Surnames: Vorland, Bergemann, Nelsen, Smith, Loos, Hunt, Dallmann, Lehmer, Bane, Strathman, Cross, Weix, Kratochwill, Tesmer, Goeltz, Frome, Lamont, Schuh, Diedrich, Firnstahl, Gries, Sabler, Zassenhaus, Shelly, Rannow, Lukowicz, Stieber, Schjoneman, Allmann, Kademan, Gosse, Augustine, Mueller, Hubing, Frane, Jackson, Kraut, Gorton, Zulke, Pagel, Jaeger, Kind, Reimer, Pohl, Cattanach, Madison, Engh, Tischendorf, Cooper, Rude, Chase, Falkestad, Hammer, Larson, Hill, De Sota

----Sources: Colby Phonograph (Colby, Clark County, Wis.) 06/14/1951

Vorland, Gorton Tobias (14 Apr. 1908 - 11 June 1951)

Gorton Vorland, 43-years-old Colby, Wisconsin attorney, ended his life Monday night with a blast from a 12-guage shotgun. His body was discovered by his wife at about 11:30 P.M. The time of death was set at about 8:00 P.M. John Bergeman, Clark county coroner, stated that no inquest will be held.

Mrs. Vorland and daughter, Mary, had been in Wausau that day from 9:30 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. where Mary took a dancing lesson. Mr. Vorland was scheduled to attend a meeting of the board of directors of the Colby Chamber of Commerce that evening which he did not attend, and, upon inquiry, could not be located. Later, Mrs. Vorland found his shoes and noticed that his bed-room slippers were missing so concluded that he could not be far away and began to search for him. She soon found his lifeless body in the garage.

Vorland had been suffering from a nervous and mental condition for the past several years and had recently returned from Madison where he had been for a physical examination. He was a member of both the Clark and Marathon County Bar Associations, of the Colby units of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion and the Colby Lodge F. & A.M.

Surviving are his wife; a daughter, Mary, age four; his father, George Vorland of Colby; and a sister, Mrs. Georgia Nelsen of Minneapolis, Minn.

Funeral services will be held Friday afternoon at 2:00 o’clock at the high school gym, Rev. F. J. Smith officiating, and internment will be made in the Colby (Colby, Clark Co. Wis.) Cemetery.

Complete obituary will be published next week.

Mr. Vorland was a just and upright citizen, a kind husband and father and an honorable and useful citizen who took a keen interest in civic affairs. He was always ready to put his shoulder to the wheel and do more than just his share in working for any project for the advancement or betterment of this community. His many friends, as well as the general public, were shocked Tuesday morning when the news of his sudden departure from this world spread about town.

----Sources: Colby Phonograph (Colby, Clark County, Wis.) 06/21/1951

Funeral services for Gorton Tobias Vorland, whose death was chronicled last week, were held at the Colby High School Friday afternoon, Rev. F. J. Smith, pastor of the Colby Methodist church officiating, and S. L. Loos officiating at the Masonic rites. Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion were in charge of military rites. Pall bearers were S. L. Loos, Vernon Loos, Frank Hunt, Victor Dallmann, Dr. R. A. Lehmer and Howard Bane. Flowers were in charge of Mrs. R. W. Strathman, Mrs. J. F. Cross, Mrs. Howard Bane, Mrs. Vernon Loos, Miss Barbara Weix and Mrs. Kenneth Kratochwill. Flag bearers were Junior Tesmer, Frank Goeltz, Jr., Milford Frome, Angus Lamont, Jr., Anthony Schuh, Norbert Diedrich. The American Legion escort consisted of I. M. Firnstahl, John Gries, Charles Sabler, Dr. F. A. Weix. The military escort consisted of Francis Zassenhaus, Francis Cross, Dwight Shelly, Arnold Rannow, Leo Lukowicz. The firing squad consisted of Howard Rannow, David Stieber, Merlin Schjoneman, Edward Allmann, Harold Kademan, Arvin Gosse, Norman Augustine, Lawrence Mueller and Michael Stieber. Internment was made in the Colby (Colby, Clark Co. Wis.) Cemetery where the flag was presented by Clyde Hubing and John Frane.

Mr. Vorland was born in Colfax on April 14, 1908, graduated from the Colfax High School in 1926 and served one year as president of West Wisconsin High School Y.M.C.A. He attended Minneapolis Law School and was admitted to the bar in Minnesota after which he practiced law in Minneapolis for a short time. He served as abstract examiner for the Federal Land Bank in St. Paul for two years after which he served with the Wisconsin Farm Credit Administration. In 1937, he entered into partnership with Frank A. Jackson, forming the law firm of Jackson & Vorland, here in Colby, Wis. After the death of Mr. Jackson in 1945, he continued the law practice alone. He was married to Pearl Anna Kraut at Minneapolis, Minnesota, on October 7, 1943. He entered the U.S. service February 10, 1943, and served in England and Germany until September 28th, 1945, when he was honorably discharged.

He was a member of the Wisconsin Bar Association and the Clark and Marathon County Bar Associations. He was a 32nd degree Mason, a member of the Wisconsin Shrine, the Colby Masonic Lodge, the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Colby Chamber of Commerce. He was a director of and counsel for Thiele Kaolin Company, Sandersville, Georgia, and secretary and treasurer of the Neal Smith, Inc., Dorchester, Wis.

Surviving are his wife and daughter, his father, George Vorland, and one sister, Mrs. Georgia Nelson of Minneapolis.

Out of town relatives attending the funeral were Dr. and Mrs. Earl Allen Nelson of Minneapolis, Minn., Mrs. Merle Gorton of Eau Claire, Mr. and Mrs. Willard Zulke and daughter, Pamela, and Miss Marie Kraut of Madison, Mr. and Mrs. Herman Pagel and Charlotte Pagel of Chilton, Mrs. Walter Jaeger of Kiel, Mr. and Mrs. Ted Pagel of Frankville, Wis., Mr. and Mrs. Otto Kind of Greenwood, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Reimer of West Bend, Donald Benedum of Waupaca, Donald Kraut, Mr. and Mrs. Franklin Kraut, Beverly and Betty Kraut, Mrs. Augusta Pohl and Miss Bertha Kraut, all of Curtiss.

Friends here for the funeral were James Cattanach of Madison, Mrs. Paine of Eau Claire, Mr. and Mrs. Glen Madison and Mr. and Mrs. Erland Engh of Marshfield, Mrs. Kenneth Kratochwill of Muscoda, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Tischendorf and family of Dorchester, Mr. and Mrs. Neal Smith of Medford, Dr. and Mrs. C. A. Cooper, Mr. and Mrs. Austin Rude, Mrs. Jennie Chase, Mrs. Falkestad, Gerhardt Hammer, Rueben Larson, Elbert Hill, F. J. Conway and Mrs. Ruth De Sota, all of Colfax.