Mrs. Freda Kutz, 94, a resident of Pierce City and a lifelong parishioner of St Marys Church died January 11, 2008 in her home. She was surrounded by family as she bravely faced her final battle with cancer. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Mrs. Kutz was preceded in death by an infant daughter, Mary Ann (1956), her husband, Ben Kutz (1967) and a daughter-in-law, Deanna (2000). She was the oldest child of August and Anna Hagedorn Witt and was born on January 9, 1914. Ben and Freda were married in 1939 by her uncle, Monsignor Francis Hagedorn. Her sister, Leona Henderson and two brothers, Wilbert Witt and Francis Witt, also preceded her in death.
She is survived by her six sons: Don Kutz and his fiancée, Betty Wrobleski of Pierce City; Ken and Linda Bramer Kutz of Eden Prairie, MN; Ben and Yvonne Bret Kutz of Columbia; Richard and Karen Lauritson Kutz of Pierce City; Jim and Ann McKendry Kutz of Glen Allen, VA.; and Tom and Karla Wachter Kutz of St. Louis. She is also survived by fifteen grandchildren and sixteen great-grandchildren.
Grandchildren and their families include: Don and Lee Ann Flinn Kutz and their children Brittany and Andrew of Hernando, MS; Jennifer Kutz Phenicie and Rob and their daughter Meghen of Missoula, MT; Brian and Michelle Radalia Kutz and their daughter Sarah of North Canton OH; Kimberly Kutz Schenk and Brian and their son Jaden and daughter Alina of Blaine, MN; Kristen Kutz Palm and Tim and their children Edward Kutz, Kenneth Kutz, Danielle and Carter of Minnetrista, MN; Karen Kutz and her son Connor Kutz Rautio of New Brighton, MN; Michelle Schawo and Kevin and their daughter Courtney Blount; Nicholas Kutz of Columbia, MO; Dr. Rick Kutz and his son Jordan of Pauls Valley, OK; Fred and Sasha Faucett Kutz and their children Josie, Jenna and Jack of Springdale, AR; James Kutz, Jr. of Washington, DC; Robert Kutz of Midlothian, VA and John Kutz of Glen Allen, VA; Krista Kutz of Cincinnati, OH and Matt Kutz of St. Louis, MO.
Mrs. Kutz loved her church, her family and her garden and flowers. She was always happiest when surrounded by her large extended family for Sunday dinner. She grew up on a farm south of Pierce City. She attended St. Marys elementary school and attended High School in Glasgow, MO. She graduated from State Teachers College in Springfield, MO (now MSU). She taught for five years in rural schools. She retired from Monett Manufacturing (Sarajo) in April 1982 after 24 years with the company. She and her sister Lee delivered Meals on Wheels for years after her retirement in addition to caring for her yard and garden and grandchildren. She was member of The Altar Society at St. Marys
End of obituary
Sunday at the Kutz Home in the 1950s and 1960s or so…..
Sunday began for the boys with Saturday night baths. We had one bathtub (no shower) for the whole family. When we were little Mom put two of us at a time in the tub. Still in the 50s we were way ahead of many people. Grandma Witt and Wilbert did not have indoor plumbing and bathed in a metal tub with water heated on the stove. We boys occasionally bathed at the farm when we stayed overnight.
Sunday morning began as did every day with delivering the newspaper route. Dad always helped us in the morning. He got us up at 5:00 AM and woke us up. He put a bike in the trunk of the car and we went downtown and picked up the papers. We rolled them with rubber bands and we drove around town delivering papers. He dropped a kid and the bike with a bunch of papers high on the hill. We zoomed around dropping papers and went home. He delivered papers around the edge of town then went home for a quick breakfast and opened his gas station.
Masses at St Mary's were at 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM. No Saturday masses until mid 60s. Often Kutz boys would serve as altar boys and we learned our responses in Latin and when to ring the bells at the altar. After Vatican II, we became readers of the gospel in English. When I was little everything except the sermon was in Latin.
