John P. Huettl, age 94, of Mankato, died on Sunday, August 2, 2009, at his home.Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Thursday, August 6 at 10:30 a.m. at SS. Peter and Paul Catholic Church with Rev. Ted Hottinger, S.J. officiating. Visitation will be held on Wednesday from 4-8 p.m. with a 7:45 p.m. prayer service at Landkamer-Johnson-Boman Funeral Home. Visitation will also continue one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will be at Calvary Cemetery.John P. Huettl was born on December 27, 1914, to Frank N. and Mary G. (Rausch) Huettl in Mankato. He attended Ss Peter and Paul Grade School and graduated from Loyola High School in 1933. After graduation he and his brother Felix worked as carpenter's assistants for Leo Ulman, building and remodeling homes in the Mankato area.John enlisted in the Army and served from May 1942 until December 1945 as an instructor of Radio Communications attaining the rank of Sgt. in the Signal Corp.On September 15, 1945, John was united in marriage to Rosella Rose Herz at Ss Peter and Paul Catholic Church. When he returned to Mankato he went to work as a cabinet specialist at Hager Manufacturing, later becoming a shop foreman and retiring in May 1978.John and Rosella enjoyed traveling and took many camping trips to the West and northern Minnesota until Rosella passed away in 1985. John continued to enjoy camping and fishing whether on the lakes of the Mankato area or the lakes of northern Minnesota with his family. John was a great supporter of his grandchildren's activities, be it Lancers, volleyball, basketball, soccer, and softball. Softball sometimes posed a problem for John. With granddaughters on opposing teams, he would change hats and cheer for both. Loyola softball girls often called him "Grandpa Bee Bop" and at Mankato West he was just "Grandpa."John spent numerous hours researching the genealogy and heritage of his family. He was very proud of his work using his computer and genealogy software and was always willing to share with anyone who had an interest. John most recently lived at Gus Johnson Plaza where he enjoyed the company of all. He was considered a historian and was always willing to share stories of people and places in and about Mankato. He had a class for the Gus Johnson residents called "Do you remember?" In June of this year, he led the seniors on a tour of Mankato to old and new places and received rave reviews.John was a lifetime member of SS. Peter and Paul Church and faithfully served on The Heritage Committee for many years. He also was a member of the Catholic Order of Foresters and the COF's Legion of Honor, the Catholic Aid Assoc., Loyal Order of the Moose 1414, and the Eagle Lake American Legion Post 617.John is survived by sons, Roger (Jan), Dennis (Vicki), Wayne (Deb) and Stanley (Barb); daughters, Joanne (John) Lamm and Karen (Doug) James, all from the Mankato area; 13 grandchildren: Gina (John) Somers, Julie (Adam) Steinke, Nate (Jenn) Huettl, Jessica (Mark) Rawlings, Kelli (Ryan) Gochenaur, Lindsey Huettl, Cory (Angie) James, Ashley James (fiancé John Katelhut), Amanda Huettl, Jen Huettl (special friend Jeremy Swenson), Matt Huettl, Cassandra Huettl, and Kendra Huettl; 8 great-grandchildren: Ella Rose and Claire Huettl, Kyle Steinke, Carter James, Kylie Rawlings, Benjamin Gochenaur and Josh and Erica Somers; sister, Dorothy Ebert of St. Paul and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife Rosella; four brothers and spouses: Norbert, Florian (Issy), Othmar (Julia), Felix (Marie); three sisters and spouses: Marie (in infancy), Rose (Ray) Peterson, and Dolores ("Buck" Howard) Evans; and brother-in-law, Clarence Ebert.
Published in the Mankato Free Press from 8/3/2009 - 8/4/200