NEW DONATION TO THE WAKEMAN ARCHIVES!

One of the recent donations to the Waterville Historical Archives is this Patriotic 1942 Calendar from Gustavus A. Dedrich Insurance….. Gustavus Adolphus Dedrich (1875-1956) was born in Germany to William and Henrietta Dedrich. They came to the America when Gus was five, settling in New Bremen, Ohio. Gus married Ethel Belle Brown (1881-1954) in Weston, Ohio in 1900. They moved to Waterville in 1901 where Gus went to work as a general store clerk. He served as cashier in the Waterville State Savings Bank for 31 years, retiring in 1944 to focus on his private insurance business. Gus was very involved in the community, serving on the Lucas County Board of Education, Waterville Village Council, and the Village Planning Commission. Gus also served as a member of the Waterville Rotary Club, Wakeman Lodge, F&AM of Scottish Rite Valley of Toledo. He served as director to both the Otis Avery Browning Masonic Memorial Trust Fund and Waterville State Savings Bank. At the time of Gus’s death they lived at 911 Michigan Ave in Waterville and had one daughter named Gertrude Yetta Dedrich Sweeney.  Mr. and Mrs. Dedrich are buried in Wakeman Cemetery in Waterville.

Authored by Kelly Putnam