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History of Watertown, Wisconsin
Chapter on Watertown Police Department
Gordon Gerth
1940 High School grad, 1990 reunion
1946 
Gordon Gerth, 23, son of Alderman and Mrs. Herman Gerth, took over his duties as patrolman with the local
police department. Officer Gerth was a graduate of the Watertown High School, where he
played football, and attended Ripon College for two years.
[*] Herman Gerth: 1956,
Last Man’s Club, Company E; 1958, G B Lewis 25 year club; member of Auxiliary Police in
1960
1958c Watertown Police Dept group photo
1968 
Gerth appointed lieutenant, replacing the late Lt. Herbert
C. Eisfeldt
1991 At Bob Webster retirement, Police Dept.
[l-r] Henry
Lehmann, John Crandal, Clarence Tessemann, Robert Webster, Gordon Gerth,
Leonard Braunschweig.
Retirement party was held February 2, 1991.
Gordon Gerth
1922 – 2014
On Jan. 29, 2014, Gordie Gerth, formerly of North Church Street, went
on his journey to be reunited with his childhood sweetheart and
wife of 62 years, Elizabeth Anne Kehoe — his Anne, who left this world on Feb.
3, 2007.
Gordon was born on March 1,
1922, in Watertown, where he was raised.
Upon graduation from Watertown High School in 1940, he was offered three
athletic scholarships and accepted to play football for Ripon
College. While at Ripon he joined ROTC
and was a member of the Delta Sigma Psi fraternity. Upon the outbreak of war, he returned home
and worked with his father at G.B. Lewis Co. until joining the Watertown Police Department in 1946.
Gordon was proud to be a member
of the police department and believed in education and being the best
in his profession. He attended many FBI schools and
classes to give the people of Watertown the best of service; he was a member of
the Wisconsin Professional Law Enforcement Association. In 1969 the Watertown
Jaycees presented Lt. Detective Gerth an award in
recognition of outstanding service rendered as a Watertown policeman. He was well recognized in his profession and through the
years had worked with many law enforcement agencies and
taught search and seizure classes at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He was the first lieutenant detective on
the Watertown Police Department and retired with that rank
after 39 years of service
Gordon loved sports and was
recruited by the Green Bay Packers — Anne said “no go” to this. In his younger years he played on the
policeman’s ball team, was a good bowler and was proud of making a hole-in-one
at the Watertown Country Club. He loved hunting and fishing was his passion. He looked forward each
year to his fishing trip to the Flambeau Flowage with his fishing buddies.
Gordon loved Watertown and its
people. He was very active in the
community and St. Bernard Church, where he served many
years as an usher. As the Grand Knight
at the Knights of
Columbus you could find him on Friday nights frying fish at the KC Club.
Gordie was known for
his walkabouts around town. Every day he would take his walk to see what was going on in town and
to meet and talk with people. His family
would kid him that he
was still on patrol.
Survivors include his daughter,
Pamela Gerth (Fred) Foster of Manitowoc and their two
daughters Monique and Chelsey
Jane; son, Bruce (Julie Ann) of Minneapolis and son
Harrison; sisters, Dorothy Albrecht of Arizona and Gretchen Sterwalt
of Watertown; plus nieces and nephews. Gordon was preceded in death by his
parents, Alderman Herman “Dick” Gerth and Minnie (Karge) Gerth; his wife, Anne; three brothers, Floyd “Smiley” Gerth, Lynn “Red” Gerth and
Harold “Hermie” Gerth.
A service of remembrance will be
held on Saturday, June 7th, at 11 a.m. at St.
Bernard’s Catholic Church in Watertown with Monsignor Daniel Ganshert officiating. Burial will be in the parish cemetery. Memorials may be sent to the Watertown Police Department or St. Bernard’s
Catholic Church.
Hafemeister Funeral Home and Cremation Service 611 E. Main St. Watertown
History of Watertown, Wisconsin