Mom took some kids to early Mass while Dad took others at 10. Dad changed clothes at the station and one of the boys kept the station open while he attended Mass. I remember sitting with Dad along the west wall of church and he would catch a cat nap during the sermon.
Babu usually came to early Mass then went to our home for the day. She played games or cards with us younger kids. We had to show off any new clothes or shoes to her. She loved to have a kid sit on her generous lap even when we were too big. She was one of the most outspokenly affectionate people I have ever known.
Grandma Witt and Wilbert always came to later Mass. Some kids hitched rides home with them. Wilbert always had coffee and read our paper. He read the comics to me while I sat on his lap. Grandma Witt always jumped into the kitchen to help Mom prepared vast quantities of fried chicken, ham, green beans, corn on the cob, creamed peas, orange jello, chocolate or strawberry cake, blackberry cobbler, peach cobbler, blarney stones, congo squares or other assorted goodies.
Kids help set the tables and moved the chairs. Aunt Clara Mae and Uncle Leo were with us most of the time. Clara Mae helped in the kitchen. Leo loved to sit on the front porch when the weather was nice. Out of town guests were always an exciting event for us kids. The Taylor's from Battle Creek had two girls the same age as Tom and me. They stayed with Clara Mae for a week each summer but had Sunday dinner with us. There visits were always much anticipated and full of new conversation to catch up on the last year's happenings. Allen Weygandt was a police detective in Detroit and when they visited he had lots of stories. He was Dad's neighbors growing up and was a best friend. His son was older than Don and I remember him doing magic tricks. His brother Harold also visited us. He lived in LA and worked on a movie lot. He had played some professional baseball and he would go out and play ball with us kids. He brought us an autograph of an actress, ZaSu Pitts. Check her out.
When Mom called everyone to the dinner table we all set in our usual seats except when the crowd was so big we overflowed into the kitchen or even a card table. We always said Grace before our meals. No one dared even think about eating a bite until it was said very reverentially. Then food was passed around. Wilbert always made a pond for his gravy in his mashed potatoes.
The TV was new and if there was a baseball or football game on the TV it would be on. It was always the Cardinals. But it did not stop the conversation which flowed freely. I never remember talking politics or religion other than the goings on at St Mary's.
After the meal and desert the tabled were cleared, great piles of dishes were washed by the ladies and everyone got ready to play cards or in good weather some games outside. These included horseshoes, whiffleball, basketball, catch and even hula hoops. Inside Pinochle was the game of choice for the adults. Bidding was a combination of bravado, whining and strategy. Mom never got enough aces. We also played pitch (Dad's game), dirty, war and double solitaire. Many times there would be two tables of cards. The winners got to keep playing and the losers had to drop out and wait another turn.
Out of town visitors would drop by in the afternoon. About 4:00 or so Wilbert and Grandma Witt would leave to go to the farm and milk the cows. Cows had to be milked morning and evening seven days a week. Clara Mae and Leo would also leave. Babu usually stayed for supper of leftovers. We watched Ted Mack's Amateur hour (the American Idol of its day), The Ed Sullivan Show (the Beatles first appearance in America was huge) and Bonanza. We had one black and white TV in the front room.
One of the boys would take Babu home around 8:00 after Ed Sullivan. Many times Mom would lead us in a Rosary for a family member who had passed away. We kneeled on the hardwood floor around beds. This would usually be just before bedtime.
Sometimes there would be a Rosary at Wessel funeral home. As soon as it was over bunches of kids would play outside while the adults "visited". There was always a lot of "visiting" going on.
My Mother (bless her soul) cooked, washed clothes, raised a big garden, drove us around paper routes when it rained and never complained. Imagine fixing Sunday dinner for 20 to 30 people. She was our biggest sports fan. Went to all our games and listened or watched Cardinal baseball.
At Christmas there was always one special Sunday when Mom made Christmas cookies. The kitchen would be running at full speed for days as she baked hundreds of cookies cut into festive shapes with borrowed cookie cutters. Sunday afternoon after Dinner everyone decorated Christmas cookies with multi-colored icing and sprinkles. Early in the afternoon people tried to decorate them very carefully. Adults praised the kids for good work. It seems this took most of an afternoon. These cookies fed the throngs of people who dropped by to visit and the hungry boys.
