Longtime trustee Gottsacker dies

One of the longest-serving trustees in Belgium has died.

Clem Gottsacker, 69, died Sunday, Aug. 29, at Aurora Medical Center in Grafton.

Gottsacker had been a trustee since April 1, 2003.

“I think that Clem might have been one of the longest, if not the longest-serving board member,” Village Treasurer Vickie Boehnlein, who served with Gottsacker as trustee and village president, said.

“He was just a super nice guy, very dedicated to the village.”

Gottsacker’s wife Joan said he was passionate about everything in Belgium and friendly to everyone.

“He would talk to anyone,” she said.

Joan served with her husband on the Plan Commission for a few years.

“Sometimes we sat next to each other and sometimes not,” she said with a laugh. “It depended on how they put the name tags out.”

Gottsacker had an illness and then contracted Covid-19, but he worked as long as he could, attending his final Village Board meeting via Zoom on Aug. 9.

“He was a fighter,” his wife said.

Trustee Don Gotcher served with Gottsacker on the Plan Commission and Village Board. The two got along well.

“He actually really helped me understand things about the board and how it worked,” Gotcher, who was elected to a trustee seat in 2018, said.

“He really cared. He was really passionate about what he believed in.”

Gottsacker’s top priority was paving Silver Beach Road, which enters the village’s industrial park. He often said existing businesses are waiting to expand and others might come to the village if the road was paved.

The project has been discussed for decades and run into a host of roadblocks, including other projects that were deemed more important, land acquisition and the village’s debt ceiling.

“That was his biggest issue. I was with him 100% that it should be done, and we’re still trying,” Gotcher said.

“He was very passionate about the Silver Beach Road project, which unfortunately he didn’t get to see happen,” Boehnlein said. “Hopefully, it will be a part of his legacy that it gets done someday.”

Former Village President Richard Howells said he appreciated Gottsacker’s perspective.

“He always kept an open mind. He looked at both sides,” he said.

Gottsacker was instrumental, Howells said, in helping get the Main Street project done, and Howells trusted him to pick out LED lights with Luxembourgish architecture to replace the old lighting.

“He did a fabulous job picking out the light poles,” Howells said.

Gottsacker most recently chaired the Public Works Committee and was on the Public Utilities and Parks and Recreation committees.

Howells said Gottsacker helped ensure the village parks got renovated and updated, and he played a big part in getting trees planted across the village as a member of the Tree Committee before it was dissolved.

Gottsacker, along with a few other trustees, helped make sure spending was done according to plan, Howells said.

“There was no going over budget,” he said.

But Gottsacker was approachable even if people disagreed with him.

“He would listen to anybody. A lot of other people can learn from that,” Howells said.

Howells and Gotcher used to get together with Gottsacker, all members of the Melvin Wester American Legion Post 412 in Belgium, once a month at a local coffee shop. Any veteran who came in received free coffee.

Howells said he and Gottsacker also did work at Camp American Legion in Lake Tomahawk, readying the facility for opening in spring and closing it after the last campers left in fall.

“He and I would go up on a Monday and come back Friday or Saturday,” Howells said.

Howells already misses Gottsacker’s friendly and funny disposition.

“He was a character,” he said with a laugh. “And I mean that in a good way. He had a good sense of humor.”

Gottsacker was the Legion Post’s chaplain who Commander Al Poull said was a hard, dedicated worker.

“When we had a work detail, he showed up,” Poull said. “He was a stand-up guy. He will be missed.”

Belgium Public Works Director and Fire Chief Dan Birenbaum, who served with Gottsacker on the Plan Commission, said he was nice to work with.

“He was a laid-back guy. He never got excited,” Birenbaum said. “I enjoyed working with him.”

Gottsacker’s commitment to the community was evident, he said.

“You saw him at every fundraiser or function there was,” Birenbaum said.

Last year, Gottsacker donned a red beard and played St. Nicholas in the Belgium Christmas parade.

A hunting and fishing enthusiast, Gottsacker fell out of his tree stand in 2007 and injured his neck.

Gottsacker was born July 21, 1952, in Sheboygan and graduated from Sheboygan South High School in 1971. He earned a machinist’s degree from Lakeshore Technical College and ran Clem’s Locksmith SVC since 1992. His most notable job was an order of 700 keys for the Port Washington marina.

He is survived by his wife and two sons.

The village has a short tribute on its website.

“The village certainly appreciates all his years of service. He was very dedicated to the village,” Village Clerk Julie Lesar said.

Visitation will be from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 18, at Portview Church, Port Washington. Military honors and a service will follow.