Obit: Kaddatz, Erna (1895 - 1967)

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

Surnames: Kaddatz, Albrecht, Meier, Happe, Selk, Lindloff

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 6/15/1967

Kaddatz, Erna (4 May 1895 - 7 June 1967)

Funeral services were held Saturday afternoon from St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Neillsville for Mrs. Gustave (Erna) Kaddatz, 72, of Neillsville, who died here June 7. The Rev. Norman W. Lindloff officiated. Burial was made in the Nasonville Cemetery.

Mrs. Kaddatz, the former Erna Albrecht, was born May 4, 1895, in Clark County. She attended schools in the county and spent her entire lifetime as a resident of this community. On March 24, 1915, she was married to Gustave Kaddatz. They farmed in the town of Fremont and later in the Town of Levis. They retired in the early 1940’s, moving then to Neillsville.

She is survived by her husband; and two children, Mrs. William (Lillian) Meier of Merrill and Raymond Kaddatz of Wisconsin Rapids. Other survivors include: two sisters, Mrs. William (Lottie) Happe of Chili and Mrs. August (Lillian) Selk of Neillsville; and two brothers, the Rev. Ernest Albrecht of Miami, Fla., and Harold Albrecht of Dayton, O. Seven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

Mrs. Kaddatz was a member of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church and its Ladies Aid.

Funeral arrangements were made by the Georgas Funeral Home.

(Additional Notes provided by Don Schutte - schutteresale@yahoo.com )

Erna Kaddatz and her husband, Gustave, went to St. John’s Lutheran church here in Neillsville, Wisconsin.

In early 1940 - 41 Raymond “cookie” Kaddatz, Herb Shoenherr and my dad Alvin Schutte-all living close 5 mile south of Neillsville, Wis. They pooled their resources and bought the first tractor in the neighborhood. It was a McCormick Deering 10-20 on steel with steel lugs on the rear. It was used in the neighborhood for mostly plowing then for pulling the grain binder, me driving it at 10 or 11 years old. Dad’s brother Henry Schutte would ride the grain binder that had "power steering", and it took all the power you had.

Shortly after that time ray Kaddatz was called into service, navy I think. Herb Shoenherr and Alvin Schutte bought out Ray’s share of the 10-20 and then bought a 22 inch threshing machine which they used to thresh oats for all the neighbors. I sat on the tractor all day while threshing, as the "mechanic", having to throw in the clutch if the threshing machine plugged and threw the belt.

Those were the days where the term "threshermans meal" came from all those delicious German and polish dishes.

One year they thrashed about 4 miles south of our farm which today is n8026 Hwy. 95, Neillsville, WI. When done, I drove the 10-20, pulling the threshing machine home. It took over and hour!

I remember of threshing for Gus Kaddatz, Paul Wagner, Herman Meir, Henry Schutte, art Kurbyan, Herb Shoenherr, Henry Seidlman and our place Alvin Schutte. All these people have been deceased for many years. most were members of St. john’s Lutheran church in Neillsville, WI.


All these farmers had 10 or 12 cows and 80 to 120 acre farms and some big families.

I wish I had some pictures, but in those days not everyone had the old 620 box camera and developing prints cost money.