Occasionally Aunt Lee would call Mom from California. It was usually planned in advance as long distance was expensive. Mom always anticipated these calls and jumped to get it when the phone rang then stepped into the back room so they could talk.
She is survived by her six sons: Don Kutz and his fiancée, Betty Wrobleski of Pierce City; Ken and Linda Bramer Kutz of Eden Prairie, MN; Ben and Yvonne Bret Kutz of Columbia; Richard and Karen Lauritson Kutz of Pierce City; Jim and Ann McKendry Kutz of Glen Allen, VA.; and Tom and Karla Wachter Kutz of St. Louis. She is also survived by fifteen grandchildren and sixteen great-grandchildren.
Grandchildren and their families include: Don and Lee Ann Flinn Kutz and their children Brittany and Andrew of Hernando, MS; Jennifer Kutz Phenicie and Rob and their daughter Meghen of Missoula, MT; Brian and Michelle Radalia Kutz and their daughter Sarah of North Canton OH; Kimberly Kutz Schenk and Brian and their son Jaden and daughter Alina of Blaine, MN; Kristen Kutz Palm and Tim and their children Edward Kutz, Kenneth Kutz, Danielle and Carter of Minnetrista, MN; Karen Kutz and her son Connor Kutz Rautio of New Brighton, MN; Michelle Schawo and Kevin and their daughter Courtney Blount; Nicholas Kutz of Columbia, MO; Dr. Rick Kutz and his son Jordan of Pauls Valley, OK; Fred and Sasha Faucett Kutz and their children Josie, Jenna and Jack of Springdale, AR; James Kutz, Jr. of Washington, DC; Robert Kutz of Midlothian, VA and John Kutz of Glen Allen, VA; Krista Kutz of Cincinnati, OH and Matt Kutz of St. Louis, MO.
Mrs. Kutz loved her church, her family and her garden and flowers. She was always happiest when surrounded by her large extended family for Sunday dinner. She grew up on a farm south of Pierce City. She attended St. Marys elementary school and attended High School in Glasgow, MO. She graduated from State Teachers College in Springfield, MO (now MSU). She taught for five years in rural schools. She retired from Monett Manufacturing (Sarajo) in April 1982 after 24 years with the company. She and her sister Lee delivered Meals on Wheels for years after her retirement in addition to caring for her yard and garden and grandchildren. She was member of The Altar Society at St. Marys
End of obituary
Sunday at the Kutz Home in the 1950s and 1960s or so…..
Sunday began for the boys with Saturday night baths. We had one bathtub (no shower) for the whole family. When we were little Mom put two of us at a time in the tub. Still in the 50s we were way ahead of many people. Grandma Witt and Wilbert did not have indoor plumbing and bathed in a metal tub with water heated on the stove. We boys occasionally bathed at the farm when we stayed overnight.
Sunday morning began as did every day with delivering the newspaper route. Dad always helped us in the morning. He got us up at 5:00 AM and woke us up. He put a bike in the trunk of the car and we went downtown and picked up the papers. We rolled them with rubber bands and we drove around town delivering papers. He dropped a kid and the bike with a bunch of papers high on the hill. We zoomed around dropping papers and went home. He delivered papers around the edge of town then went home for a quick breakfast and opened his gas station.
Masses at St Mary's were at 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM. No Saturday masses until mid 60s. Often Kutz boys would serve as altar boys and we learned our responses in Latin and when to ring the bells at the altar. After Vatican II, we became readers of the gospel in English. When I was little everything except the sermon was in Latin.
Mom took some kids to early Mass while Dad took others at 10. Dad changed clothes at the station and one of the boys kept the station open while he attended Mass. I remember sitting with Dad along the west wall of church and he would catch a cat nap during the sermon.
Babu usually came to early Mass then went to our home for the day. She played games or cards with us younger kids. We had to show off any new clothes or shoes to her. She loved to have a kid sit on her generous lap even when we were too big. She was one of the most outspokenly affectionate people I have ever known.
