Orville W. Goemann, 77, of Bricelyn, died Tuesday, July 7, 2009, at his home. Funeral Services will be held Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at United Lutheran Church of Walters. Visitation will be Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. at Bruss-Heitner Funeral Home in Wells and one hour prior to the service at the church on Saturday. The Rev. Don Rose will officiate and burial will be in Rice Lake Cemetery in Foster Township, Faribault County.
Orville W. Goemann was born Aug. 15, 1931, in Albert Lea, to Lambert H. and Esther (Neumann) Goemann. On Sept. 14, 1952, he was united in marriage to Alice M. Passer.
Orville attended grade school in Emmons, School District 130 in Foster Township and graduated from Kiester High School in 1948. His favorite school story was one winter as he walked to country school, the snow banks were so high that he would sit on the top of the telephone poles to rest.
He was a lifelong crop farmer with many years of livestock production. He also owned and operated Goemann’s Station in rural Wells since 1972 and greatly enjoyed the fellowship, repair and servicing of cars and solving the “world’s problems.”
Orville was baptized at Bear Lake Concordia Lutheran Church in rural Albert Lea by his grandfather, the Rev. William Neumann. He was confirmed at St. John’s Lutheran in Walters and was a longtime member of United Lutheran Church in Walters. He served many years on church council and various committees. He was on the Walters Creamery Board, Foster Township Board, and was elected Foster Township Justice of the Peace in the 1960s. He was interested in land and wildlife conservation and was named Faribault County Soil Conservation Farmer of the Year in 1986 and 1989. He was a supervisor on the Faribault County Soil and Water Conservation Board for 18 years.
He enjoyed collecting and restoring tractors with a special passion for Oliver Hart-Parr and International tractors and machinery. He was a member of Farming of Yesteryear in Kiester. He also enjoyed visiting, fishing, camping, traveling, reading tractor collector magazines and having his family around.
Orville is survived by his wife, Alice, and by four sons: Rick (Julie) Goemann of Kiester, Orlin (Sandy) Goemann of Plymouth, Cary (Heidi) Goemann of Wells, Joel (Angie) Goemann of Bricelyn; two daughters: Lana (Randy) Utzka of Walters and Lisa (Keith) Becker of Arlington; 12 grandchildren: Sam, Ben and Laura Goemann, Dan and Kristin Goemann, Aaron and Hannah Goemann, Brittany and Tyler Utzka, Heather Battcher, Ashley and Tiffany Becker; one great-granddaughter: Haidyn Weber. He is also survived by two sisters: Genny (Vlad) Kedrovsky of Edina, and Lila (John) Schaal of Waseca; one brother: Ron (Betti) Goemann of Urbandale, Iowa; one sister-in-law: Mildred Meyer of Stewartville, and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
He is preceded in death by his parents; sister, Mildred; brother-in-law, Gene Steinhauer; brother-in-law, Orville Meyer; brother-in-law, Roger Passer; mother-in-law, Marie Passer; and father-in-law, Sam Passer.