Paul Goetz

Paul Mark Goetz, 68, died suddenly Wednesday, May 25, 2011. He was born August 25, 1942 in Chicago, IL to Paul Vincent and Lucille Emily (Kostka) Goetz. He lived in Chicago and attended St. Edward’s School until 2nd grade when the family moved to Niles, IL where he attended St. Juliana School and then graduated in 1960 from Niles Twp. High School in Skokie, IL. On June 29, 1963, he was united in marriage to Carole Marie Oldham at St. Juliana Church in Chicago. They lived briefly in Niles, IL and then spent the next thirty years in Glenview, IL, where they raised their family. He was preceded in death by his parents, Paul and Lucille. He is survived by his wife, Carole; daughters, Kristine (Peter) Bonebrake and Jennifer (Joseph) Volino; son, Matthew; brother, Thomas (Kay) Goetz and four grandchildren. He is further survived by his dear friends of over sixty years, Richard (Joan) Lammersfeld, Al (Diane) Mundt and Goddaughter Carolyn Lammersfeld. Paul worked as a letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service for over 36 years. He loved waling his route and said, “There aren’t many people who are fortunate to have a job where they can say they’ve never minded going to work every day.” Paul taught himself to do taxidermy and had a business, Fin and Feather Taxidermy, where he specialized in fish mounts and deer heads. Paul was able to retire at age 55 and move to his beloved Northwoods where he enjoyed fishing and observing the beauty of the woods and nature around him. Paul’s lifelong love of fishing and hunting began as a young boy and lasted a lifetime. He loved nothing better than to spend the day fishing in a boat or walking along a trout stream or the shore of a lake, especially his beloved Spring Lake. He cherished the times he spent fishing with his Dad, brother Tom, son Matt, son-in-law Peter and many friends. Paul also loved pheasant, dove and grouse hunting in Illinois and Iowa as well as duck hunting on the Mississippi River in Wisconsin and North Dakota. He said, “There’s nothing more special than sitting in a duck blind with your dog, watching the sun come up over a duck marsh and listening to it come to life with all the sounds of nature.” Paul loved dogs, especially Labrador Retrievers, and his family had an endless parade of them. To Paul, the best part of bird hunting was watching the dogs work the field and then put up the birds and retrieve them. Paul was an avid sports fan. He played football, basketball, hockey and especially loved baseball. He began playing baseball in grammar school. He was the winning pitcher of an all-star Little League team that played its championship game in Thillen’s Stadium in Chicago, and continued this passion as an adult playing on many softball teams. He was a true and committed fan of many Chicago sports teams, especially the Bulls, Bears and Cubs. He enjoyed participating in youth sports as a coach for his daughters’ basketball teams and son’s Little League teams as well as refereeing many different sports at the park district level. Bolger Funeral and Cremation Services of Minocqua and Woodruff is handling the arrangements. A celebration of Paul’s life will be held at a Memorial Service on Saturday, June 4, 2011, at Ascension Lutheran Church, 7937 Hwy 51 South, Minocqua, WI, at noon, followed by lunch at the church. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research or Ascension Lutheran Church Building Fund would be appreciated.

Paul Goetz

August 25, 1942 - May 25, 2011