Grandma Witt and Wilbert always came to later Mass. Some kids hitched rides home with them. Wilbert always had coffee and read our paper. He read the comics to me while I sat on his lap. Grandma Witt always jumped into the kitchen to help Mom prepared vast quantities of fried chicken, ham, green beans, corn on the cob, creamed peas, orange jello, chocolate or strawberry cake, blackberry cobbler, peach cobbler, blarney stones, congo squares or other assorted goodies.
Kids help set the tables and moved the chairs. Aunt Clara Mae and Uncle Leo were with us most of the time. Clara Mae helped in the kitchen. Leo loved to sit on the front porch when the weather was nice. Out of town guests were always an exciting event for us kids. The Taylor's from Battle Creek had two girls the same age as Tom and me. They stayed with Clara Mae for a week each summer but had Sunday dinner with us. There visits were always much anticipated and full of new conversation to catch up on the last year's happenings. Allen Weygandt was a police detective in Detroit and when they visited he had lots of stories. He was Dad's neighbors growing up and was a best friend. His son was older than Don and I remember him doing magic tricks. His brother Harold also visited us. He lived in LA and worked on a movie lot. He had played some professional baseball and he would go out and play ball with us kids. He brought us an autograph of an actress, ZaSu Pitts. Check her out.
When Mom called everyone to the dinner table we all set in our usual seats except when the crowd was so big we overflowed into the kitchen or even a card table. We always said Grace before our meals. No one dared even think about eating a bite until it was said very reverentially. Then food was passed around. Wilbert always made a pond for his gravy in his mashed potatoes.
The TV was new and if there was a baseball or football game on the TV it would be on. It was always the Cardinals. But it did not stop the conversation which flowed freely. I never remember talking politics or religion other than the goings on at St Mary's.
After the meal and desert the tabled were cleared, great piles of dishes were washed by the ladies and everyone got ready to play cards or in good weather some games outside. These included horseshoes, whiffleball, basketball, catch and even hula hoops. Inside Pinochle was the game of choice for the adults. Bidding was a combination of bravado, whining and strategy. Mom never got enough aces. We also played pitch (Dad's game), dirty, war and double solitaire. Many times there would be two tables of cards. The winners got to keep playing and the losers had to drop out and wait another turn.
Out of town visitors would drop by in the afternoon. About 4:00 or so Wilbert and Grandma Witt would leave to go to the farm and milk the cows. Cows had to be milked morning and evening seven days a week. Clara Mae and Leo would also leave. Babu usually stayed for supper of leftovers. We watched Ted Mack's Amateur hour (the American Idol of its day), The Ed Sullivan Show (the Beatles first appearance in America was huge) and Bonanza. We had one black and white TV in the front room.
One of the boys would take Babu home around 8:00 after Ed Sullivan. Many times Mom would lead us in a Rosary for a family member who had passed away. We kneeled on the hardwood floor around beds. This would usually be just before bedtime.
Sometimes there would be a Rosary at Wessel funeral home. As soon as it was over bunches of kids would play outside while the adults "visited". There was always a lot of "visiting" going on.
My Mother (bless her soul) cooked, washed clothes, raised a big garden, drove us around paper routes when it rained and never complained. Imagine fixing Sunday dinner for 20 to 30 people. She was our biggest sports fan. Went to all our games and listened or watched Cardinal baseball.
At Christmas there was always one special Sunday when Mom made Christmas cookies. The kitchen would be running at full speed for days as she baked hundreds of cookies cut into festive shapes with borrowed cookie cutters. Sunday afternoon after Dinner everyone decorated Christmas cookies with multi-colored icing and sprinkles. Early in the afternoon people tried to decorate them very carefully. Adults praised the kids for good work. It seems this took most of an afternoon. These cookies fed the throngs of people who dropped by to visit and the hungry boys.
Occasionally Aunt Lee would call Mom from California. It was usually planned in advance as long distance was expensive. Mom always anticipated these calls and jumped to get it when the phone rang then stepped into the back room so they could talk.
