 1965. Strong faith in God sustained James and Josephine through the years. They have 11 grandchildren, and numerous great-grandchildren.
They were stationed in several different states and also in Germany again. After James retired in Fort Knox, Kentucky, they moved to Minden, and they both worked at LAAP, the local ammunition plant on Hwy 80, for several years. Both loved to garden, and James was known as the “Tomato Man,” because he grew the best tomatoes, and people loved to buy them from him. James and Josephine loved to travel and took many trips to Arkansas, especially to the diamond fields, in hopes of finding a big one.
Josephine’s health declined after James passed away from pancreatic cancer. She has resided in Town and Country Rehab for the past several years. Unfortunately, she lost her eyesight due to Glaucoma, but she has never complained or lost her faith in God. Her goal now, she said, is to reach the age of 101 years old. She still speaks of her childhood and sings German songs sometimes to entertain the staff.