ORTMAN, Robert Herman 1920-2002

ORTMAN, GEUDER, MAULSBY

Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 1/24/2009 at 20:37:56

Robert Ortman

Robert Herman Ortman, 82, of 800 8th St., Charles City, died Thursday, March 28, 2002, at Riverside Chautauqua Guest Home, Charles City.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 2, 2002, at St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church, 200 South Main St., Charles City, with the Rev. Curt Schneider officiating. Interment will be held in Sunnyside Memory Gardens. Visitation will be held from 5 until 8 p.m. Monday at Fullerton Hage Funeral Home, 401 Blunt St., Charles City. Visitation will continue Tuesday one hour prior to services at the church.

Those planning an expression of sympathy may wish to direct memorials to St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church, Parkinsons Disease Research, or to ones personal choice.

Robert Herman Ortman was born Jan. 14, 1920, in Guttenburg, Iowa, the only son of Fred and Alma (Geuder) Ortman. While he was still a young boy his family moved to Charles City, Iowa. He attended the Charles City School district and later graduated in 1937.

On October 11, 1941 Robert was united in marriage to Laura Maulsby in Charles City. To this union were born twins, Kay Allene and Kent Allen. Robert was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather.

Robert was an avid sportsman who enjoyed playing basketball, running track, and playing baseball in high school. He loved being in the great outdoors, trapping, and hunting, especially birds. His great passion was golf, which he started playing as a young boy when he caddied at Wildwood Golf Course.

Robert enjoyed gardening, especially experimenting with new plants and propagating plants. He also enjoyed remodeling and decorating houses and doing woodworking.

Robert had a short employment with Sherman Nursery, then became employed at Salsbury-Solvay. He began working at Salsbury in 1939 and retired 46 years later in 1985. In 1953 Robert was transferred to Atlanta, Ga., to open a new branch for Salsbury. He returned to Charles City in 1988.

Robert was a lifelong member of the Lutheran Church and was very active in many of the church activities.

In Robert's final years he was stricken with Parkinson's Disease.

He will be sadly missed by his wife Laura; children Kent Ortman and his wife, Rada, of Navarre, Fla., Kay Lutts and her husband, Terry, of Denver, Colo.; four grandchildren: Robert Ortman and his wife, Vicki, Judi Locke and her husband, Stephen, all of Jonesboro, Ark., Laura-Lee Ault and her husband, Alex, and Ashley Lutts all of Denver, Colo.; two great grandsons; two great granddaughters; and two sisters, Olga Bungum of Austin, Minn., and Bernice McConnell of Webster City, Iowa.

Mr. Ortman was preceded in death by his parents, one sister Miriam Kientop, and three nephews.