Mrs. Freda Kutz, 94, a resident of Pierce City and a lifelong parishioner of St Marys Church died January 11, 2008 in her home. She was surrounded by family as she bravely faced her final battle with cancer. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Mrs. Kutz was preceded in death by an infant daughter, Mary Ann (1956), her husband, Ben Kutz (1967) and a daughter-in-law, Deanna (2000). She was the oldest child of August and Anna Hagedorn Witt and was born on January 9, 1914. Ben and Freda were married in 1939 by her uncle, Monsignor Francis Hagedorn. Her sister, Leona Henderson and two brothers, Wilbert Witt and Francis Witt, also preceded her in death.
She is survived by her six sons: Don Kutz and his fiancée, Betty Wrobleski of Pierce City; Ken and Linda Bramer Kutz of Eden Prairie, MN; Ben and Yvonne Bret Kutz of Columbia; Richard and Karen Lauritson Kutz of Pierce City; Jim and Ann McKendry Kutz of Glen Allen, VA.; and Tom and Karla Wachter Kutz of St. Louis. She is also survived by fifteen grandchildren and sixteen great-grandchildren.
Grandchildren and their families include: Don and Lee Ann Flinn Kutz and their children Brittany and Andrew of Hernando, MS; Jennifer Kutz Phenicie and Rob and their daughter Meghen of Missoula, MT; Brian and Michelle Radalia Kutz and their daughter Sarah of North Canton OH; Kimberly Kutz Schenk and Brian and their son Jaden and daughter Alina of Blaine, MN; Kristen Kutz Palm and Tim and their children Edward Kutz, Kenneth Kutz, Danielle and Carter of Minnetrista, MN; Karen Kutz and her son Connor Kutz Rautio of New Brighton, MN; Michelle Schawo and Kevin and their daughter Courtney Blount; Nicholas Kutz of Columbia, MO; Dr. Rick Kutz and his son Jordan of Pauls Valley, OK; Fred and Sasha Faucett Kutz and their children Josie, Jenna and Jack of Springdale, AR; James Kutz, Jr. of Washington, DC; Robert Kutz of Midlothian, VA and John Kutz of Glen Allen, VA; Krista Kutz of Cincinnati, OH and Matt Kutz of St. Louis, MO.
Mrs. Kutz loved her church, her family and her garden and flowers. She was always happiest when surrounded by her large extended family for Sunday dinner. She grew up on a farm south of Pierce City. She attended St. Marys elementary school and attended High School in Glasgow, MO. She graduated from State Teachers College in Springfield, MO (now MSU). She taught for five years in rural schools. She retired from Monett Manufacturing (Sarajo) in April 1982 after 24 years with the company. She and her sister Lee delivered Meals on Wheels for years after her retirement in addition to caring for her yard and garden and grandchildren. She was member of The Altar Society at St. Marys
End of obituary
Sunday at the Kutz Home in the 1950s and 1960s or so…..
Sunday began for the boys with Saturday night baths. We had one bathtub (no shower) for the whole family. When we were little Mom put two of us at a time in the tub. Still in the 50s we were way ahead of many people. Grandma Witt and Wilbert did not have indoor plumbing and bathed in a metal tub with water heated on the stove. We boys occasionally bathed at the farm when we stayed overnight.
Sunday morning began as did every day with delivering the newspaper route. Dad always helped us in the morning. He got us up at 5:00 AM and woke us up. He put a bike in the trunk of the car and we went downtown and picked up the papers. We rolled them with rubber bands and we drove around town delivering papers. He dropped a kid and the bike with a bunch of papers high on the hill. We zoomed around dropping papers and went home. He delivered papers around the edge of town then went home for a quick breakfast and opened his gas station.
Masses at St Mary's were at 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM. No Saturday masses until mid 60s. Often Kutz boys would serve as altar boys and we learned our responses in Latin and when to ring the bells at the altar. After Vatican II, we became readers of the gospel in English. When I was little everything except the sermon was in Latin.
