Chelan community gathers to celebrate former mayor Bob Goedde's 80th birthday and legacy of service

CHELAN — Former Mayor Bob Goedde's 80th birthday celebration looked less like a birthday party and more like a community reunion.

Residents, elected officials, former colleagues and longtime friends filled the Chelan Senior Center on Sunday afternoon to celebrate both Goedde's milestone birthday and a lifetime of service to the community where he was born and raised.

The gathering featured a potluck-style spread of potato salad, coleslaw, deviled eggs, burgers and hot dogs, while attendees shared stories and memories spanning generations of Chelan history. Current Chelan City Council members Jon Higgins and Brad Chitty attended, along with Port of Chelan County Commissioner Donn Etherington, Chelan Planning Commission member Gary Myers, Community Development Director John Ajax and numerous others whose lives and careers intersected with Goedde's years in public service.

The celebration had been announced by Goedde himself during the June 9 Chelan City Council meeting, where he explained that his daughter, who had organized his 50th birthday party decades earlier, had informed him she would also be handling his 80th. He told council members the event would serve not only as a birthday celebration but also as an opportunity to thank the community for his years of public service.

Goedde's public life has been closely intertwined with Chelan's civic history. A Chelan native and 1964 Chelan High School graduate, he served in Vietnam before returning home and embarking on decades of community involvement. Over the years, he served on the Chelan City Council, as mayor pro tem and in multiple terms as mayor before returning to the council. When the city recognized his retirement from elected office in 2025, officials credited him with approximately 30 years of service to Chelan.

That legacy was evident throughout Sunday's celebration. Military commendations and memorabilia were displayed on tables around the room, while conversations frequently returned to city projects, public meetings and community milestones that had shaped Chelan over the years.

Many attendees wore black T-shirts bearing a caricature of Goedde and the slogan, "30 Years Serving Chelan — 100% Chelan, 100% Goedde." Originally created during celebrations marking his retirement from elected office, the shirts remained a common sight Sunday as friends, former coworkers and community members gathered once again to honor the man whose public service became a familiar part of Chelan life.

For much of the afternoon, the event felt less like a recognition of a former mayor than a reflection of the community he spent decades serving — one that showed up in large numbers to celebrate both his 80th birthday and the legacy he leaves behind.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media