William Frederick Oehler, 14 May 1929 - 15 Mar 2016

OEHLER, BREICHNEIDER, ZIMMERMAN, KENNEDY, SCHEFFEN, LENTZ, MILLER, HARBUR

Posted By: Sandy Ficken (email)
Date: 3/18/2016 at 10:00:20

William F. Oehler, age 86 of Amana, IA, and Jacksonville, FL, died Tuesday, March 15, 2016 at his home in Jacksonville. Funeral Service: 10:00 A.M. Monday, March 21, 2016, Middle Amana Community Church, Middle Amana, Iowa with Elder Betsy Momany officiating. Burial will be in the Amana Cemetery with military honors. Visitation: 4 to 7 P.M. Sunday, March 20, 2016 at the Middle Amana Church. Memorials may be contributed to the First Responders, or the Amana Church in Amana, or Community Hospice in Jacksonville. Kloster Funeral Home, Marengo is assisting the family with arrangements.

Bill is survived by his wife, Elsie; four children, Barry Oehler of Denver, CO, Don Oehler of Amana, Lisa Kennedy (Stan Scheffen) of Green Bay, WI, and Dr. Maria Oehler of Jacksonville, FL; six grandchildren, Sarah (Jim) Lentz of South Amana, Christopher Oehler of Iowa City, Neal Oehler of Amana, Sean (Diane) Kennedy of Charleston, SC, and Katie and Allison Kennedy of Green Bay, WI; and six great-grandchildren. Also surviving are a sister Ethel Miller (George) of Marengo, and a brother Harvey Oehler of Middle Amana.

He was preceded in death by his parents, a brother Orville, and a sister Lucille Harbur.

William Frederick Oehler was born May 14, 1929 in Parnell, Iowa, the son of Otto Emil Oehler and Louise C. Breichneider Oehler. He graduated from the Amana High School in 1947 and served in the National Guard and U.S. Army for 5 years, stationed in Fort Riley KS. He and Elsie M. Zimmerman were married October 7, 1950 in Cedar Rapids. Bill was employed by the Amana Schools, where he started the school lunch program and drove a school bus. He owned and operated the Ronneburg Restaurant in Amana for 49 years, along with his wife and mother-in-law, where he considered his patrons to be more than customers, they were friends. He was a member of the Amana Church Society, and the Amana Arts Guild. He was instrumental in forming the Amana Travel Council and the Amana Heritage Society. He served on boards for the Amana Society, the Travel Council, and the Tourist Council. He was also a member of the American Legion Post #572.

Bill enjoyed attending and watching football (particularly the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Green Bay Packers), tennis, auto racing, and other sports. He and Elsie especially enjoyed traveling with family and friends, both abroad and within our borders, creating many fond memories of these times.

Kloster Funeral Home
Notice only in The Gazette, 17 Mar 2016, 8a