Verda J. Goetzman

Verda J Goetzman, La Crosse died Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at Hillview Nursing Home; she was 103.

Verda was born to Fred L & Emma (Lauterbach) Kramer on September 2, 1919.  She attended Central H.S. and went to La Crosse State Teacher’s College for 2 years.  It was there that she met John Sayer.

They married January 1942 in Childress TX.  Their son, John, was born in April, 1943 and on Sept 23, 1943 her husband, John, who was a member of the U.S. Army Air Corps,  was killed in a flight training mission.   Verda returned to La Crosse and attended Coleman Technical School to become an accountant.

In 1949, Verda married Harry Goetzman.  They moved to Minneapolis MN and then to Rochester NY and returned to La Crosse to run Universal Photo Service for many years.

Verda was always well-liked and had many friends.  In 1st grade she met Norma Helke and they became and remained best friends until Norma passed.  Verda had a great sense of humor and enjoyed life.  A good friend of her’s, Jean Temlitz, had a saying that Verda adopted when things didn’t always go as you might like – “Oh, well; what the hell”.

Verda is survived by her son, John Sayer of Minneapolis MN; her son, Thomas Goetzman and his wife Sandra of West Salem; their children -Amanda (Jason) Mather & children Emerson and Elliott – and Charlie (Jenn) Goetzman of Iowa and her son, Fred Goetzman and his wife Donna of Chaseburg.

Verda was preceded in death by her parents, Fred & Emma Kramer, her husband John Sayer in 1943, her husband Harry Goetzman in 1993 and many friends.

Life won’t be the same without her.

Private family services will be held at a later date.