Louis Worchel   In his younger years, “Louie” nearly always wore overalls which varied from the white pin stripe to the solid blue variety and pride never kept him from wearing them with patches on the knees.  He religiously tucked a ragged red or white handkerchief into one pocket while a pair of pliers filled the other. Only an occasional visit to Marshfield or a Sunday morning church service was ever reason enough to wear an  uncomfortable pair of dress slacks and a buttoned dress shirt. That attire didn't become his usual one until the late 1980s. Even then, I always suspected those pliers were still inside one of his pockets, just in case they might be needed for some unexpected task.  I recall one time in particular when they did come in extremely handy.  One of his seven dogs had come home with porcupine quills in the mussel area.

 

Louie carefully placed his injured companion's head between his legs to keep the suffering animal in place, while gripping those trusty pliers to remove most of the quills with barely a whimper from the dog.  Now mind you, that dog would never have bitten his beloved master.  A well positioned squeeze of those ever useful pliers also rid many other animals of unwanted swallow wood ticks.

 

When Louie married my grandmother, her five children were unconditionally loved and cared for just as lovingly as his own two children from his first marriage.  Although this thoughtful, gentle man was actually my step-grandpa, I have always called him "Grandpa" without a single reservation.

 

Taking care of the family farm was a full time job, but somehow Grandpa Louie still managed to find time to serve as Town Clerk for Seif Township, a position he held for 36 years.   He was also a member of the Globe Church Council and played an active role in the Clark County Civil Defense Department as well.  On the rare occasions he did allow himself some time to relax, he used it to sort his cherished collection of stamps and coins.   However, I cannot believe the time my smiling grandpa has given to anyone or anything else has ever been as valued as the hours he has shared with me!

• Obituary

• Headstone

Submitted 2006

 

by: Crystal (McDonald) Wendt,

Step-granddaughter of Louis Worchel