This file
portion of www.watertownhistory.org
website
Dr. Elmer C. Kiessling
1895 - 1981
Dr. Elmer C. Kiessling, one of Watertown’s most
distinguished citizens and educators, was born in Jefferson on
After several years as pastor of a Lutheran church in
Libertyville, IL, he accepted a call to teach English at Northwestern College
in 1927, serving in that capacity for 46 Years until his retirement in 1973.
On
He did graduate work at the University of Chicago
where he was awarded his doctor of Philosophy degree in 1935.
Dr. Kiessling was a member of Trinity Evangelical
Lutheran Church and the Watertown Historical Society. He also served for many
years on the Watertown Free Public Library
Board.
He was author of "Watertown Remembered" a
history of Watertown which was published by the Watertown Historical Society in
1976, and "Centennial Memoir," the story of the Northwestern Alumni
Society. He wrote over 2,000 book reviews for the Milwaukee Journal and hundreds of articles, many of them under the
pseudonym of Christopher Matthew.
One of his more noteworthy
contributions to the society, and to the community, for that matter, is his
history of Watertown, titled, "Watertown
Remembered." Dr. Kiessling wrote the book at the suggestion of the
society, and in his usual thorough manner spent a very considerable amount of
time in gathering information for the book, which is a literary gem, and a most
authentic account of the history of our town. The society, and the people of
this community, are forever indebted to Dr. Kiessling for this most excellent
book. No one, other than Dr. Kiessling, could have handled this assignment.
In a forward to the book, written by
Lee Block, a director of the society, he says that the book "is a rich
composite of factual history seasoned with a charming array of anecdote and
folklore. The capable blender of all this is E. C. Kiessling, to whom we shall
ever be grateful.” He concluded by saying that "E. C. Kiessling has given
us an especially vivid and indelible recollection for all to remember
Watertown.”
[Editorial, Watertown Daily Times, 12 14 1981]
Dr. Kiessling had written the book as part of the city's
contribution to the observance of the nation’s bicentennial year. The year of
its publication also was the 140th year of Watertown’s first settlement.
Several years prior to his death, Dr. Kiessling was
presented with an award of merit from the Wisconsin Council for Local History
of Madison for his unique contributions to the Watertown Historical Society.
Dr. Elmer C. Kiessling, at age 86, living at
KMR 06 01 2003
_________________________________________________________________
Esther Kiessling
1906 - 2006
FRANKLIN - Esther Emily Brockmann Kiessling, who would have been 100 years old on
July 5, died on
She was born in Fort Douglas, Utah,
on
Esther attended Gallaudet
University in Washington, D.C., and then took a position as a teacher at the
Wisconsin School for the Deaf at Delavan. She remained on the staff there until
her marriage in 1930 to Dr. Elmer C. Kiessling of Northwestern College.
Esther worked at the local Wisconsin
Hearing Service office in the 1950s and taught at St. Mark's Lutheran School
from 1960 to 1970. After retirement she introduced an American Sign Language
course at Madison Area Technical College in Watertown and taught there for
several years. She continued teaching students in American Sign Language until
2003. She served as a volunteer at the hospital, Red Cross Blood Bank and the
Octagon House, and has been an active member in a local book club, the Friday
Review.
In 1944 she edited a series of
articles and book reviews that her late husband had written for the Milwaukee Journal from the 1940s to 1980
and published them in a paperback volume.
She had lived in Watertown until
December 2003, when she moved to Franklin. In Franklin, she remained a member
of Trinity Lutheran Church in Watertown.
She is survived by a son, Nicolas, a
former professor of English at Washington State University, and his wife, Karen
Harris Kiessling; a daughter, Karen, the wife of the Rev. Larry Pautz of Wind Lake; four grandchildren and four
great-grandchildren.
A son, Dr. Paul Kiessling, died in
1972 and her husband, Elmer, died in 1981.
Esther was known for her elegance,
intelligence and joy of life, and she entertained friends at her Franklin
apartment on a regular basis until shortly before her death. She will be very
much missed by her family and friends.
A private memorial service will be
held for family members. The Church and Chapel Funeral Service of Brookfield is in charge of arrangements.
Memorials may be given to the E. C.
Kiessling scholarship fund at Martin Luther College,
