Lives of service: Loved ones recall 3 Mansfield family members killed in Tennessee crash
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Three Mansfield family members who died June 22 in a crash near Knoxville, Tennessee, dedicated their lives to service to others.
Peter Webel, 75, and his wife Linda Webel, 76, and Peter's sister Frieda Gottschling, 80, all of Mansfield, died in the two-vehicle crash in Anderson County, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol's preliminary report.
All three Mansfielders were residents of Apostolic Christian Church Retirement Center on Logan Road.
Erwin Webel, a nephew of Peter and Frieda, said his relatives were returning from Florida helping his aunt Frieda bring back the contents of her condo after selling it in Florida.
"My Uncle Pete was helping her drive the car back," he said.
They moved to the United States with their parents from Vinkovci, Croatia, in 1955.
Erwin said the six siblings lived together in Croatia after World War II, and 60 years later all were living in the same retirement community until the crash.
Erwin said his grandfather John Webel (Peter and Frieda's father) said the reason he left the former Yugoslavia, in what is now Croatia, was because he did not want his children to become atheists or communists.
Parents owned Webels Fruit Farm
Peter and Frieda's father and mother John and Anna Webel were the owners-operators of Webels Fruit Farm on Mansfield Lucas Road.
Peter was born in Vinkovci, Croatia to parents John and Anna (Pfeiffer) Webel. He served four years as a medic in the U.S. Army, and worked as a toolmaker with General Motors, retiring with 26 years of service.
His wife, Linda Ruth Betz, was born in 1945 in Mansfield to parents Anton and Olga Amelia (Getz) Betz, and she worked as a substitute teacher for 15 years and enjoyed playing the piano, singing hymns and playing card games with the grandchildren.
Peter and Linda were faithful believers who loved the Lord, their family, their church family and the Mansfield community, their family said. They served the Lord in many ways including volunteering for World Relief, according to their obituary in the News Journal.
Their heart for young people led them to lead youth missionary teams to Jamaica for many years.
Peter’s passion for the people of Eastern Europe led him to serve on the Apostolic Church World Relief Board as well as the European Relief Board. He made several trips to Romania and Ukraine, returning from one trip only weeks ago.
He did volunteer maintenance with Mansfield Women’s Shelter, made deliveries to local food banks, and served the community in Christian love.
Richland County: Island rescue: Ontario veterinarian, others, help Caribbean dogs, cats
Together Peter and Linda supported the church’s mission work — supporting natural disaster teams in the United States and mission teams in Jamaica, Mexico and Haiti.
The Webel family will receive friends Friday from 2 to 7 p.m. in the Mansfield Apostolic Christian Church Fellowship Hall, 84 N. Illinois Ave. Their funeral service will be held at the Illinois Avenue church building on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. The service will be conducted by the Apostolic Church. They will be laid to rest together in Mansfield Memorial Park.
Frieda was proficient in 3 languages
Frieda Webel Gottschling was the second of six children. She emigrated with her parents and siblings from Croatia in May 1955 due to concerns of communist ideology and a strong desire for religious freedom, according to her obituary.
The family immigrated to Germany and remained a short time, until they were approved to come to America in October 1955, and settled in Mansfield.
Because of her early life experiences, Frieda remained proficient in three languages. She found and married her love, Martin Gottschling Jr., also a German emigre from Romania, on July 23, 1960.
Frieda enjoyed her role as a homemaker. She obtained a registered nursing (RN) degree then North Central Technical College, and had a successful career in a variety of nursing positions.
She was the owner-operator of Anna’s Touch, which provided mastectomy forms to breast cancer survivors. Her last career years were spent helping out at the Richland County Health Department.
Her son Martin Gottschling said his mother lived next door to her brother Peter and his wife in the retirement community in a duplex.
"Mom was always doing something for someone. That's just how she lived her life," he said. "She was not sitting in a chair looking out a window. All three of them had very active lives."
Martin Gottschling said his mom and his uncle came to America knowing anything is possible if you work hard.
"Six kids, six suitcases and they learned to scrape and skimp," he said of how his mother was raised, their family having fled Communism.
Calling hours will be Monday from 5 to 8:30 p.m. at the Apostolic Christian Church, 1332 Middle Bellville Road for Frieda Gottschling, where funeral services will be Tuesday at 11 a.m. with Erwin Webel officiating. Interment will follow in Mansfield Cemetery. Beginning at 11 a.m. funeral services may be viewed via live-stream at accmansfield.org.
Martin Gottschling said his mother left instructions she did not want to be personally praised in her obituary but instead wanted the praise to be given to God as he gave her any and all her abilities.
419-521-7223
Twitter: @LWhitmir
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Frieda had owned Anna’s Touch, helping breast cancer survivors.