On December 22, 1913, the firm known as H. J. Goettsch and Co. acquired the furniture and undertaking business and building from
E. A. Burt.

     H. J. Goettsch attended the Hohenschuh-Carpenter College of Embalming, Des Moines, Iowa, in January of 1914 for a two week period following which he took his state board exam.  He took his training for mortuary work at Petersen Bros. Funeral Home in Waterloo in 1913 and attended Gates Business College at the same time.

     In October 1922 he bought the building known as the Ruby theater, a two story structure with apartments on the second floor.  The building burned in January 1923.  It was rebuilt and finally occupied by the Goettsch Furniture Co. in September of 1923.

     In 1934 the partnership of the Goettsch Furniture Co. was dissolved.  The home in which Mr. and Mrs. Goettsch lived was built in 1915.  In 1939 it was remodeled for use as a funeral home.  In 1949 further remodeling was done with extra seating space added and an entrance.

     In 1942 the stock of the furniture store was sold out.  Mr. Goettsch retained ownership of the building until 1945 when it was sold.

     Mr. Goettsch purchased his first motor hearse in 1917.

     He had three sons who all became morticians, attending the same college as their father.  They all practiced in Iowa.

     In August, 1961, Burr Perrin purchased the funeral home and it became known as Goettsch-Perrin.  Mr. Goettsch as well as Mr. Perrin also provided ambulance service for a time.

     Mr. and Mrs. Otto Hoeppner started managing the Goettsch-Perrin Funeral Home in 1960, although Mr. Hoeppner had worked for Harry Goettsch since 1940.  The Hoeppners retired in 1973.

     In February, 2007, Goettsch-Perrin Funeral Home was purchased by Rick and Kelly Vogel and it became part of the Vogel Family of Funeral Homes.