Stories: President Poecker's Life History
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*As printed in the 1975 GDM Mission history
Life History
President Rudolf K. Poecker was born on December 31, 1919 in Fraureuth, Thueringen. He was raised in a very loving and religious “Evangelisch¬-Lutherisch” home where the parents were business people. Besides a sister five years older, President Poecker’ s only brother died at the tender age of. three.
President Poecker first met Sister Poecker in 1937 in Werdau. She was al¬ready a member of the Church, and because of this, the President was at¬tracted to her--somehow she was different than all the other girls. In recall¬ing his conversion, President Poecker said that from the very beginning he never needed much prodding because he immediately felt that the Church was true and had the desire to be baptized. He was not baptized at the time be¬cause he could not obtain his parents’ consent. During their courtship to¬gether, Sister Poecker presented him with his first copy of the Book of Mor¬mon and often taught the gospel principles to the President.
The answer President Poecker received after proposing still stands out in his mind. Sister Poecker told him that she would never marry a man who smoked, drinked[sic], was not a member of the Church, or was not willing to fulfill a mis¬sion. In 1939, President Poecker then entered the armed services. While
on a furlough in May, 1940, he came home to visit his family and tried to persuade his father to grant permission for baptism. He told his father that since he was in the army and did not know if he would ever return again, he just wanted his father to know that his last wish would be to become a member of the Church. His father then gave permission. During the evening hours in a small creek in Steinpleis, President Poecker was baptized. On another furlough, two years later (December 14, 1942), President and Sister Poecker were married.
By studying the truths of the gospel and living by its precepts, President Poecker was saved from many perilous situations during his six years in the military. On Easter Thursday in 1945, the Alpine Company in which he served on the eastern front was reduced from 350 men to eight. The President relates that it was at this time that he received his last letter from home which announced the birth of his first son, Rudy. In this great moment of trial, he approached the Lord in prayer and, with death impending, petitioned that his life be spared and that he be permitted to return to his little family. He promised the Lord that if this plea be honored he would serve the Lord with all of his heart to show his gratitude.
On May 9, 1945, President Poecker and his comrades were taken prisoners in Melnik, Czeckozlowalcia, 30 km from Prague. Thousands of German soldiers were being held captive there. At the time of his induction into the army in 1939, President Poecker chose to be a medic because it was one of the only possibilities of not being involved in taking life. That decision proved to be his salvation. Two days after he arrived at the camp, all other prisoners were sent to Russia to work in the coal mines. Within four days, President Poecker was released with other medics and casuality cases to return to Germany. He finally arrived back in his hometown, then under American control, at Pentecost time.
Only six months later, two weeks before Christmas, President Poecker was called to serve a two and one—half year mission. He and Sister Poecker felt the time had come to repay the Lord for having answered President Poeckers prayer to be united with his family again and also Sister Poecker’s wish for him to fulfill a mission. Even though they had been separated for six years, Sister Poecker not only faithfully agreed to share her husband with the Lord, but she worked as a seamstress to support him while on his mission. Their family savings were completely-gone because of the Russian occupation, and so with only eight marks in their possession at the time of their parting, President Poecker took five marks and Sister Poecker kept. the other three.
While traveling enroute to his first field of labor in Ashersleben, President Poecker took ill in the large city of Halle with rheumatic fever He had suffered three previous attacks from this paralyzing sickness and almost lost his life from one such attack at seventeen. His companions had to almost carry him from the train to the streetcar and from there to an apartment. Through a priesthood administration, President Poecker was healed on that same day and was up and walking within one hour of the blessing. The President says that he had never quite experienced anything similar to it in his life as he felt that warm, healing sensation moving through his body
After working in Ashersleben, President Poecker was called because of his ability to speak Russian to work out of the mission office in Berlin in finding and gathering genealogical records which Hitler had hidden in salt mines and in other places. After completing this assignment., President Poecker was called to serve with President Walter H. Kindt in the city of Halberstadt-Harz It was during this eleven month companionship that President Poecker was intensively introduced the Book of Mormon by President Kindt and the truths of that great book came alive and were permanently impressed upon him. Through the spiritual experiences they shared and their studies together, one of the greatest friendships of all times was born--this eternal brotherhood, as many of you have noticed, still continues to grow. At the conclusion of his mission, President Walter Stover asked President Poecker to move with his wife and family to Halberstadt and there assume the responsibilities of branch president.
One can readily see that because of meeting the Church, President Poecker’s life changed completely. As the oldest son in the family, he could have very easily taken over the family business and remained for the rest of his life in East Germany with a comfortable means of living, but through the influence of the gospel and the guiding hand of the Lord his life was destined to never be the same again.
Some additional highlights, in the life of President and Sister Poecker were compiled in an article, ‘Happy and Free,’ which appeared in the Provo Herald on March, 1972.
A milestone in the lives of Elfriede and Rudolf K. Poecker, Orem, came recently when they noted their 20th year in the United States. It recalled for them that memorable, time when they first saw the Statue of Liberty and heard the sounds of New York harbor Elfriede turned to her husband and said, “Now we are in a country where we can worship and live as we please.” And this country has indeed been good to them.
It all began 22 years ago when Mr. Poecker, an LDS branch president, in Halberstadt, East Germany was visited by an American LDS mission president. The mission president remained overnight at the Poecker apartment complex and the police were also there. Because of this visit by an American, Mr. Poecker was imprisoned on a sentence of espionage and spiritual sabotage.
After his release, he escaped to West Berlin, before the wall was built. His wife followed on a detour route through Leipzig with the two boys aged six months and five years. While she was on the train and at checkpoint, the East German police started playing with the baby and overlooked her suspicious cart which carried some of the families belongings. Had he discovered this fact, her "secret" escape attempt would have been revealed and caused her imprisonment.
Because of the instability and insecurity in West Berlin, the family left after one year and moved to Hanover, West Germany, to await their immigration papers. They lived in Hanover for one year after which they sailed for America, arriving on Feb. 26, 1952 in a new country, to a new language and a new life.
Harold Wright, a Mesa, Ariz. business man sponsored the family in America and it was for him that Mr. Poecker worked for seven years. The family made many good friends in Mesa but were forced to leave because of the climatic conditions there. While in Arizona, two little girls were born and another little girl joined the family after they moved to Orem.
Mr. Poecker said that because of the mountains and the seasons which he termed “beautiful” Utah Valley reminds them of their home in Germany.
In 1957 the Poeckers got their citizenship. Their oldest son also received his citizenship through his service in Viet Nam. This boy, Rudy, returned to southern Germany in 1965 where he served on an LDS mission.
Since coming to Utah Mr. Poecker has served as a bishop, high councilman and is now a patriarch. His wife sings in the Tabernacle Choir and is a housewife.
Mr. Poecker is currently assistant manager of Provo's Deseret Industries.
Other Poecker children besides Rudy are Nephi, Susanna Joy, Darien Esther and Sonja Ruth.
They are all happy to live in this country, and the raising of the flag or the playing of the national anthem never ceases to arouse a tear in the eyes of the Poeckers especially when it reminds them of another time just a little over 20 years ago when America was just a dream.
Everyone who becomes acquainted With President and Sister Poecker senses a definite uniqueness about them. Many have asked, “What makes them so different?” To truly understand that one would have to relive those same experiences during the war, in the prison camp, on the mission, immigrating to the United States, etc; but above all, one too must understand the faithful dedication with which the Poeckers met every situation: “Nothing but the best for the Lord!” |
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