On Saturday, August 18th, Ralph and Susan (Lauterberg) Wetzel celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a family gathering and dinner after a carriage ride around Fort Wayne.
Their children are sons, Karl (Patricia) and Richard (Michelle), and daughters, Karen (Danny) Marquart, Kristina (Rick) Sears, Monika (Barry) Marquart, and Anna (Greg) Needler. They are blessed with 23 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Ralph and Susan met in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in May of 1960, while Ralph was attending Concordia Senior College. They were married in Kramer Chapel on the Concordia campus, August 18, 1962, by the Reverend Lyle Muller, assistant pastor at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne, officiant for the service.
Ralph has served as pastor in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod for the past 48 years, the last 14 years as chaplain at Veterans Affairs Medical Center at Fort Wayne. He served Christ Lutheran Church in Woodburn from 1974 to 1988. Susan is a Registered Nurse who has practiced in Michigan, Oklahoma, Georgia, and Indiana, where she is currently employed by New Horizons, New Haven, Indiana, as home visits nurse. Susan received her nurse's training at Harper Hospital, Detroit, Michigan, graduating in 1963. Ralph and Susan have resided in the Woodburn area for 38 years.
We thank our family for honoring us on our Golden Wedding Anniversary.
