Obituary of Jean Goetsch

A Funeral Service for Jean Goetsch, age 86, of Spirit Lake will be held on Saturday, February 4, 2023, at 10:00am at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Spirit Lake. Burial will be in Lakeview Gardens Cemetery. Visitation will take place on Friday, February 3, 2023, from 5:00-7:00pm at the Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Spirit Lake. 

Jean Y. Goetsch, born August 30, 1936 in Terril, Iowa and passed January 31, 2023. Jean was born to Harry and Della Probst Goetsch.

Jean graduated from the Terril High School in 1954. She was baptized and confirmed at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Terril and later an avid member of the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Spirit Lake where she taught Pre-K Sunday School for over fifteen years.

Jean started working while in Jr. High at the local café in Terril. She came to Spirit Lake in July of 1956 where she worked for the County Superintendent of Schools and part time work for the County Engineer, Elementary Supervisor and area psychologist. In January of 1959, she started in the Clerk of Court Office in Dickinson County as a deputy and was elected as Clerk of the District Court in November of 1972. She retired from the Clerks Office in November of 1992. Over the years, Jean served on many local civic committees and very active in BPW having served on the local, district, and state levels. She served as secretary to the Dickinson County Bar Association and many District and State Committees while Clerk of Court. She was also on the Board of Directors for the Dickinson County Museum, having served as Treasurer for many years. Jean was cited in Outstanding Young Women of America, Outstanding Civic Leaders of America, National Register for Prominent Americans, and listed in “Who’s Who” in government. Retirement wasn’t for her so she worked at Super 8 Motel for 7 months and then for Cornell Abstract for about a year and a half. She then started working at Wymer Insurance for her sister and remained there for over twenty years until she finally retired at the age of 83.

She loved to travel, having traveled most of the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Hawaiian Islands, Netherlands, Amsterdam, England, France, Italy, Venice, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, East and West Berlin, Spain and Morocco.

She loved to work and help others in need. She loved her family, her church and her friends.

Jean was preceded in death by her parents, Harry and Della Goetsch; brother, Cloy Goetsch and his wife, Carole.

Survivors are her sister, Connie Wymer and her husband William; nieces, Cara Wymer Naatjes (DJ), Colette Goetsch Brown (Kelly) and Cheryl Goetsch Adams (Bryce); nephew, Brian (Jennifer) Wymer, along with many other nieces and nephews. Two special people in her life were her great nephews, Cruz (Handsome) and Cain (Cutie Pie) Naatjes.