OTTESON, Ernest M. 1926-2014

OTTESON, SEIPP, MAY

Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 10/8/2014 at 15:35:35

#1:

Ernest "Ernie" Otteson

(Died October 8, 2014)

U.S. Veteran

Ernest (Ernie) M. Otteson, 87, of Osage, Iowa, passed away on Wednesday, October 8, 2014, at the Faith Home in Osage, after an extended illness.

A Funeral Mass will be held at 11:30 a.m. Monday, October 13, 2014, at St. Gabriel’s Catholic Church in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, with Rev. Jim Wieghner officiating. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery in Prairie du Chien with military honors at the grave by the Prairie du Chien Honor Guard. Visitation will be from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. Sunday at the Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home in Osage, Iowa. There will also be visitation one hour before services at St. Gabriel’s Catholic Church.

Ernie was born on October 30, 1926 in La Crosse, WI to Ernest S. and Mary Retha (Seipp) Otteson. He received his schooling at St. Gabriel’s elementary school and graduated from Prairie du Chien High School in 1944. He enlisted in the Navy in August of 1944 and served as a signalman on the LST 929 & 1051. After his honorable discharge in 1946, he enrolled in and graduated from the Pittsburgh School of Mortuary Science in 1947.

Ernie married Violet Jean May on June 14, 1947 in Verona, Pennsylvania. Ernie and Vi lived in Pittsburg for several years where he worked for U.S. Steel and caddied for several golf pros at LongeView Golf Course. They lived in Fond du Lac, WI from 1954-1958, where Ernie worked for Zacheral Funeral Home. After his dad’s retirement, the family returned to Prairie du Chien where Ernie became partners with Otteson and Garrity Funeral Home. The funeral home closed in 1972, when the new Marquette-Joliet Bridge took the property the funeral home occupied.

Ernie began working for Thornburg Funeral Services. Ernie and Vi eventually moved from Prairie du Chien to Lansing, Iowa and then McGregor, Iowa to manage the funeral homes in those locations before retiring. They moved to Osage, Iowa, in 2001. People were comforted by his kind words and nature at their most troubling times.

Ernie was a member of many community and civic organizations. He was elected to the Crawford County Board of Supervisors and was a member of the Crawford County Highway Committee. He enjoyed singing with the choir at Immaculate Conception Church. He was very proud of his affiliation with the V.F.W. and the American Legion, because his grandfather, father, son and he were all members. Everyone knew Ernie! He made friends easily and enjoyed visiting with them, attending sporting events, playing cribbage and 500. He loved living at Apple Valley Assisted Living in Osage. The family is grateful for the care he received at Apple Valley and at Faith Lutheran Home.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Ernest and Retha, his son, David in 1963, daughter-in-law, Julie in 1974, and wife, Vi in 2009.

Ernie is survived by his children: son, Michael (Marianne), Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, daughters, Sue (Gary) Parr, Brownsville, Minnesota, Amy (Michael Roy) Otteson, Tampa, Florida, and Sarah (Kent) Shultz, Osage, Iowa. He is further survived by his grandchildren: Alexander Otteson, David Otteson, Jennifer Whalen, Matthew Whalen and fiancée Nicole Bucheger, Thomas (Stephanie) Whalen, Sarah Elizabeth Otteson, Kelly Roy, Kaitlyn (Jeff) May, Nolan Hammel, Mollie Shultz, and Isaac Shultz. Ernie has three great-grandchildren: Christopher Allen Lavasseur, Jonah James Hammel May, and Lucy Violet May. He is further survived by his brother and sister-in-law, Ken and Greta Otteson, Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, and numerous nieces, nephews and their families.

Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home 641-732-3706

Source: Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home website
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#2:

Ernest 'Ernie' M. Otteson

OSAGE, IOWA - Ernest (Ernie) M. Otteson, 87, of Osage died Wednesday, October 8, 2014, at Faith Home in Osage.

A Funeral Mass will be held at 11:30 a.m. Monday, October 13, 2014, at St. Gabriel’s Catholic Church in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, with the Rev. Jim Wieghner officiating. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery in Prairie du Chien, with military honors at the grave by the Prairie du Chien Honor Guard. Visitation will be from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday at the Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home in Osage, Iowa. There will also be visitation one hour before services at St. Gabriel’s Catholic Church.

Information available and condolences accepted at www.champion-bucheitfuneralhome.com

Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home; 641-732-3706

Source: Mason City Globe Gazette, 9 OCT 2014