Life along Rawles Avenue

Perry and Lucille Owen Roehl moved into their modest bungalow at 5715 Rawles Avenue in 1937. Their two children, Perry and Marilyn, were already in school and would spend the next five years of their lives in the residence. Their backyard abutted the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad so it was not the quietest location, but like most Irvingtonians in this part the neighborhood, they likely became accustomed the rumble and call of the trains.

Mr. Roehl was a rising businessman while living in the home as he opened a firm called P.W. Roehl Trucking Company. The couple incorporated the business in 1940. Mr. Roehl's obituary noted that he was a member of many Irvington clubs and he was an avid bowler. Mrs. Roehl stayed at home and raised the couple's two children although she was a partner in the trucking firm and later in a paint store. She was an active member of the Irvington Methodist Church.

Perry O Roehl, their son, was a talented student and athlete at Howe High School.   He later fought for the country during World War II.

The bungalow was not the forever home for the Roehl family. As their income increased and most likely their desire for a larger home, the family moved from Rawles Avenue in 1942 to a beautiful residence at 969 North Campbell Avenue.

The images for this post are courtesy of the descendants of the Roehl family via Ancestry.com.

Lucille and Perry W. Roehl stood in their kitchen at 5715 Rawles Avenue c1937

The Roehl family gathered in the living room of their home at 5715 Rawles Avenue c1938. (left to right: Lucille, Perry O., Marilyn, and Perry W. Roehl) 

5715 Rawles Avenue in 2016