Obit: Gutwasser, Fred (1854 - 1929)
Contact:  Stan
Email: stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: GUTWASSER HAMFMEISTER HAHN SCHEFSICK HAFEMEISTER

----Sources: WEEKLY CLARION (Dorchester, Clark Co., WI) 10/25/1929

Gutwasser, Fred (28 SEP 1854 - 17 OCT 1929)

Mr. Fred Gutwasser died Thursday afternoon, October 17th, 1929, and was buried Sunday afternoon at 2:00 o’clock from St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Rev. Brandt officiating. Interment was made in Memorial Cemetery, south of the village (Dorchester, Clark Co., Wis.), and Albert Bischoff, Chas. Stahnke, Gust Genrich, Geo. Koehn, Max Vircks and Fred Lindner, of Colby, acted as pallbearers.

Fred Gutwasser wa born at Mequon, near Milwaukee, on Sept. 28, 1854 and was 75 years and 19 days old at the time of death.

On Feb. 28, 1876, he was united in marriage to Miss Bertha Hamfmeister of Kirchhaym, not farm from home. They resided near Milwaukee until 1883 when they came to Dorchester, Wis. Seven children were born to them, one daughter died before they came here and twin boys who died more than 30 years ago, leaving one son, Arthur, of Chippewa Falls, and three daughters, Mrs. Anna Hahn of Eau Claire, Mrs. Amanda Schefsick of Holton Township, and Miss Lydia, at home, who with their mother survive him. When the Gutwassers came here in 1883, they immediately engaged in the hardware business and conducted it for nearly 30 years.

They burned out twice, and each time built larger, the last store being the present Erickson Hardware store building.

Mr. Gutwasser was a quiet, sober, industrious businessman who cared more for business than society, but still fine and friendly when you knew him well. We can well call him one of our pioneer stock who took things as they were without complaint for well we know that when they started business in 1883, the money was note plentiful as it is now, in spite of what pessimists try to tell us and the businessman had to be optimistic and shrew too, to make a go of things, but Mr. Gutwasser was all this and succeeded as he well deserved.

The last two years his health has been very poor so the end was not unexpected, but still it was a great shock to his loved ones. May God comfort, as only He can, these dear mourning ones.

The out of town folks here for the funeral were: Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Gutwasser, daughter Velma and son Leonard, of Chippewa Falls; Mrs. Anna Hahn, daughter and husband, and sons Cecil and Waldemir of Eau Claire; Mr. and Mrs. Walhart and Mr. and Mrs. H. Schauss of Colby; Mrs. Richard Goetsch and son of Merrill; Mr. and Mrs. John Schauss of Wausau; Mr. and Mrs. L. Lemburg of Appleton; Mrs. Klemp, son and daughter, and Mr. H. Hafemeister of Antigo; Mr. and Mrs. Otto of Wausau; Mr. and Mrs. Fred Lindner of Colby; Mr. and Mrs. Paul Benzman and Mr. Pagel of Milan; Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Kuehl of Marshfield; Mr. Zeich, son Frank and wife of Wausau; Mr. and Mrs. Peter Beyrel of Colby, and Mr. and Mrs. Fred Leonhardt of Abbotsford, Wis.