Witt, John -- 1878 - 1956

CRAEMER, WITT, BRANDT, BACKMAN, SHOGREN, THORNTON, SCHAVE, JONES, OCONNOR, WEAVER, HAUGEN, SCHULTZ, KOENIG, SCHARA

Posted By: Mary Durr (email)
Date: 4/7/2007 at 09:43:09

Rites Held For John Witt

Funeral services were conducted Thursday at 1:30 p.m. at the Schutte Funeral Home and 2:00 p.m. at St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church for John Witt, 78, who passed away at Faribault, Minnesota on September 11. The Rev. Charles E. Witt was in charge of the rites. Burial was in Postville cemetery.

John Witt, a former livestock buyer in Ossian and Castalia, died Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. in Faribault, Minnesota, following a lingering illness. He was 78 years old.

John Witt was born March 8, 1878 in Clayton county, a son of Christian and Minnie Craemer Witt. He spent his youth on the Witt farm near Garnavillo, attending the school near his home.

In 1901 he was united in marriage to Miss Augusta Brandt of Postville. They established their home on a farm near Castalia, where Mrs. Witt died in February 1909. In 1910 Mr. Witt moved to Castalia, where he worked as a livestock buyer. He also served as the Castalia town marshal for many years.

Mr. and Mrs. Witt became the parents of three sons and two daughters. They are: Rozella, (Mrs. Wm. Backman) of Minneapolis, Minnesota; Clarence, of LaCrosse, Wisconsin; Delbert, of Mankato, Minnesota; Walter, of Ossian and Marie (Mrs. Norman Shogren) of LaCrosse, Wisconsin.

In 1918 Mr. Witt moved to Ossian and continued his work as a livestock buyer. He retired in 1934 and made his home at Faribault.

In September 1915 he married a second time to Nellie Thornton of Castalia. They became the parents of two sons and five daughters: Charlotte, (Mrs. Harvey Schave) of Janesville, Wisconsin; Ray, of La Crosse, Wisconsin; Donna, (Mrs. Harry Jones) of Houston, Texas; John, Jr., and Irma, (Mrs. Irvin O'Connor) of Cedar Rapids; Nelda, (Mrs. Jack Weaver) of Marion; and Mrs. Darlene Haugen of Alameda, California.

In addition to his children, he is survived by 26 grandchildren, seven great grandchildren, and one sister, Mrs. Helen Schultz of Charles City.

He was preceded in death by his parents, wife and two sisters, Mrs. Louis Koenig of Castalia and Mrs. Amelia Schara of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Postville Herald newspaper clipping from my mother's obituary collection.