By Mary Bolich

When Jeanne Warner reclaimed her Luxembourg citizenship, it was an emotion-filled, full-circle moment for her.

“I was born in Luxembourg, and I feel as though I reclaimed something that was lost; something I want back,” Jeanne said, whose father, Robert F. Schaeffer, was a Luxembourger. 

Born in Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg, in 1930, Robert graduated with distinction from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales in Paris and then attended the University of Kansas (KU), on a Fulbright scholarship, pursuing post-graduate studies in human relations in business and industrial psychology.

Although her father was extremely bright, he had a difficult time in school, Jeanne said. 

“His English professor, who was a track and field coach, persuaded him to start running. My father became very good at running and then he became very good at everything,” said Jeanne. “Running helped everything fall into place.”

Robert competed in track and field as a sprinter and qualified to represent Luxembourg in the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Finland, in the 200 meters and 4×400 meter relay. Jeanne, who has all his Olympic participation medals.

Trying to build a life
While attending KU, Robert met Barbara Krug, a student who worked as a foreign student counselor. After earning his master’s degree, Robert went back to Luxembourg but returned for Barbara, who had graduated and was working as assistant curator of the Spencer Museum of Art at the university. Her parents believed the two should be married before moving away together, so the couple were quickly wed and headed to Luxembourg. Jeanne was born 10 months later. Robert had moved there for a job that didn’t pan out so the family moved back to the United States and Robert began working for Barbara’s parent’s lithography business, Krug Litho Art Company in Missouri. He eventually became president and part owner of the business. He retired at age 60 and went on to have another successful career as a salesman for luxury department stores. 

In 1972, Robert was appointed by Luxembourg as Honorary Consul for the 11-state Midwestern area. In 1983, he was promoted to Honorary Consul General of that area and for the next years, he championed the economic, political and cultural interests of Luxembourg and supported Luxembourg nationals. As Honorary Consul General, he met Grand Duke Henri and was honored with a series of decorations from Luxembourg, including Commandeur de l’Ordre de Merite du Grand Duche de Luxembourg.

The trauma of war
Jeanne said her father originally came to America to escape the shame and stigma hanging over him due to his brother having volunteered to join the German forces during World War II. Thousands of Luxembourgers were forcibly conscripted in the German forces after Germany annexed Luxembourg in 1942. Many resisted, with about 40 percent going into hiding, while approximately 3,000 Luxembourgers died. A national strike broke out to protest the German occupation, but it was violently suppressed and many leaders were executed. That made voluntary collaboration even more contemptible.

“Luxembourg is basically like a small town, so everybody knew about my uncle fighting with the Germans. My father, who had gone to live in Echternach with his uncle, felt that the legacy of his brother had a negative effect on his ability to get anywhere. It was a millstone around his neck and that’s why he moved to the U.S.,” Jeanne said. She eventually met her uncle while visiting her grandmother in Luxembourg.

“My dad was never close to his brother after he enlisted in the German army. But he lived in the same building as my grandmother, so we got to know him, and he was very funny, very, very kind and very nice. But he did the wrong thing,” said Jeanne.

Reconnecting with the land of her birth
When she turned 18 and registered to vote in the United States, Jeanne relinquished her Luxembourg birthright citizenship, which just seemed like the right thing to do at the time. But as she got older, she felt increasingly drawn to reclaiming her citizenship.

“My father didn’t actually talk about Luxembourg that much with my brother and me. I spent a good deal of time there as a child during the summers, so I got to know the countryside. Then, I started seeing information on the LACS [Luxembourg American Cultural Society] page on Facebook and Kevin’s posts about festivals and happenings and important figures. That’s when I decided to pursue my dual citizen. I felt I was missing so much about this beautiful country where I was born and that I had been to a few times at length,” said Jeanne. 

A retired lawyer, Jeanne, who has three adult children, lives in Lawrence, Kansas, with her husband Mike, a retired former state and federal prosecutor. She reclaimed her citizenship through Article 7 in 2023 by having an all-male lineage back to Luxembourg. 

Q & A with Jeanne

What does it mean to you to have your dual citizenship?
It’s very emotional for me. I was born in Luxembourg, and it feels like I’ve reclaimed something that was lost. 

What is your best memory from your time spent in Luxembourg?
I think it was just getting together with my father’s best friend and his family. They had three kids who were our age and we formed a close relationship with them. We would go to the country and to these wonderful restaurants and we had parties at his friend’s house. And just the country itself. Luxembourg is so beautiful and has so much to offer. The people are so kind. It just feels like home to me.

What was your experience working with Kevin at Luxembourg Legacy?
Kevin is the best. He told me in very clear language what I needed to do. If I had any questions, he was right there with an answer. He facilitated the whole process, which if I had had to research it and do it on my own, I don’t know whether I could have accomplished it. 

Plans to return to Luxembourg anytime soon?
I’m going on Kevin’s tour in May, and I plan on doing a lot of fun things and learning a lot. I know who my grandmother, grandfather, uncles and aunts were—I know all that—but it would be wonderful to go back a little father and see how long my family had lived in Luxembourg. I’d like to explore all that. And you know what? Maybe I’ll want to live there some day.

Jeanne and her mother have a number of paintings by her father’s uncle, who lived in Echternach, Luxembourg. Jeanne hopes to find her uncle’s descendants so that some of the paintings can someday be given to his family.