[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5835]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING THE LIFE OF FRITZ GERHARD HETZEL

                                  _____
                                 

                           HON. MARCY KAPTUR

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 20, 2017

  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the life of Fritz 
Gerhard Hetzel, a devoted husband, father and grandfather; successful 
businessman and civic leader; and the Godfather of the Toledo-area 
German-American Festival.
  Fritz was born on July 4, 1931, and grew up in war-torn Germany. He 
lost his father and other members of his family during the conflict. 
These tragedies and the difficulty that his mother and his sister and 
he lived through taught him many things. One such lesson was one that 
he passed down to his children and grandchildren: ``Tough times don't 
last but tough people do.'' As his wife Ann says, ``That was his mantra 
with the kids, and even for himself. He went through a lot.''
  After the war, Fritz learned to be a barber and cut hair at the U.S. 
7th Army headquarters in Heidelberg. It was appropriate that Fritz was 
born on the Fourth of July because his time spent working on the base 
inspired him to move to the United States. He first immigrated to 
Canada where he worked as a barber and then earned enough to be granted 
a U.S. visa.
  In 1958, Fritz moved to Toledo, Ohio and began his new life by 
purchasing a barber business. He later went into sales at Ottawa Hills 
Memorial Park and was a co-owner of Fritz and Alfredo's, where the 
German and Mexican dishes on the menu were very popular.
  Fritz thrived in Toledo, meeting his loving wife Ann, whom he married 
on September 9, 1961. He and Ann had 2 daughters, Susan Molloy and Tina 
Zientarski, and were blessed with six grandchildren: Mitchell, Michael, 
Matthew, Katherine, Zachary and Grace.
  He dedicated himself to his family and to sharing his pride of his 
German heritage. He was an active member of the American Turners Club, 
Bavarian Sports Club and the Toledo Schwaben Verein. At one point there 
were seven separate German societies in Toledo, and Fritz, along with 
his friends, was instrumental in bringing the seven societies together 
to organize one major event, the annual German-American Festival which 
attracts over 35,000 people annually. The first German-American 
festival was held in 1966.
  Fritz was passionate about music as well, where he led one of the 
area's most popular German bands, The Tirolers. The band played German 
music at festival and functions in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and 
Pennsylvania.
  In 1977, he received the Bundesverdienstkreuz, or, the Federal Cross 
of Merit from the Federal Republic of Germany, an honor given to 
citizens of other countries who work to promote German cultural 
activities in the United States.
  Upon his retirement from the restaurant business in Toledo in 2005, 
Fritz and Ann moved to Delray Beach, Florida, where he immediately 
joined the Lantana German-American Club and led as the Director of the 
Club Choir.
  Fritz Gerhard Hetzel had never-ending energy and gave his all to his 
family, community, businesses, and cultural activities. We should all 
aspire to be a selfless leader as he was.
  Goodbye (Auf Wiedersehen), Fritz.

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