Gogoll Grace Elizabeth
| Type of person | Individual |
|---|---|
| Also known as: | Gogoll, Grace Elizabeth (nee Wendt) |
Gawler has lost a tireless community worker and a lovely lady. Her obituary is shared with you………………
Grace Elizabeth Gogoll was born on 14th June 1934 to Carl August Gustav Wendt and his wife, Bertha Hulda (nee Traeger) in Temora, NSW. She lived with her parents and sister, Rhonda, and brother, Victor, on a farm in the district of Trungley Hall, 11 miles from Temora.
Grace attended the Trungley Hall Lutheran School to Grade 6 and then boarded in Temora to attend High School, as she was keen to become a Lutheran school teacher. She attained her Leaving Certificate and then travelled to SA to attend Concordia College for one year in 1951. In 1952, she was sent to Tarrington, Victoria, to do her practical teaching, and in 1953 did a one year training course at the Wattle Park Teachers’ College, at which time she was a fully qualified teacher. There had been a serious shortage of teachers during that period; hence the shortened course of study being allowed.
She was sent to Concordia College in Toowoomba, Queensland, in 1954 for approximately 18 months, but then worked as a deaconess in Woolongong, NSW, to assist Pastor Fred Traeger in his ministry works with migrants.
Grace became a teacher again in 1956 and 1957 in Tarrington, where she became engaged to Gordon Nagorcka and had intended marrying in 1958. However, circumstances changed dramatically in December 1957 when her brother Victor died as a result of a car accident. Then, out of the blue, in early 1958 Grace was offered the headmistress position at the Warrayure Lutheran School, 11 miles from Hamilton, so Grace, her mother and Rhonda lived in the teacher’s residence. In 1959 she married Gordon at Tarrington and they all moved to Adelaide. Tragically, Gordon was killed in a car accident near Tarrington while spending Christmas with his family in December 1960. Grace had been teaching in the State Public Schools around Adelaide, and in 1961 became headmistress of the Lyndoch Lutheran School where she had her mother’s company in the teacher’s residence next to the school.
In 1964, Grace and her mother did a world tour of 8 months and visited India, the Middle East, Europe, Russia and the United States. Grace had met Carl Gogoll in Lyndoch prior to going overseas and they became engaged immediately on her return to Australia, and married on 26th December 1964. Grace loved music and Mrs Appelt, the pastor’s wife in Trungley Hall, taught her to play the piano. She also played the organ in several churches where she resided over the years. Rhonda recalls Grace introducing square dancing to the young folk of Trungley Hall when she came home on holidays and they enjoyed this activity immensely. She also participated in Gilbert and Sullivan operettas at High School and played major roles in them.
Grace then taught at the Light Pass Lutheran School from 1969 to 1973 and then taught at the Tanunda Lutheran School for one year. In 1975, Grace accepted a call back to St Jacobi Lutheran School, which made life easier being closer to home. She taught there until 1981, after which she taught at the Angaston Lutheran School for approximately four years, and then did relief teaching at various schools.
During all these years, Grace was organist for St John’s Lutheran School in Lyndoch, and the later years, after moving to Gawler, played at the Zion church. Grace was very active in church duties throughout her years. She was also active in Probus and on the committee for the Royal Society for the Blind, whilst doing volunteer work for Eldercare, the Lutheran Community Care Op shop at Smithfield, which she loved doing. She did a lot of fundraising for other charities – Royal Flying Doctor Service; Red Cross; Seeing Eye Dogs; Multiple Sclerosis Society; Cerebal palsy and many more. Grace was caring and unselfish along life’s journey. She has touched many people along the way. She was a shining light to all and will be sadly missed. A true child of God, called home to eternal blessing with our Lord.
Compiled and read by Pastor Clem Traeger.
Memories of Gogoll Grace Elizabeth
Rememberer::Bubbly015) remembers: My darling mother, what can I say other than I love you and kim takes over nowMum, what can I say other than I still cant believe that you have gone, as you were supposed to be with us for many years yet to come. What can one say about your life other than amazing and an inspiration.. I am so proud of you for everything you have done. You moulded so many minds with your teaching, and I have had many condolences from your previous students, and you were so very loved by them. I also thank you for teaching me for 5 of my 7 years of primary school. I thank you for adopting me and being my mother, who could have asked for a better role model than you. You loved your family, and worshipped your grandchildren, and then Madison, your great grandchild. You always encouraged me through all my achievements in life, but was the only person who really understood, when I went through my dark years recently, and stood by my side and was always there to pull me through. I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it wasn’t for you. I am so proud of you for all your community and volunteer work, it was endless, along with all the work you put into your church community. Don’t think we can look at that organ the same again. But I look at it today with pride. I want to share a story that only Mum and I knew. Those of you who really know me, know that I have a passion for motorcycles and being the pillion passenger. Everytime I went for a ride with one of my friends, we would go to Mum and Dads and show them the bike. Mum was always the first out the door and yelling out “Come on Carl, come and have a look at this bike!” She would always comment on it and it seemed to me that she had an interest in it. So one day I asked her if she would ever like to go for a ride, so she said that she wouldn’t be able to get on one, so I said to her, how about I hire a trike and we can both go together for a ride through the Barossa and back. She was so excited and agreed to it and it was going to be a bucket list item. Well sorry Mum but we didn’t get to do it. Just want to say thankyou for being my Mum and I love you very much.
Rememberer::Bubbly015) remembers:
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