GROTEGUT, Ralph Donald 1938-2000

ROLFS, GROTEGUT, BEARDMORE, SCHULTE, BJERKE

Posted By: IA GenWeb Volunteer
Date: 9/9/2010 at 11:28:38

Decorah Public Opinion, Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2000

Ralph Grotegut

Ralph Grotegut, 62, of Waukon, died Friday, Nov. 17, 2000 at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. Funeral services were held Monday, Nov. 20 at 11 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Waukon with Rev. Larry Olson officiating.

Burial was in Oakland Cemetery.

Ralph Donald Grotegut was born June 21, 1938 on the rural Waukon farm of his parents, Simon Frederick and Lydia E. (Rolfs) Grotegut. He was baptized at Salem United Church of Christ and confirmed at Zion United Church of Christ. He graduated from Waukon High School in 1956.

On June 23, 1957 he married Audrey Beardmore at Mt. Hope Presbyterian Church in rural Dorchester.

Ralph served as Superintendent of the Waukon creamery plant of Foremost Farms USA where he worked for 43 years. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, where he formerly served as Elder, the Waukon Jaycees, and the Allamakee Antique Auto Club. He served as Waukon 2nd Ward City Councilman from 1970-1973 and served as Mayor of Waukon from 1973-1977 and again from 1996-1997. Since 1998 he has been a member of the Waukon Zoning Board of Adjustment.

In addition to hunting, snowmobiling, motorcycling, and horseback riding, Ralph also enjoyed gardening and yard work, particularly raising roses. He loved spending time with family, especially his great-grandson, and visiting with friends and neighbors.

Surviving Ralph are his wife Audrey, daughter Jane Grotegut, granddaughter Beth Schulte and great-grandson Connor Schulte, all of Waukon; a sister Virginia (Ordell) Bjerke of Waukon and two brothers, Roland (Hazel) Grotegut of Decorah and Leonard (Timmy) Grotegut of Bettendorf.

Ralph Grotegut is preceded in death by his parents and a son, Donald Ralph.

Transcribed by an IA GenWeb Volunteer from obituaries found in the Howard-Winneshiek Genealogy Society Library, Cresco, Iowa.