Gordon Goetsch grew up hearing the name Clemence Goetsch spoken with reverence — a father whose life became a living testimony to the redeeming grace of Jesus Christ. Clem returned from the war a broken man. He had survived the fall of Tobruk, years in Italian and Austrian prisoner-of-war camps, and the long march home — but the man inside the uniform had nearly disappeared. On December 14th, 1945, he stood at the Cenotaph in Stutterheim with two wreaths: one for Jock — the friend who had given his life to save Clem's in a collapsing tunnel in the Austrian mountains — and one for himself. He had come to end his life. It was there, before the darkness closed the door, that a young woman named Phyllis stepped out of the shadows and spoke five words that changed everything: “Clem — God still loves you.” That encounter became the turning point of his life, and Phyllis became his wife.
What followed was fifty years of remarkable, life-transforming ministry. With the redeeming grace of Jesus Christ as the cornerstone of everything they did, Clem and Phyllis carried the hope he had experienced into the lives of tens of thousands of broken people throughout the world — through national and international speaking engagements, and through the quiet work of healing that only those who have been truly broken can offer. Clem and Phyllis eventually retired to the beautiful South Coast property of their middle son, Peter John, where Clem continued to share his story until his passing at the remarkable age of 98.
Before he parted this life, Clem published a biographical devotion booklet — a distillation of faith, hardship, and grace drawn from his extraordinary journey. That booklet became the seed from which this novel grew. Gordon, inspired by his father’s words and the living testimony of a man who had walked through fire and come home whole, set out to tell the full story in the way it deserved to be told. A husband, father, success coach, and public speaker based in San Antonio, Texas, Gordon carries that same conviction: that no life is beyond redemption, and no road home is too long. A Long Way Home is his debut book — a labour of love, a family legacy, and a testament to the truth that love never fails, hope never dies, and the greatest victories are won in a surrendered life.
Based inSan Antonio, Texas
SubjectClemence Goetsch — WWII POW, South Africa
GenreNarrative Non-Fiction · Memoir · Military History
Websitealongwayhome.org
