Fredrick Donckers and his family outside their new business, one year after the amputation of Fred’s right arm due to a firearm accident. (Photo courtesy of the Marquette Regional History Center)

MARQUETTE — Fredrick Donckers immigrated to America from Belgium when he was 12 years old.

He worked and lived a normal life, marrying at the age of 21. One day, during a hunting outing with his friends, their wagon hit a stump and toppled over. In the crash, Donckers’ gun fired, lodging a bullet into his right elbow resulting in his arm being amputated.

This became a major issue for the family as he could no longer provide for his wife and two kids. As a member of the Knights of the Maccabees (a Catholic fraternal organization that offered insurance to members), he had life insurance but was not covered for accidents. Fred needed a new occupation, so he became a door-to-door book salesman in the Upper Peninsula.

When his job as a book salesman didn’t create enough income, less than a year after his accident at age 25, Fredrick Donckers started a business on Washington Street.

He worked out of a tar paper shack and sold candy, tobacco, fruit and hot-buttered popcorn. After 13 years, the customer traffic and profit enabled Donckers to move into a new building.

The storefront you see today is different than the original layout and has been renovated and expanded several times.

Originally the shop operated out of the front, while Donckers and his family resided in the back, and the Knights of Columbus Catholic fraternal organization rented the upstairs. In 1918, Fredrick turned the store over to his son, Frank.

In his later years, Fredrick stayed involved in the Catholic community, even serving as the chairman of the Holy Cross Cemetery Board from 1923-1946.

In the fall of 1946, Frederick was ejected from his vehicle in a car accident. After several days in a coma, he passed away on Halloween. His legacy lives on to this day, with the store keeping the original name after being sold out of the family in 2007.

If you would like to learn more about important Marquette landmarks and businesses, such as Donckers, please join the Marquette Regional History Center for one of our historical bus or walking tours this summer!

These tours will include authentic stories of Marquette history with character reenactments on the way.

For more information call 906.226.3571, see us in person at 145 W Spring St., or go to www.marquettehistory.org.