Mom took some kids to early Mass while Dad took others at 10. Dad changed clothes at the station and one of the boys kept the station open while he attended Mass. I remember sitting with Dad along the west wall of church and he would catch a cat nap during the sermon.
Babu usually came to early Mass then went to our home for the day. She played games or cards with us younger kids. We had to show off any new clothes or shoes to her. She loved to have a kid sit on her generous lap even when we were too big. She was one of the most outspokenly affectionate people I have ever known.
Grandma Witt and Wilbert always came to later Mass. Some kids hitched rides home with them. Wilbert always had coffee and read our paper. He read the comics to me while I sat on his lap. Grandma Witt always jumped into the kitchen to help Mom prepared vast quantities of fried chicken, ham, green beans, corn on the cob, creamed peas, orange jello, chocolate or strawberry cake, blackberry cobbler, peach cobbler, blarney stones, congo squares or other assorted goodies.
Kids help set the tables and moved the chairs. Aunt Clara Mae and Uncle Leo were with us most of the time. Clara Mae helped in the kitchen. Leo loved to sit on the front porch when the weather was nice. Out of town guests were always an exciting event for us kids. The Taylor's from Battle Creek had two girls the same age as Tom and me. They stayed with Clara Mae for a week each summer but had Sunday dinner with us. There visits were always much anticipated and full of new conversation to catch up on the last year's happenings. Allen Weygandt was a police detective in Detroit and when they visited he had lots of stories. He was Dad's neighbors growing up and was a best friend. His son was older than Don and I remember him doing magic tricks. His brother Harold also visited us. He lived in LA and worked on a movie lot. He had played some professional baseball and he would go out and play ball with us kids. He brought us an autograph of an actress, ZaSu Pitts. Check her out.
When Mom called everyone to the dinner table we all set in our usual seats except when the crowd was so big we overflowed into the kitchen or even a card table. We always said Grace before our meals. No one dared even think about eating a bite until it was said very reverentially. Then food was passed around. Wilbert always made a pond for his gravy in his mashed potatoes.
The TV was new and if there was a baseball or football game on the TV it would be on. It was always the Cardinals. But it did not stop the conversation which flowed freely. I never remember talking politics or religion other than the goings on at St Mary's.
After the meal and desert the tabled were cleared, great piles of dishes were washed by the ladies and everyone got ready to play cards or in good weather some games outside. These included horseshoes, whiffleball, basketball, catch and even hula hoops. Inside Pinochle was the game of choice for the adults. Bidding was a combination of bravado, whining and strategy. Mom never got enough aces. We also played pitch (Dad's game), dirty, war and double solitaire. Many times there would be two tables of cards. The winners got to keep playing and the losers had to drop out and wait another turn.
Out of town visitors would drop by in the afternoon. About 4:00 or so Wilbert and Grandma Witt would leave to go to the farm and milk the cows. Cows had to be milked morning and evening seven days a week. Clara Mae and Leo would also leave. Babu usually stayed for supper of leftovers. We watched Ted Mack's Amateur hour (the American Idol of its day), The Ed Sullivan Show (the Beatles first appearance in America was huge) and Bonanza. We had one black and white TV in the front room.
One of the boys would take Babu home around 8:00 after Ed Sullivan. Many times Mom would lead us in a Rosary for a family member who had passed away. We kneeled on the hardwood floor around beds. This would usually be just before bedtime.
Sometimes there would be a Rosary at Wessel funeral home. As soon as it was over bunches of kids would play outside while the adults "visited". There was always a lot of "visiting" going on.
My Mother (bless her soul) cooked, washed clothes, raised a big garden, drove us around paper routes when it rained and never complained. Imagine fixing Sunday dinner for 20 to 30 people. She was our biggest sports fan. Went to all our games and listened or watched Cardinal baseball.
At Christmas there was always one special Sunday when Mom made Christmas cookies. The kitchen would be running at full speed for days as she baked hundreds of cookies cut into festive shapes with borrowed cookie cutters. Sunday afternoon after Dinner everyone decorated Christmas cookies with multi-colored icing and sprinkles. Early in the afternoon people tried to decorate them very carefully. Adults praised the kids for good work. It seems this took most of an afternoon. These cookies fed the throngs of people who dropped by to visit and the hungry boys.
