Gaede, Harvey (1914-2005)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 2006 Jan 16 p. 11

Birth date: 1914 Aug 16

text of obituary:

HARVEY GAEDE

Harvey Gaede, 91, died Dec. 20, 2005. He was born Aug. 16, 1914, to Henry and Katherine Gaede in Medford, Okla., a small town near the Kansas border.

His parents moved to Shafter, Calif., in 1921 and bought a small farm. He attended Maple Elementary School and excelled in sports at Wasco High School. As the Depression began to subside, he took a job selling cars at Chrysler-Plymouth.

He married Fern Wendland in 1936, and three years later established Gaede Pontiac in Shafter. The dealership was sold in 1955, upon which he entered the real estate business and became a broker for several years and served on the board of directors for Community National Bank in Shafter. He became finance chairman for the Boy Scouts of America in Shafter and served on the city council. In 1962, he was elected mayor, and in 1967 he was Shafter’s Man of the Year. He was elected Justice Court Judge for 12 years and was brought to the Municipal Court in Bakersfield to handle all traffic citations.

He attended baseball school in Los Angeles in 1936 and played semi-professional baseball in Sam Lynn Park for the Bakersfield Coca-Cola team. Later he refereed many basketball and football games in Kern County. He often played golf, scoring two holes-in-one.

A man of great faith, he served as a Sunday school teacher for boys and adults and served on the board of trustees in Shafter Mennonite Brethren Church. He was a charter member of Laurelglen Bible Church in Bakersfield, which celebrated 25 years in 2003.

He and Fern lived in Shafter until 1975, when they moved to Kern City. In 1999 they moved to Rosewood Retirement Community.

Survivors include his wife, Fern; a son, Ken and his wife, Joanne, of Fresno; a brother, Harold, of Beverly Hills; a sister, Hulda, of Wichita, Kan.; and two grandchildren.

A graveside service was conducted at Shafter Memorial Park, followed by a memorial service at Laurelglen Bible Church, Bakersfield, Calif.