Born November 7, 1888 Wisch, Germany
Entered Into Rest December 21, 1963, Shady Lawn Rest Home, Atlantic
Age 75 years, 1 month, 14 days
Services Held At Ohde Funeral Home Manning, Iowa Tuesday, December 24, 1963, 10 A.M.
Clergyman Rev. Allan Peterson Carroll Presbyterian Church
Interment Manning Cemetery
Pallbearers: Harry Hinz, Larry Polking, Alfred Kuhl, Herbert Sinow, John R. Hansen, Freddie Moeller

Note: Herman Gotch changed his name from Gottsch and is buried in a Gottsch plot.

Mr. Gotch, also a former Manning businessman, died Saturday night, December 21, 1963, at the Shady Lawn Rest Home at Atlantic. He retired in June 1962, because of failing health.

He was born November 7, 1888, at Wisch, Plön, Germany, and with his parents, the late Mr. and Mrs. Hans and Gretje (Lage) Gottsch, came as a child to the United States. He grew up in Manning and attended school there. He operated a garage for many years, until he moved to Carroll in 1950.

Survivors include his wife, Elva; a step-daughter, Mrs. L.G. (Marjorie Wyatt) Carrigg of Cedar Rapids; a step-son, Donald Eugene Wyatt of Long Beach, California; three grandchildren and a sister. A brother and a sister, Wilhelmine (1874- December 19, 1928), preceded him in death.

The Willows Maternity Sanitarium
2929 Main St. Kansas City, Missouri
In 1905, Edwin P. and Cora May Haworth founded the “Willows” in their white frame house. Some 25,000 to 30,000 young women stayed until its closure in 1969. Garnet “Peggy” Marie Haworth owned the Willows from 1953-1969.

In cooperation with the local medical profession, the “sanitarium” was a home for unwed pregnant women seeking privacy. Polite society did not discuss such situations.

The morals of the day understood the greatest individual sufferer was the unwelcome child. Reportedly, there were four “Sanitariums” in the greater Kansas City area. The Willows was one of three facilities on a fee basis. The fourth facility provided services for those who could not otherwise afford such services. Still, each facility spared no reasonable expense for the safety and development of the child. Reportedly, the Willows catered to expectant mothers of the upper strata of society. Before admission, the Willows required an entrance medical examination. Many of the mothers used nicknames or false names to protect themselves and their families. Four women shared a room. Like any home environment, meal, chores, and free time routine existed. The women kept their rooms clean and the laundry done. Some women worked in the kitchen, laundry, or the office. The Willows did not allow mothers to leave the facilities, unless visited by family. A delivery room existed. Nevertheless, for complex deliveries, there was local hospital. After delivery, the child was placed in the Willows nursery. If desired, mothers saw “their” child once.

The application of prospective adoptive parents included a $5 deposit (in 1936), and reference letters from their banker, minister, and family physician. An investigation of the potential home took place. Because of a long waiting list, it could be months between the adoption application and visitation. Once approved, the baby could be selected within a year. The Willows kept details of the birth parents. The Willows tried to match the characteristics of the baby and the natural parents, to those characteristics of the adoptive parents, e.g. eye color, hair color, body build/weight, religion, age, occupation etc. A nurse selected two or three infants for a couple to see.

From those infants, she would first show the baby that she thought well suited the couple. The Willows shared the results of a final medical examination with the adoptive couple. The adoption charge was $18 (in 1918), paid when the baby left the Willows. Depending on the adoptive parent’s schedule, traveling, and preparation time, the Willows could provide boarding services, for usually $1/day. Within a year of departure, the Willows sent a Petition (questions/answers) to the adoptive parents, requiring witness by a Notary Public, validating the expectations of home environment and care of the child.

Dr. C.D. Trask delivered Denelda Gipson on February 4, 1918, at 2:05 AM, at the Willow. On June 20, 1918, Herman Conrad Goettsch and Lula Jane Goettsch, residence of Jackson County, adopted her, and changed her name to Gretchen Jane Goettsch. Later, she married Larry Morehouse, and became the proud mother of Stephen and David Morehouse.