Occasionally Aunt Lee would call Mom from California. It was usually planned in advance as long distance was expensive. Mom always anticipated these calls and jumped to get it when the phone rang then stepped into the back room so they could talk.
She is survived by her six sons: Don Kutz and his fiancée, Betty Wrobleski of Pierce City; Ken and Linda Bramer Kutz of Eden Prairie, MN; Ben and Yvonne Bret Kutz of Columbia; Richard and Karen Lauritson Kutz of Pierce City; Jim and Ann McKendry Kutz of Glen Allen, VA.; and Tom and Karla Wachter Kutz of St. Louis. She is also survived by fifteen grandchildren and sixteen great-grandchildren.
Grandchildren and their families include: Don and Lee Ann Flinn Kutz and their children Brittany and Andrew of Hernando, MS; Jennifer Kutz Phenicie and Rob and their daughter Meghen of Missoula, MT; Brian and Michelle Radalia Kutz and their daughter Sarah of North Canton OH; Kimberly Kutz Schenk and Brian and their son Jaden and daughter Alina of Blaine, MN; Kristen Kutz Palm and Tim and their children Edward Kutz, Kenneth Kutz, Danielle and Carter of Minnetrista, MN; Karen Kutz and her son Connor Kutz Rautio of New Brighton, MN; Michelle Schawo and Kevin and their daughter Courtney Blount; Nicholas Kutz of Columbia, MO; Dr. Rick Kutz and his son Jordan of Pauls Valley, OK; Fred and Sasha Faucett Kutz and their children Josie, Jenna and Jack of Springdale, AR; James Kutz, Jr. of Washington, DC; Robert Kutz of Midlothian, VA and John Kutz of Glen Allen, VA; Krista Kutz of Cincinnati, OH and Matt Kutz of St. Louis, MO.
Mrs. Kutz loved her church, her family and her garden and flowers. She was always happiest when surrounded by her large extended family for Sunday dinner. She grew up on a farm south of Pierce City. She attended St. Marys elementary school and attended High School in Glasgow, MO. She graduated from State Teachers College in Springfield, MO (now MSU). She taught for five years in rural schools. She retired from Monett Manufacturing (Sarajo) in April 1982 after 24 years with the company. She and her sister Lee delivered Meals on Wheels for years after her retirement in addition to caring for her yard and garden and grandchildren. She was member of The Altar Society at St. Marys
End of obituary
Sunday at the Kutz Home in the 1950s and 1960s or so…..
Sunday began for the boys with Saturday night baths. We had one bathtub (no shower) for the whole family. When we were little Mom put two of us at a time in the tub. Still in the 50s we were way ahead of many people. Grandma Witt and Wilbert did not have indoor plumbing and bathed in a metal tub with water heated on the stove. We boys occasionally bathed at the farm when we stayed overnight.
Sunday morning began as did every day with delivering the newspaper route. Dad always helped us in the morning. He got us up at 5:00 AM and woke us up. He put a bike in the trunk of the car and we went downtown and picked up the papers. We rolled them with rubber bands and we drove around town delivering papers. He dropped a kid and the bike with a bunch of papers high on the hill. We zoomed around dropping papers and went home. He delivered papers around the edge of town then went home for a quick breakfast and opened his gas station.
Masses at St Mary's were at 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM. No Saturday masses until mid 60s. Often Kutz boys would serve as altar boys and we learned our responses in Latin and when to ring the bells at the altar. After Vatican II, we became readers of the gospel in English. When I was little everything except the sermon was in Latin.
Mom took some kids to early Mass while Dad took others at 10. Dad changed clothes at the station and one of the boys kept the station open while he attended Mass. I remember sitting with Dad along the west wall of church and he would catch a cat nap during the sermon.
Babu usually came to early Mass then went to our home for the day. She played games or cards with us younger kids. We had to show off any new clothes or shoes to her. She loved to have a kid sit on her generous lap even when we were too big. She was one of the most outspokenly affectionate people I have ever known.
