BioA: Gotter, Mr. and Mrs. Celen  (Golden - 1981)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Gotter, Verhulst, Voskuil, Axelson, Decker, Conrad, Bealer, Jensen, Luchterhand, Roth, Davel, Dugre, Luchterhand, Degenhardt

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 9/03/1981

Gotter, Mr. and Mrs. Celon (Golden - 1981)

The Loyal United Methodist Church was the site for the golden wedding anniversary of Celen and Harriet Gotter of Loyal on Saturday afternoon, August 22. Over 160 friends and relatives were in attendance.

The couple and their attendants wore gold corsages and boutonnieres. Yellow flowers decorated the room.

During the program, Helen Axelson, Loyal, recalled school memories of her years with the former Harriet Verhulst while they were students in the Greenwood Schools.

The Gotter’s daughter and son-in-law, Donna and Paul Decker, San Diego, California, sang a special selection for the couple. Slides of the Gotter and Verhulst families were also shown. A tape created by their grandchildren, Greg and Jane Decker (the latter now Mrs. David Conrad), was played.

Harriet Verhulst was born in the Town of Longwood to Peter and Elizabeth (Voskuil) Verhulst. Celen was the son of Richard and Alvina (Bealer-Jensen) Gotter and was born at the Star Corner Cheese Factory where his parents worked.

Celen moved to various cheese factories with his parent s when he was young. He learned the cheesemaking trade at the age of seven. In 1927, he worked at Braun Auto in Loyal and later at Luchterhand Transfer, Eazy Camper and Roth Manufacturing, all in Loyal.

Harriet worked in Sheboygan after her education and then at various stores in Greenwood before going to Loyal to work for T.B. Colby, Davel’s Store and the Citizen’s State Bank, the latter from which she retired.

Celen has served as president of the Loyal Rotary Club and on the board of the Clark County Historical Society. He also was on the board of the Loyal Public Schools from 1939 into the 1960’s.
He is also a member of the Loyal Methodist Church’s Men’s Club. Harriet is a member of the United Methodist Women, the Women’s Club, the Garden Club, The Pelsdorf Homemakers and is an oracle in Royal Neighbors.

Both are active in their church. She taught Sunday School for many years and was elementary superintendent while Celen served as superintendent.

Celen now enjoys gardening and fishing. She likes to knit, crochet and do garden work.

The couple were married on August 20, 1931, in the Greenwood United Methodist Church. The attendants were her sister, now Grace Dugre of New Berlin; his sisters, now Lorene Luchterhand and Elaine Degenhardt, both of Marshfield; his brothers, Harvey, now of Springfield, Oregon, and Elroy, now of Eau Claire; and her nephew, Lyle Verhulst, Loyal.

During their earlier married life, their primary school age grandchildren stayed with them to attend school in Loyal. (The Deckers were at that time on missionary work.)

Celen and Harriet enjoy traveling and have tone to Africa to visit their daughter, son-in-law and family who were there in church work.