Obituaries

Our much beloved Paul Norton Gohdes died peacefully with his wife at his side at Capitol Lakes Health Center in Madison, Wisconsin, on September 3, 2024.

He was born February 25, 1935, in Wausau, Wisconsin, to Mabel Elaine (Norton) Gohdes and Harold Carl Gohdes, and grew up in the small town of Edgar, Wisconsin, where he roamed the woods with his dog, Laddie, played cornet in the high school band (from fifth grade on), participated in Boy Scouts, worked at his dad’s drug store, and graduated HS in 1953. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Science in 1957 and his Doctor of Medicine degree in 1960 from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. On August 24, 1957, during med school, Paul married his high school sweetheart, Dolores Mary Wagner. She worked as a registered nurse to support the couple through the final years of med school and a rotating internship at Rockford Memorial Hospital in Rockford, Illinois, while at the same time starting a family. That was followed by two years in the United States Public Health Service, Division of Foreign Quarantine in El Centro, California, where Paul worked with seasonal farm workers from Mexico. In 1963 they returned to Wisconsin to begin a four year residency in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at UW and VA Hospitals in Madison.

Certified in Pathology in 1967, Paul spent the next 26½ years as a general pathologist at Theda Clark Hospital in Neenah, Wisconsin, the last few years jointly with Appleton Medical Center. Together with Thom Pharmakis, they established the School of Medical Technology at Theda Clark, affiliated with UW Oshkosh and St. Norbert’s College. Paul was instrumental in creating a medical library at Theda Clark, establishing a state-of-the-art toxicology service, and was active in the Winnebago County Medical Society and as a director in the Fox Valley Academy of Medicine.

During their 67 years of marriage, their five children and foster son brought Paul & Dolores great joy. Family life was filled with curiosity, music, good food, game-playing, holiday gatherings, shared chores, Neenah activities & programs, and family trips – including Amtrak to California and road trips to Nova Scotia, Big Bend TX, Washington DC, and to the parks & historical sites of Wisconsin and a full circuit of Lake Superior. School Solo & Ensemble time often found Paul at the piano accompanying the children in their contest pieces. In an early conservation effort, the family bought 271 acres of mixed woodland & marsh near Readfield, Wisconsin, where work trips to build a campsite in the woods and trails through the swamps loom large in family lore. They hosted an AFS student (Sandra Bobleter) from Innsbruck, Austria, and afterward there were multiple trips to Europe to visit her family.

In addition to his professional activities, Paul and Dolores were involved in many community projects including the ABC (A Better Chance) program in the Fox Cities sponsoring students of color for several years of education in the Neenah-Menasha school systems. As a member of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Paul served on the church council for several terms, was active on the Social Concerns Committee, and sang in the choir. A cycling group called “The Holy Spokes” was formed at Gloria Dei, and Paul & Dolores enjoyed weekend jaunts on the wonderful trails in Wisconsin and Minnesota – always with dessert at the end of a ride (preferably pecan pie!). Paul was a Boy Scout Webelo leader and enjoyed being a “Friend” in Best Friends (a Big Brothers-type program) with Juan De La Cruz in Neenah-Menasha. Paul was especially proud of the part he & Dolores played in establishing a partnership between Gloria Dei and Hephatha Lutheran, an inner city church in north Milwaukee which they continue to support. Social Justice study visits to Eastern Europe and Mexico with GATE of LaCrosse, and pleasure trips with Road Scholars kept Paul & Dolores learning and growing.

After his retirement, Paul & Dolores moved to Tucson Arizona, living first in Sun City Vistoso, where the beauty and mystery of the desert and the strong sense of history never ceased to amaze them. He continued his volunteering, working both with Primavera (jobs/homelessness) and the Postal History Foundation as Educational Coordinator, taking stamp programs to many grade schools in the area. Later, Paul & Dolores moved downtown to the close-knit Armory Park del Sol solar community, where they made many friends and Paul served as secretary on the Armory Park Neighborhood Association Board and in multiple capacities in the Armory Park del Sol Neighborhood Association. In Tucson Paul & Dolores made the choice to attend the same church for the first time in their marriage, and they became active in Grace St. Paul Episcopal Church, where they chaired the Bridging Borders Committee, working with undocumented immigrants in a variety of programs involving emergency food, water, and educational outreach.

In 2012, Paul & Dolores returned to Wisconsin, settling in Madison at the wonderful Capitol Lakes Continuing Care Retirement Community where Paul served three terms on the Executive Committee of the Residents Association as well as on several committees and service groups. Together they enjoyed the people at CapLakes, the many cultural benefits of Madison, and the delight of being closer to many family members and their hometown of Edgar. A special joy for both was welcoming four great-grandchildren during the pandemic, and one more this year. Paul rallied to attend one final 4-generation family reunion week in Door County in July — a lasting tradition he & Dolores started in 1997 for their 40th wedding celebration.

Paul is survived by his wife, Dolores Mary (Wagner) Gohdes, along with their five children, Beth (Bill Karns), Mark (Chris), Jill Wiebe (Keith), Joel (Devorah Goldman), and Carol Laurion (Jim), and foster son Phillip Tessen. Paul is also survived by seven grandchildren, Jacob Wiebe, Kathryn (Andrew) Grams, Hannah Karns (Matthew Gifford), Samuel Karns (Madeline Bear), Morgan Gohdes (Sarah Ranallo), Andrew (Cassidy) Laurion, and Peter (Jacqueline Johnson) Laurion; three great-granddaughters, Inez “Nellie” Grams, Aurora Gifford, and Henrietta “Etta” Karns; two great-grandsons, Gus Gifford and Wendell Karns; and his two sisters, Patricia (Fred) Rudie and Sara Roberts (Carolyn Carlson).

Paul’s body will be returned to the earth in a green burial at Natural Path Sanctuary near Verona. Per his request, there will be no public memorial service. Donations may be made in his honor to Hephatha Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, The ALS Association, Agrace Hospice, or a charity of your choice.

To view and sign this guestbook, please visit: www.ryanfuneralservice.com.

Ryan Funeral Home & Cremation Services

5701 Odana Road

608-274-1000