Charles Godel

Charles O. Godel, 83, died Tuesday, October 1, 2013, from congestive heart failure at his home on Pomme de Terre Lake surrounded by his wife and two daughters. Charles Orville Godel was born on December 12, 1929, the fourth of seven boys born to Leonard Louis and Mary Kathryn (Kays) Godel on the east shore of beautiful Silver Lake, 2 miles north of Battle Lake, Everts Township, Otter Tail County, Minnesota. He attended the Battle Lake Public School for 12 years, graduating in 1948. He loved sports and was a quarterback in football, guard in basketball and a catcher in baseball. After high school he worked for two months at the Glendalough Game Farm which was just across the road from their farm feeding 10, 000 turkeys. He enlisted in the US Air Force for three years but when the Korean War broke out he was extended for another year. His basic training was at San Antonio, Texas, went for schooling at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver and then served 3 ½ years at Ellsworth AFB, Rapid City, South Dakota. After his discharge, he worked as a salesman for 13 years for Gaffaney's and then traveled northern Minnesota for St. Paul Book and Stationery Company until his retirement in February 1992. He married Marlys June Haggstrom on October 24, 1952, at Zion Lutheran Church of Amor. They lived in Moorhead for a short time and moved to Elbow Lake in 1953. They had three daughters; Deborah, Diane and Elizabeth. Charlie loved to have a vegetable garden, canning and freezing whatever he would grow. His grandchildren grew up eating and loving his pickles. He helped make pickles until the last week of his life. He could read a mystery novel in a day or two. He loved bowling with the Leis Motors team. He and his wife Marlys were both pilots and owned an airplane with partner Orvin Amundson. He and his friends would fly to Canada, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana and Lake of the Woods to hunt and fish. One of the great loves of his life was golf. He won the Pot of Gold Tournament three times at the Pebble Lake Golf Course at Fergus Falls, won the Resorters Championship in Alexandra, and won the Senior Mens Championship at Tipsinah Mounds Golf Course in 1999. He was most proud a year ago when he said he had golfed his age. He and his wife Marlys began a wonderful tradition of Sunday spaghetti after church with popcorn and apples in the evening which their family continues to this day. When he was still working, he and Marlys would spend his two week's vacation in Arizona every February. In the 90's they would winter in Marina, California, when daughter Deborah lived there, Escondido, California, New Braunfels, Texas, and after retirement spent the winters in Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, Alabama. He was a member of Bethlehem/West Elbow Lake Lutheran Church since 1953, a lifetime member of the American Legion for 58 years, a lifetime member of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association and the Elks of Fergus Falls. Chuck and Beverly (Woessner) Lillemoen were married on December 13, 2003, in a gazebo overlooking the ocean at the Moon Palace Resort in Cancun, Mexico. They were both retired so the winters for the last ten years were spent in Alabama, golfing, eating out and just enjoying a life of leisure with their many friends. After Hurricane Ivan hit Alabama, an enjoyable winter was spent in Biloxi until Hurricane Katrina destroyed a lot of that area. The rest of the time was spent golfing in Minnesota, taking trips to Germany, Hawaii, salmon fishing in Oregon while visiting his brother Myron and family in Washington plus cruises to the Caribbean, Alaska and the Panama Canal. Chuck was an outdoorsman and felt so blessed to be able to do so many things in his lifetime he dreamed would never be possible. He will be truly missed by his family and many friends. He is survived by his wife Beverly; daughters Diane (Mark) Ehlers of Elbow Lake and Elizabeth (Dale) Michealson of Morris, MN; ten grandchildren Gina (Michael Groeneweg) Ehlers, Jessica Peterson, Kara (Joe) Odell, Larissa (Jeremy) Driscoll, Sarah Davis, Bethany Ehlers, Rebekah (Mike) Schumacher, Charles and Tristan Michealson and David Ehlers; 11 great grandchildren: Madison, Dillon, Hayden, Gavin, Lauren, Maxwell, Noah, Landon, Brett, Taylor and Trevor; two brothers Irvin (Darlene) Godel of Glencoe, MN and Homer (Delores) Godel of Moorhead, MN. Sisters-in-law Juel, Marion, Shirley, and Barbara Godel; many nieces, nephews, relatives and friends; Beverly's family: Craig (Marsha) and Mya Lillemoen and Chandra (Dan) and Laureli Herrera. He was preceded in death by his parents, first wife Marlys (4/28/2002), daughter Deborah (1/21/1999), great grandson Marcus (5/1/2008) and brothers Howard (11/22/2010), Wilton (9/15/2006), Myron (3/31/2012) and Edwin (12/30/2009), brother-in-law Berdell Woessner (5/22/2010). Funeral Service: 10:00 am Monday, October 7, 2013, Bethlehem/West Elbow Lake Lutheran Church, Elbow Lake Clergy: Rev. Scott Ruud Burial: Ness Cemetery, Elbow Lake Visitation: 2-5 pm Sunday, October 6, Erickson-Smith Funeral Home, Elbow Lake – 4:30 prayer service and remembrances; visitation resumes Monday at the church one hour prior to service

Funeral Home: Erickson-Smith Funeral Home - Elbow Lake 116 1st Street NE Elbow Lake, MN US 56531

---

Previous Events

Visitation
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Service
Monday, October 7, 2013
cemetery
Monday, October 7, 2013