Since the Comstock Park Louis Teistler American Legion Post 47’s first fish fry in 1966 the members have served up almost two-hundred thousand fish dinners and fried literally tons of fish. Profit from the first fish fry was a whopping $100 that helped pay for a new building. Now the Legion serves more than 300 dinners at each of the popular fish fries that take place September through November and January through April.
The Legion has a rich history in Comstock Park. In February 1932 John E. Morris held a meeting with a group of veterans to discuss the formation of an American Legion post for the veterans in Comstock Park. They got the necessary 15 paid memberships. That March a temporary charter was granted, and the first official meeting was held. Morris is listed as the first commander. Other officers are listed as John Host, vice-commander; William Saunders, second vice-commander; Matt Siegel, adjutant; H. Lucht, finance officer; Frank Brechting, historian; L. Pettengrill, chaplain; Joseph Steffens, sergeant-at-arms.
The 2022-23 officers are Commander Jim Saunders, Sr. Vice Commander Dennis Rumbaugh, Second Vice Commander Larry Allan, Past Commander John Schapp, Adjutant Scott Boogaard, Finance Officer Larry Gravelyn, Judge Advocate Jerry Hoyce, Chaplin Joe Kline, Historian Ray Looman, and Sergeant-at-Arms Ray Zuidema.
A permanent charter was granted in August 1932, and the official name was the Louis Tiestler Post 47. Tiestler was from Comstock Park and served in the Navy during World War I. He died in October 1917 on a ship in New York. The Comstock Park Auxiliary, several years, bought a headstone for Tiestler who is buried at Fairplains Cemetery in Grand Rapids.
In January 1934 the Legion purchased a building and a piece of land on West River Dr. near what is now Division Ave. from the school board. The Legion also sponsored its first baseball team that year. Membership grew from the original 15 to more than 70 members in 1939. There were more than 300 members after World War II. There are currently 360 members.
In 1946 the Legion sold their building back to the school and rented the top floor of what was then Stowell’s Hall on the corner of Four Mile Road and West River Drive. A few years later they purchased the building. A fire in 1964 destroyed the building, and a new one was built in its place that is still home to the Legion.
The Legion was an active and important part of the community sponsoring dances, parties, Memorial Day parades, fundraisers, and baseball teams. But the organization had its critics in the churches and temperance organizations of the time that frowned on serving liquor. Those critics have mainly gone by the wayside while the Legion has endured and still offers a gathering place for members to get together and enjoy a drink and camaraderie.
The Ladies Auxiliary formed in December 1932 to support the Legion, the veterans, and their families. Their current Auxiliary board members are President Renee Lance, First Vice President Ashley Davis, Second Vice President Jill Hubbart, Secretary Bernie Gull, Sergeant of Arms Beth Nash, Treasurer LouAnn Palmer, Chaplain Marnie Stein, Historian Jane Covert, and E-Board Lee Gravelyn Jackie Lomanacco, and Char Nyland. There are currently 310 members. The Auxiliary was originally for women only who were spouses of veterans. New rules now allow men who are spouses of veterans to join the Auxiliary. The Comstock Park Legion also has a Sons of the American Legion (SAL) for sons, grandsons, etc. of veterans, that formed in 1984 and has 350 members.
A veterans’ memorial was installed in Dwight Lydell Park in 1946 where a wreath is placed each year. Legionnaires annually place flags on the graves of veterans at Plainfield Cemetery on Memorial Day. They also do a chicken barbeque and flag retirement ceremonies on Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Members of the Legion, the Auxiliary, and SAL are still an active part of the community. Members sponsor a Boy Scout Troop 304 and do a monthly pancake breakfast, cooked up by the Scouts who also help with the fish fries, to raise funds for the troop’s activities. They give scholarships to local high school students. Some of the “crafty” Auxiliary members knit hats and blankets for babies at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids. Members host events like spaghetti dinner fundraisers for veterans and their families in need of help. The Post also has an annual picnic and golf outings. There is a kids’ Christmas Party each year, and members create holiday baskets for needy families. Horns-A-Plenty plays a combination of Dixieland, blues and ballads on the second Sunday of the month. Auxiliary members volunteer at the Veterans’ Facility on Monroe Avenue in Grand Rapids. Check the “American Legion, SAL, and Auxiliary Unit 47 Comstock Park” Facebook page for activity dates and times.
Sources:
“Comstock Park: Mill Town to Bedroom Suburb” by Dave Wier
“Plainfield Charter township History 1838-1988” Contributions by Suzanne Carpenter
Legion members, Auxiliary members, Sons of the American Legion members