Last Wednesday evening just before eight, in the home of his sister, Mrs. Josephine Spring, August Gottwald, son of the deceased married couple Christian and Christine Gottwald, died of pneumonia. On the Monday morning before his death, in overheated state and weakened from an indisposition of several days duration, he took an automobile trip, on which he caught a chill. On that same evening, fever and chills set in; pneumonia of the worst kind developed rapidly, and by Wednesday evening, death stepped in. [12 Jun 1907]
August Gottwald was born on 22 September 1868 in New York City and came to Defiance 30 years ago. Grown to manhood, he applied himself first to the meat cutter's trade and later to the hotel business. In the last few years he had a restaurant in connection with the Hotel Crosby. He was definitely the heaviest man in these parts of the States, and was proven to be the heaviest Elk in the United States. His weight must have been about 450 pounds. He leaves behind the aforementioned sister, brother John in Chicago, and brother Christian in Cleveland.
Burial took place Saturday morning in the crypt of Riverside Cemetery, after funeral services at St. John's Catholic Church led by Pastor J. P. Gloden. A large number of Elks took part and supplied the following pallbearers: P. F. Seibel, C. J. Daoust, T. P. Cantlon, D. W. Cox, Charles E. Smith, Andrew Squire, Charles Kettenring, I. F. Singer, Killian Stoll, and Ed. Hentz. Splendiferous floral arrangements given by the Elks in Garrett, the Defiance fire department, and many friends, were carried by Misters R. Brown, Wm. Kirtley, Frank Sommers, Joseph Schottdorf, Frank Preissendorfer and Elmer Richholt from here, as well as Jack Page from Findlay.