FREDERICKSBURG -- Louis Sostak, Sr., 94, Fredericksburg, died Friday, April 5, 2002 at . the New Hampton Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in New Hampton of natural causes.

Funeral Services will be 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 9 at Trinity Lutheran Church, New Hampton with Reverend David Bergstrom and Reverend Kevin Frey officiating. Edith Kolthoff will be the organist and accompany those in attendance singing "Beyond The Sunset", "In Tne Garden" and "On Eagles Wings". Cross bearer will be Lisa Schildroth.

Interment will be in New Hampton Cemetery with Ronald Underwood, Steve Wiley, Rollin Cahoy, Gerald Johnson, Kevin Hassman and Jerry Ptacek serving as casket bearers.

Visitation was 4 to 8 p.m. Monday, April 8 at Conway-Kolbet Funeral Home, New Hampton and an hour prior to services at the church.

Louis was born Oct. 25,1907, the son of Herman and Josephine (Vesley) Sostak in a two-room sod house on the parents' homestead located between Carlock and Paxton in Gregory County, SD. The family lived in the sod house until 1919, at which time they moved to a farm nearby. Louis attended rural schools near his home and Jones West Central School. He did farm chores and field work at hcfme, as well asf for the neighbors. In 1926, he went to Chicago by train where he was employed at Sears and Roebuck in the mailing room, but returned to South Dakota within a year to continue farming. On Nov. 28, 1933 he was united in marriage to Vlasta Marie Papousek at Gregory, SD. Following their marriage the couple lived on a farm near Gregory and  Louis worked as a butcher for Dakota Meat Market in Gregory for seven years. In 1941, the family moved to a farm near Claremont, MN and in 1945 moved to a farm north of Fredericksburg known as the Hartson farm. Louis enjoyed telling stories and jokes, playing cards, fishing, baseball, riding bicycle and traveling with nis wife. He thought the world of his farm and taking care of it. He was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church where he was baptized and confirmed on March 1, 1985.

Survivors include three children, Violet (Darrell) Albrecht, New Hampton and Louis D. and Beverly (Ronald) Hattig, both of-Fredericksburg; six grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; a sister, Rose •ubrava, Mt. Prospect, IL and numerous nieces and nephews.

Preceding him in death were his parents; his wife, Vlasta, in 1996; a daughter; Blanche Rae Sostak, in 1992; a brother, Rudolph Sostak and three sisters,. Mary Mach, Josephine Johns and Libby Svehlak.

Source: New Hampton Tribune; Apr. 9, 2002 Page 4
from Elma library collection assembled by Marian (Marr) McGee
Transcribed by ABBYY FineReader® 12, Adapted to the Web by Bill Waters