Wittenburg, William J. 1904-1980

WITTENBURG, PLEGGENKUHLE, NEWTON, FOLSON, RILEY, MULLINS, RINDELS, SLOCUM, WOODY, LEYH

Posted By: Marilyn Holmes (email)
Date: 10/3/2010 at 19:01:07

The Grinnell (IA) Herald-Register; Oct. 6, 1980

WITTENBURG RITES TODAY

William J. Wittenburg, 76, of Knoxville, formerly of Grinnell, died Friday noon at Collins Hospital in Knoxville.

Funeral services will be conducted at 1:30 p.m. today at the Smith Funeral Home, with the Rev. Daniel I. Ogata, pastor of the Grinnell United Presbyterian Church, officiating. Organist will be Kathleen Heffner, and pallbearers will be John Little, James Mullins, Irvin Rindels, Don Slocum, Cleo Smith and Arlen Woody. Burial will be at Hazelwood Cemetery.

The son of Fred and Mary Louise Pleggenkuhle Wittenburg, he was born June 18, 1904, at Sumner. He attended rural school.

On Feb. 22, 1927, he was married to Nina Bernice Newton at Brooklyn. Following their marriage, the couple farmed near Sumner until 1932 when they moved to Brooklyn. He was employed by the E.W. Burk Trucking Co. at Brooklyn. In 1937, they moved to Grinnell where he worked for the Grinnell Beverage Co. In 1947 he operated a service station in Parkersburg and Grundy Center, later returning to farming near Gifford.

Following the death of his wife in 1956, he was married to Bertha Mae Folson Riley on Dec. 22, 1960, in Grinnell. Mr. and Mrs. Wittenburg farmed near Union and Isle, Minn., before moving to Bussey. They had made their home at Knoxville since 1974.

Mr. Wittenburg was a member of the I.O.O.F. Lodge.

Survivors include his wife, Bertha; his children, Clarice Mullins of Grinnell, Robert Wittenburg of Grand Junction, Colo., Betty Lou Rindels of Hugoton, Kan., and Wallace James Wittenburg of Wyndmere, N.D.; his step-children, Margaret Slocum of Knoxville, Herbert Riley of West Los Angeles, Calif., Lester L. Riley of Des Moines, and Edith Woody of Knoxville; 12 grandchildren; eight step-grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; eight step-great-grandchildren; and a sister, Doretta Minnie Leyh of Oelwein. He was preceded in death by his parents, his first wife, and one sister, Viola.