Gottung (Gruny–Eck–Vetter) Family Reunion held in Wausau/Marathon, August 8, 9, & 10
Family members from ten states, including California, Florida, & Oregon, Alabama and Ohio, celebrated the first ever Gottung Reunion. The Reunion included genealogy displays, a golf outing at Pine Valley Golf Course in Marathon, a family style dinner at the Village Inn in Marathon, and a Pub-Crawl, by bus, to pubs in the Town of Cassel and Marathon City. Family members brought auction items that netted over $500 for reunion expenses. The oldest member attending was Norbert Eck of Alta Loma, California who traveled to the reunion at the age of 85. Norbert grew up in Marathon and is the son of the late Anna (Gottung) Eck and Peter Eck. The youngest member attending was one year old, Daniel Ustipak of Stillwater, MN, the great-great, grandson of Matthias and Anna Gottung and son of Cheryl and Jon Ustipak of Stillwater.
Family members enjoyed a bus ride visiting Marathon's St. Mary's Cemetery, and other sites. Reunion members also toured the original Gottung Family Homestead in the Town of Cassel. The present owners of the farm, Kay and Gary Wilichowski, were present to visit with family members. All Gottung relatives attended Mass at St. Mary's Church in Marathon. Brother Augustine Mallak, music director at St. Procopius Abbey in Lisle, Illinois (son of Ludmilla (Gruny) Mallak and Ben Mallak of Rantoul, IL & Indiatlantic Florida) provided the organ music at the Mass. On Sunday, the family enjoyed a family picnic at Marathon Park and a nostalgic ride on the historic Marathon Park train. Honored guests at the reunion were the grandchildren of Matthias and Anna Gottung. They were, Loretta (Vetter) Cawthorne of St. Paul, MN, Cora (Gruny) Gianoli of Wausau, Adolph Gruny, Jr. of Marathon, Helen (Gottung) Garski of Wausau, Norbert Eck of Alta Loma, California, and Ben Mallak of Indiatlantic, Florida.
The Reunion was based at the Plaza Hotel & Suites in Wausau where a continuous computer slide show of over 250 family photos were shown. Nathan L. Smith, of Iowa City, IA City - great great grandson of Matthias and Anna Gottung, produced the slide show. Family members hope to hold another reunion in two or three years.
Written by:
Sandy (Gianoli) Smith
3604 Aspen Dr.
West Des Moines, IA 50265
Cell: (515) 491-6112
Pictured are family members in front of the original Town of Cassel farm homestead settled by Matthias and Anna Gottung in 1889.
Photo taken August 9, 2003.