Grandma Witt and Wilbert always came to later Mass. Some kids hitched rides home with them. Wilbert always had coffee and read our paper. He read the comics to me while I sat on his lap. Grandma Witt always jumped into the kitchen to help Mom prepared vast quantities of fried chicken, ham, green beans, corn on the cob, creamed peas, orange jello, chocolate or strawberry cake, blackberry cobbler, peach cobbler, blarney stones, congo squares or other assorted goodies.
Kids help set the tables and moved the chairs. Aunt Clara Mae and Uncle Leo were with us most of the time. Clara Mae helped in the kitchen. Leo loved to sit on the front porch when the weather was nice. Out of town guests were always an exciting event for us kids. The Taylor's from Battle Creek had two girls the same age as Tom and me. They stayed with Clara Mae for a week each summer but had Sunday dinner with us. There visits were always much anticipated and full of new conversation to catch up on the last year's happenings. Allen Weygandt was a police detective in Detroit and when they visited he had lots of stories. He was Dad's neighbors growing up and was a best friend. His son was older than Don and I remember him doing magic tricks. His brother Harold also visited us. He lived in LA and worked on a movie lot. He had played some professional baseball and he would go out and play ball with us kids. He brought us an autograph of an actress, ZaSu Pitts. Check her out.
When Mom called everyone to the dinner table we all set in our usual seats except when the crowd was so big we overflowed into the kitchen or even a card table. We always said Grace before our meals. No one dared even think about eating a bite until it was said very reverentially. Then food was passed around. Wilbert always made a pond for his gravy in his mashed potatoes.
The TV was new and if there was a baseball or football game on the TV it would be on. It was always the Cardinals. But it did not stop the conversation which flowed freely. I never remember talking politics or religion other than the goings on at St Mary's.
After the meal and desert the tabled were cleared, great piles of dishes were washed by the ladies and everyone got ready to play cards or in good weather some games outside. These included horseshoes, whiffleball, basketball, catch and even hula hoops. Inside Pinochle was the game of choice for the adults. Bidding was a combination of bravado, whining and strategy. Mom never got enough aces. We also played pitch (Dad's game), dirty, war and double solitaire. Many times there would be two tables of cards. The winners got to keep playing and the losers had to drop out and wait another turn.
Out of town visitors would drop by in the afternoon. About 4:00 or so Wilbert and Grandma Witt would leave to go to the farm and milk the cows. Cows had to be milked morning and evening seven days a week. Clara Mae and Leo would also leave. Babu usually stayed for supper of leftovers. We watched Ted Mack's Amateur hour (the American Idol of its day), The Ed Sullivan Show (the Beatles first appearance in America was huge) and Bonanza. We had one black and white TV in the front room.
One of the boys would take Babu home around 8:00 after Ed Sullivan. Many times Mom would lead us in a Rosary for a family member who had passed away. We kneeled on the hardwood floor around beds. This would usually be just before bedtime.
Sometimes there would be a Rosary at Wessel funeral home. As soon as it was over bunches of kids would play outside while the adults "visited". There was always a lot of "visiting" going on.
My Mother (bless her soul) cooked, washed clothes, raised a big garden, drove us around paper routes when it rained and never complained. Imagine fixing Sunday dinner for 20 to 30 people. She was our biggest sports fan. Went to all our games and listened or watched Cardinal baseball.
At Christmas there was always one special Sunday when Mom made Christmas cookies. The kitchen would be running at full speed for days as she baked hundreds of cookies cut into festive shapes with borrowed cookie cutters. Sunday afternoon after Dinner everyone decorated Christmas cookies with multi-colored icing and sprinkles. Early in the afternoon people tried to decorate them very carefully. Adults praised the kids for good work. It seems this took most of an afternoon. These cookies fed the throngs of people who dropped by to visit and the hungry boys.
Occasionally Aunt Lee would call Mom from California. It was usually planned in advance as long distance was expensive. Mom always anticipated these calls and jumped to get it when the phone rang then stepped into the back room so they could talk.
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wife of Ben F
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