BioA: Schoelzel, Mr./Mrs. August (50th Anniv. - 1942)

Contact: Stan

Surnames: Schoelzel, Meyers, Leonhard, Bahn, Schulz, Spiering, Motzfeldt, Gerhardt, Phillips, Leonhardt, Yonka, Schultz, Thieme, Franzmeier

----Sources: Colby Phonograph (Colby, Clark County, Wis.) 07/09/1942

Schoelzel, Mr./Mrs. August (50th Anniv. - 3 July 1942)

Mr. and Mrs. August Schoelzel of Colby celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at festivities conducted at the First Evangelical and Reformed church Friday, July 3rd, Rev. Franzmeier delivered the sermon. The church was decorated with large baskets of mixed yellow flowers. At 5:00 o’clock, a dinner was served to about 100 relatives and friends at the parish hall. The centerpiece on the table was a large wedding cake decorated with gold leaves. Two bouquets of gold roses and seasonal yellow flowers were also used for decorations. The evening was spent in playing cards at the home. Mr. and Mrs. Schoelzel received many beautiful gifts.

Mr. and Mrs. Schoelzel were both born in Germany, the former on August 24, 1865, and Mrs. Schoelzel on January 31, 1873. Both went to Chicago when they came to the United States; Mr. Schoelzel in 1882 and Mrs. Schoelzel in 1880. They were married in Chicago on July 3, 1892. They moved onto a farm eight miles southwest of Colby in 1893. In 1921, they retired and moved to the city of Colby, Wis.

Mr. and Mrs. Schoelzel have been members of the First Evangelical and Reformed church of Colby since 1903. Mrs. Schoelzel was president of the ladies’ aid for twenty-five years. They had five children, one of whom, a daughter, Clara, died at the age of 12. The four living are Mrs. Herbert (Helen) Meyers of Curtiss, Mrs. John (Ella) Leonhard of Lake Geneva, Wis., Mrs. Walter (Meta) Bahn of Lake Geneva, Wis., and Rudolph Schoelzel who resides on the home farm. Mrs. Schoelzel has one brother, Albert Schulz, of Hillsboro, Iowa. Mr. Schoelzel has one sister, Mrs. Emma Spiering, of Chicago, and two brothers, Robert and Charles, of Chicago and Denver, Colo., respectively. There are 31 grand children and four great grand children.

Those present from out of town were Mr. and Mrs. John Schulz of Batavia, Iowa, Albert Schulz of Hillsboro, Iowa, Mrs. Emma Spiering, Mrs. Clara Motzfeldt, Mrs. Wm. Gerhardt, son, Billy, daughter, Caryl, Mr. and Mrs. Michael Phillips and Victor and Edward Spiering, all of Chicago, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Bahn and son, Chester, and Mr. and Mrs. John Leonhard and daughters, Joyce and Mary Rose, of Lake Geneva, Miss Pearl Leonhardt of Woodstock, Ill., Miss Berneta Bahn of Milwaukee, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Yonka and daughter, John, of Rib Lake, Mr. and Mrs. Otto Schultz of Unity, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Thieme, Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Meyers, Sr., Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Meyers, Jr., and Mrs. Henry Meyers, all of Curtiss, Wis.

At the hall, the following paper was read:

The third of July in ‘92

Most fifty years ago you see,

They joined together in wedlock tight

Two whom we honor here tonight.

He was a farmer stout and trim,

All the girls set their caps for him.

But for this young man they angled in vain,

His heart was captured by Anna Schulz.

She was a maiden, blithe and gay,

A very heart-breaking girl they say;

But while others stood around only made eyes,

August sailed in and secured the prize.

He knew by the way she made things hum,

That to live with her would be kingdom come.

And he said he could live a happy life,

If only she would be his wife.

The wedding day dawned bright and fair

As if to favor the happy pair.

The parson came and deed was done,

And then it began to rain life fun.

Which proved the maxim not yet set aside,

"If stormy the day, then stormy the bride."

But they started out in spite of the weather,

In the new lumber wagon - hearts light as a feather.

All sorts of folks take the marriage vow,

***Note: The rest of the article was cut off and not available at the time of transcription.