William Grady Wiene

OBITUARY Obituary for William Grady Wiener William (Bill) Grady Wiener, 95, of rural Villard, Minnesota, died peacefully at Glacial Ridge Hospital in Glenwood on Saturday, May 7, 2011. Bill was born on February 28, 1916, in White, South Dakota, the youngest child of John and Minnie (Miller) Wiener. When Bill was 3 years old the family moved to northwestern Iowa, where they farmed near Emmetsburg. He attended a rural country school, followed by high school in Emmetsburg, a five-mile walk each way. On January 9, 1936, Bill married Irene Cora Knudson of Cylinder, Iowa. They farmed near Osgood in Palo Alto County for five years. In 1941, Bill and Irene purchased a farm near Fenton, Iowa, where they lived and raised five children. He loved horses, and continued to use two draft horses, Dick and Toby, for mowing and other small jobs until the late 1950s?the last farmer in his township to work with horses. Bill also operated a custom hay-baling operation for many years, baling hay and straw for several neighbors in the Fenton area. Bill greatly enjoyed fishing, and trips to a lake house owned by his sister, Ruby O?Brien, on Lake Amelia (near Glenwood, Minn.) were a highlight of the family?s summers. Bill was also an avid hunter, who greatly enjoyed hunting pheasants on and around the family farm and hunting deer in Wyoming. He served on the local school board and was Chairman of the board that oversaw both construction of a new junior high and high school and the consolidation of three area schools into one, Sentral of Fenton. In 1978, Bill and Irene retired from farming and moved to a house on Lake Amelia. Their home on Lake Amelia quickly became a favorite gathering place for family, who visited often. Bill and Irene traveled frequently during their last years of farming and initial years of retirement, visiting relatives and spending part of each winter in Florida. In 1989, Bill and Irene moved to nearby Alexandria, where they resided until Irene?s death on February 13, 1999. Bill was a devoted husband, who provided steadfast care to Irene during her later years as her health declined. On October 19, 1999, Bill married Marcella Lutterman, and they resided near Villard, Minnesota. Bill greatly enjoyed his expanded family, which included Marcella?s five children and several grandchildren. He also enjoyed playing cards with family and with friends at the Senior Center in Villard. Still a farmer at heart, he enjoyed gardening and continued to raise a garden each year until the age of 90. Bill is survived by four of his children, William Lee (Sandy) Wiener of Fenton, Iowa; Judy (Bruce) Iverson of Spencer, Iowa; James (Gloria) Wiener of La Crosse, Wisconsin; Paula Latvala of Medford, Oregon; his 13 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren; a sister, Mabel Christensen of Whittemore, Iowa; and scores of nieces and nephews. He is also survived by his second wife, Marcella; her five children, Nancy (Luther) Olson, Gailyn (Sharon) Lutterman, Byron (Vicki) Lutterman, Dale (Alyson) Lutterman, and Wayne (Janet) Lutterman; and her 13 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. Bill was preceded in death by his parents; by Irene, his wife of 63 years; two infant sons, Vince and Glen, who died at childbirth; a daughter, Nancy (George) Bierstedt of Fenton, Iowa, in 2010; six siblings (Charlie, Ruby, Engle, Ann, Lillian, and Orville), a son-in-law, Donald Hainzinger, of Fenton; several brothers- and sisters-in-laws, and a number of nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 11, at St. Johns Lutheran Church in Villard, and will be preceded by visitation at the church beginning at 9:30 a.m. A brief graveside service will be held at Evergreen Cemetery, just south of Emmetsburg, Iowa, at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 12. The Anderson Funeral Home in Alexandria is assisting the family with arrangements. The family thanks the staff of Glacial Ridge Hospital for the care and kindness provided during Bill?s final days. Arrangements are with the Anderson Funeral Home in Alexandria. www.andersonfuneral.net