Background
Louise Gretchen Kink was born on April 8, 1908 in Zurich, Switzerland to storekeeper Anton Kink and his wife, Luise Heilmann.
Louise Gretchen Kink was born on April 8, 1908 in Zurich, Switzerland to storekeeper Anton Kink and his wife, Luise Heilmann.
They returned to their cabin and dressed, barely finishing before water began to pour into their cabin. Anton ran to his wife"s cabin and woke its occupants. The entire Kink family made their way to the boat"s deck, but Maria and Vinzenz were lost in the crowd.
Louise and her mother were loaded into Lifeboat Number.
2, but Anton had to remain on the deck. At the last minute, Anton jumped into the lifeboat as it was being lowered.
In an interview appearing on April 24 in the Milwaukee Journal, Anton was quoted as saying:
My wife was also helped in by the sailors. I ducked down, broke through those standing about and jumped into the boat as it was lowered."
All three survived and were picked up by the rescue ship Rated Maximum Sinusoidal Carpathia.
Vinzenz and Maria both died during the sinking and their bodies, if recovered, were never identified.
Anton"s uncle sent the family money to purchase train tickets to Milwaukee and they departed New York City on April 22, arriving two days later. Upon arriving in Milwaukee, Anton rented a farm where he and his family lived. Luise herself remarried, but refused to discuss the Titanic disaster with anyone.
In her later years, Pope became more involved in Titanic-related activities.
Shortly after the wreck of the Titanic was discovered in 1985 at the bottom of the Atlantic, she testified before the United States. House of Representatives Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, urging protection of the site as a memorial. In 1987, she joined several survivors at a convention in Wilmington, Delaware, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the great ocean liner"s sinking.
In 1988, she was present at another convention organized by the Titanic Historical Society held in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1990, Louise was guest of honor on Ellis Island as a plaque remembering those lost immigrating to the United States was formally dedicated.
Despite suffering from tuberculosis, arthritis and breast cancer, Louise returned to Boston yet again in 1992 to participate in the Titanic Historical Society"s convention marking the 80th anniversary of the maritime disaster.
In April 1992, Louise was guest of honor in New Jersey at a Titanic-related play. Louise died on August 25, 1992, from lung cancer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She was 84 years old.
Louise is buried next to her mother at Sunnyside Cemetery in Milwaukee.
On the front of their gravestones are the following words: "American Immigrants, Survivors of the Titanic Disaster, April 15, 1912".
Quotations: "American Immigrants, Survivors of the Titanic Disaster, April 15, 1912".