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David L. Ottesen, 78, Decorah
Obituaries · May 28, 2015
David L. Ottesen, age 78, of Decorah, Iowa, died Wednesday, May 20, 2015, at Mayo Clinic Hospital, Saint Mary’s Campus in Rochester, Minn.
Funeral Services were Wednesday, May 27, 2015, at Madison Lutheran Church in rural Ridgeway, Iowa. Burial will be in Lutheran Cemetery in Decorah with full military honors.
Visitation was Tuesday, May 26, 2015, at Fjelstul Funeral Home in Decorah and on Wednesday, one hour before the service at Madison Lutheran Church.
After sudden complications with cancer, Dave passed away peacefully on Tuesday, May 20, 2015, surrounded by his family. Sarah not only lost her husband of 34 years that day, but also her best friend.
David LeRoy Ottesen was born Sept. 15, 1936, at home in Winneshiek County to Milton and Olga (Torkelson) Ottesen. He was baptized at First Lutheran Church on Oct. 25, 1936. He started school at the Hamre County School before moving to the Elgin area, and then at age 9 to Decorah, where he attended East Side Elementary School. From there he went to Decorah High School where he played football, basketball and ran track. Dave graduated with the Class of 1955.
On Oct. 13, 1955, Dave enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and left for basic training at Lackland Air Force Base. He was deployed in French Morocco, Africa, in May 1955 where he served as an Airman for one year before being stationed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio until 1958. He then moved to Truax Air Base in Wisconsin until his discharge in October 1960.
On April 7, 1956, he married Marlene J. Keck from Decorah at First Lutheran. In November 1960, Dave began working for Iowa Electric Light and Power as a journeyman and eventually a lineman. Dave and Marlene lived in West Branch and then Vinton, Iowa. They had three daughters, Cindy, Tammy and Jackie. Marlene passed away on June 4, 1980, after a battle with cancer. They had been married for 24 years.
On July 18, 1981, Dave married Sarah Jane (Hovden) Graves at Hawkeye Lutheran Church. There his family grew to include one more daughter, Julie, and two sons, Jay and Joel. Sarah and Dave lived in Vinton until July 1983 when they became the owners of Oneota Lanes in Decorah and moved back home. Dave, with Sarah at his side, worked hard at creating an inviting and fun place to spend time in the community. Often times you would find them hosting family events, senior prom nights, P.E. classes, charitable events and many tournaments as well as league and open bowling. After 20 years of the sound of dropping pins, they retired from the bowling alley.
While running the business, Dave also enjoyed spending time working on the farm. Many days you would often find him atop a John Deere in the fields. Working the land was a joy for Dave for many years and he often wished he had been a full-time farmer.
Dave loved the outdoors and it showed. He was an avid golfer his entire life and belonged to Oneota Country Club for the past 25 years. If not on the golf course, Dave was planning his next fishing trip up north where he could put his boat in the water, take along his favorite fishing buddy, Sarah, and land the big one. After retirement, Dave continued bowling in leagues. Retirement gave him even more time to read the books he loved, especially westerns. Dave and Sarah traveled each winter to Phoenix to spend a few months in the warmer weather. Of course, the golf clubs went, too.
Dave is preceded in death by wife Marlene; parents Milton and Olga Ottesen; mothers-and fathers-in-law Myrtle and Adolph Nordsving and Odella and Wesley Keck; sisters- and brothers-in-law Donna Hovden, John Regan, Carmie Hovden and Richard Helgeson; aunts and uncles Walter and Norma Hilberg, Sydney and Leona Hilberg, Carl and Florence Hilberg, Clara and Ernest Rindfleisch; and niece Angie Ottesen.
Dave is survived by wife Sarah; children: Cindy (Bill) Crandall of Suttons Bay, Mich., Tammy (Jerry) Vrzak of Waucoma, Jackie (Duane) Novotny of Fort Atkinson, Julie Snitker (fiancé Dave Sacquitne) of Decorah, Jay Graves of Decorah, and Joel (Joyce) Graves of Mabel, Minn. He has many grandchildren: Ashley (Nick) Darga, Alex (Hedai) Horak, Jordan (Ethan Dailing) and Brooke Crandall; Hailey (Logan Gage), Braiden and Austin Vrzak; Allison (Dakota Smith), Ben (Linzey Hubbell) and Taylor Novotny; Ryan (Taylor Goode) and Adam (Staci Lammers) Snitker; Dan and Adam Sacquitne; Danielle and Courtney Graves. Also surviving are two great-grandchildren, Taya Snitker and Ashlyn Smith; brother Kenneth (Janet) Ottesen of Decorah; his brothers- and sisters-in-law Kay Regan, Marvin Hovden, Donald and Ina Hovden, Mary and Hubie Teslow, Dorothy and Larry Brooks, Kate Hovden, Georgiann and DuWayne Schweinefus, Jan Helgeson, Bill Keck and Linda (Dennis) DeBuhr; and many nieces and nephews.
Dave was so proud of all the accomplishments of his children and grandchildren. Many college degrees have been earned; successful family farms and businesses run for a close-knit family. If you ever listened in on one of the Ottesen family celebrations, you would hear countless hours of laughter and storytelling.
A special goodbye goes out to Buzz, Dick and Karl, Dave’s golfing buddies for over 30 years. He wants you to know he’ll be waiting for you on the first tee.
Memorials may be given to Madison Lutheran Church, 2658 Madison Road, Ridgeway, IA 52165 or to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 22718, Oklahoma City, OK 73123-1718.
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