George Bernard Gottemoeller
George Bernard Gottemoeller, beloved husband, father, brother, grandfather, and friend, died on February 25, 2017 on his farm in New Haven, MO. He is celebrated by his wife of 38 years Madeline (Mooney), children, Adrian McPherson of Mexico, MO, Sarah Gottemoeller and husband Yoany Lopez of St. Louis, Adam Gottemoeller and wife Heather of Mt. Ayr, IA, and Eileen Mary Gottemoeller and husband Luke Torjesen of Charleston, SC. His grandchildren, Trent, Lucia, Spencer, David, Joseph, Marbella, and Henry loved to sit on his lap, read books with him, and get scruffle-duffled. George’s parents, Ben and Edna (Gaier) Gottmoeller preceded him in death. His siblings, Fred and wife Patricia Gottemoeller, Larry and wife Christine Gottemoeller, Mary Ellen Gottemoeller, Rose Gottemoeller and husband Raymond Arnaudo, Lori Raphael and husband Mike Hemmer, and Marlene McCarthy and husband Sean, and numerous nieces and nephews remember his love of music, sense of humor, ridiculous knowledge of trivia, and quiet presence at family events.
George was born March 17, 1945 in Columbus, OH, where he attended St. Charles Preparatory High School and graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 1967.After attending Reserve Officer Training in Rhode Island, he was stationed in San Diego and served as a U.S. Naval Officer with the Beach Jumper Unit in Vietnam. After leaving the service, he traveled through Europe on a motorcycle, lived six months in Sweden on a farm, and then filled his passport with stamps from Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.
George and Madeline were residents of New Haven for 38 years after finding a farm for sale shortly after they were married. He was active at Senate Grove United Methodist Church, Riverfront Cultural Society, and American Legion, and loved coaching his children’s Little League baseball teams in the summers. He was an artist who loved woodworking and making furniture, and his work was featured at the St. Louis Zoo, Fox Theater, in Traditional Home magazine, and Best of Missouri Hands.
He was a conservationist in every sense of the word. He preferred to fix than to buy new. He loved growing things and researched how to best grow Missouri native plants. He was best known for his ability to build almost anything using traditional tools and methods, even purchasing a sawmill to use locally harvested wood. He taught his children to love nature and Cardinals baseball, bake bread, take the backroads, appreciate the rambunctious spirit of kids, and use power tools. A voracious reader, George instilled a love of books and will be remembered by his family sitting in the sun in his denim-on-denim, reading his book-of-the-day, with sharp cheddar and a pb+j, or walking with his wife in the evenings through fields of trees he planted for future generations to enjoy.
A public celebration of George’s life will be held Saturday, April 15, 2017, at Röbller Winery in New Haven, MO from 2-6 p.m. Gifts in his honor can be made to New Haven Youth League Baseball at PO Box 185, New Haven, MO 63068 or Immanuel Senate Grove UMC Cemetery Fund at PO Box 203, New Haven, MO 63068.