Wander, Phillip Charles -- 1915 - 1999

MICHEL, WANDER, SCHMIDT, MERRICK, BODENSTEINER, SCHWEINEFUS

Posted By: Mary Durr (email)
Date: 5/10/2007 at 09:50:21

Phillip Wander

Funeral services for Phillip Wander were held Monday, September 6, 1999 at 10:30 a.m. in the Zion Lutheran Church in Castalia, Iowa. Marlys Hager, organist, accompanied the soloist, Kenneth Timmerman of Decorah, Iowa. The Schutte Funeral Service of Postville was in charge of arrangements. Burial was in the Pleasant View Cemetery at Castalia.

Phillip Charles Wander, the son of John George Wander and Christina Michel Wander, was born November 16, 1915 on the family farm in Bloomfield Township, Winneshiek County, near Castalia, Iowa. He passed away late Friday afternoon, September 3, 1999, in the Ossian Senior Hospice at Ossian, Iowa. He had reached the age of 83 years, nine months and 17 days.

He was baptized into the Catholic Faith as an infant and celebrated his first communion on May 29, 1927 at the Church of St. Francis at Ossian, Iowa. M. J. Thiltgen was the Pastor. Phil attended the DeSales School in Ossian and the Castalia Public School.

On March 22, 1943, he was married to Cleora Schmidt at Ossian. To this union three children were born. They farmed and Phil also did custom trucking during this time as well. Later he worked for several sale barns in the area, including Postville, Waukon, West Union, Decorah, Wadena and others. Phil lived on the "Old Homestead Farm" which was the first homestead in Winneshiek county. He had been a resident of the Ossian Senior Hospice for the last two years.

He is preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Cleora, who died in 1980, three brothers, Lloyd, Jacob and Joseph, two nephews, Gene Wander and Jerry Wander, and a niece, Suzanne Wander Merrick.

Surviving are his children, Cletus Wander and his wife, Loretta, of Cedar Falls, Iowa, Craig Wander and his wife, Lauralea, of Marion, Iowa, and Chris and her husband, Keith Bodensteiner, of Ossian, Iowa. Also surviving are nine grandchildren, Colette Wander Kelly and husband, Aaron; Darren Wander and Bradley Wander, Lori and her fiance, Bryan Tieskoetter; Samantha, Jason, John and Jesse Bodensteiner, one great grandchild, Austin Tieskoetter, a brother, George Wander and his wife, Caroline, of Postville; a sister, Margaret Schweinefus, and a sister-in-law, Celia Wander, both of West Union, Iowa.

Casket bearers were Aaron Kelly, Bradley Wander, Darren Wander, Bryan Tieskoetter, Jason Bodensteiner, John Bodensteiner, and Jesse Bodensteiner. Honorary casket bearers were James Wander, John Phillips, Rusty Phillips, Keith Wander, Gerald Wander, and Duane Wander.

Postville Herald-Leader newspaper clipping from my mother's obituary collection. Submitter has no further information.

Submitter note: More Wander's can be found on the Fayette County IaGenWeb site.