William Adolph “Will” Ottilie (1881-1951) Alternate

BURIL, MENDENHALL, OTTILIE, WHYTE, WOOD

Posted By: Eileen Reed
Date: 2/10/2024 at 13:06:58

The Manchester Press
Manchester, Iowa
Thursday, April 5, 1951
Page 1, Column 8

Word has been received here of the death of W. A. Ottilie, age, 70, Wednesday afternoon, April 4, 1951, in an Oelwein hospital, of a heart attack. He had been ill for the past week.

Funeral services will be held at the Shelly Funeral Home in Manchester on Friday morning at 9 o’clock, with burial at Goldfield, Iowa, where services will also be held at 3 o’clock.

Mr. Ottilie was born March 30, 1881 in Germany, and came to America in 1894. He graduated from Iowa State Teachers college, Cedar Falls, and in 1923 was married to Jennie June Whyte in Goldfield; who died in 1938.

He was county superintendent of schools in Delaware county for 18 years, and for 5 years taught at the Eldora training school. He has recently been living at Harper’s Ferry, Iowa.

Survivors include two daughters, Mrs. W. L. Mendenhall jr. (Alice Mae), of Melford, Iowa; Mrs. R. M. Wood, (Agnes) of Montour, Iowa; two sons, Dr. Don J. Ottilie of Oelwein; Robert of Marshalltown; five grandchildren; a sister, Mrs. Olga Buril of St Paul, Minn. and a brother, Albert of Lake Wilson, Minn.

He was preceded in death by his wife and a daughter, Gertrude.

Manchester friends extend deep and sincere sympathy to the children in the loss of a devoted father and to others of the family most deeply affected.
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The Daily Register
Oelwein, Iowa
Tuesday, April 10, 1951
Page 12, Column 1

William O [A]. Ottilie was born in Hamburg, Germany, March 30, 1881, and died at Mercy Hospital, Oelwein, April 4, 1951 after a short illness.

At the age of 13 he came to America with his mother, a sister, Olga, and a brother, Albert. They settled on a farm near Pipestone, Minn., where his youth was spent. He graduated from Iowa State Teachers college and later did graduate work at the University of Dubuque.

As an instructor he taught at Guttenberg, Goldfield, Sanborn, Lake Mills, Nora Springs, Winthrop, Manchester, Eldora, Rowley and at Harpers Ferry, all in Iowa.

While at Goldfield, he met and married Jennie June Whyte in 1912. Mr. and Mrs. Ottilie reared their family at Manchester, where he served as superintendent of the Delaware county schools for 18 years.

While county superintendent he standardized the county schools; helped to organize the first Parent-Teacher Association: started the 4-H program among the farm youth, encouraging them to raise and exhibit poultry, pigs and cattle, and he helped to organize and establish several consolidated schools.

While at Eldora he served on the faculty of the State Training School.

His last years were spent as superintendent of schools at Harpers Ferry.

He was a member of the Masonic Lodge of Manchester and a member of the Knights Templar order. He was also a member of the Knights of Pythians.

In 1938 Mrs. Ottilie died, and in 1941 his daughter, Gertrude. He is survived by four children: Alice Mae (Mrs. Walter Mendenhall, Jr.) of Milford, Ia., Agnes (Mrs. Reuben Wood) of Montour, Iowa, Dr. D. J. Ottilie of Oelwein, and Robert Ottilie of Marshalltown; one brother, Albert of Lake Wilson, Minn.; one sister, Olga (Mrs. Charles Buril) of St. Paul, Minn., and five grandchildren.

Funeral services were held Friday April 6, at 9 a.m. at the Shelly Funeral Home of Manchester in charge of the Rev. L. W. Hauter, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Oelwein. Burial at Goldfield.