LEWIS J. BERTKE, age 88
of New Bremen, died on Wednesday, April 17, 2019, at the Heritage Center in Minster. He was born on December 7, 1930 in Mercer County, the son of the late Ivo. O. and Christina (Albers) Bertke. On September 14, 1954 he married Rita E. Enneking who died on June 8, 2013. Surviving are his children; Ronald Bertke of New Bremen, Diane (Myron) Gaier of Ft. Loramie, Linda Stone of Ft. Recovery, Roxanne (Brian) Lynch of Columbus, Ohio, Roseanne (Terry) Hartzog of Lima, John (Maribel) Bertke of Hilliard, Ohio, Bernice (Cletus) Bulcher of Ft. Loramie, Sandra Rector of Columbus, Ohio, Kevin (Pam) Bertke of Sulphur Springs, Ohio, Carl (Andrea) Bertke of Amherst, Ohio, and Daniel Bertke of Wadsworth, Ohio, twenty three grandchildren, nine step-grandchildren, and six great granddaughters with another due in June, and one step-great grandson due in July. Also surviving are his siblings; Omer (Rita M.) Bertke of Maria Stein, Jovita Osterloh of St. Henry, Stanley (Betty) Bertke of Maria Stein, Urban Bertke of New Bremen and Sr. Martha Bertke of Coldwater, and his in-laws; Mary Lou Seger of Minster, Carolyn Enneking of Minster, Robert (Mary Jo) Enneking of Sidney, Dolores (Douglas) Latham of Piqua, and David (Mary Jo) Enneking of Troy. Along with his wife and parents, Lewis was preceded in death by a son Eugene Bertke, son in-laws Raymond Stone and Ted Rector, a daughter in-law April Bertke, and in-laws Othmar Osterloh, Dorothy Bertke, Urban Segar, Alice (John) Schmiesing, James Enneking, and Joseph (Elma) Enneking.
Lewis was a 1948 graduate of St. John High School in Maria Stein, Ohio. He was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Korean War as a Chaplin’s Assistant. He was a member of the Church of the Holy Redeemer in New Bremen where he had served as one of the church’s first Lay Distributors and was also a Lector. Along with being a dairy farmer, Lewis worked from 1960 until 1990 at Minster Lumber, then worked at Hoge Lumber until he retired. He was a lifetime member of the New Bremen American Legion Post 241, the Knights of St. John Commandry #313 and their Uniform Rank, the 244th Infantry Association Veterans, the National Korean War Association Veterans, and the New Bremen Senior Citizens. He enjoyed spending time with his family, and attending his grandchildren’s sporting events, having morning coffee with the guys, playing cards, and making puzzles.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Tuesday, April 23, 2019 at 10:30 A.M. at the Church of the Holy Redeemer in New Bremen. Interment will follow in the German Protestant Cemetery of New Bremen. Calling Hours will be held on Monday, April 22, 2019 from 3:00 until 8:00 P.M. at the Gilberg-Hartwig Funeral Home in New Bremen, and from 9:00 until 10:00 A.M. on Tuesday at the church, at which time the Rosary will be prayed. Memorial contributions in memory of Lewis can be made to the Maria Stein Shrine, the Knights of St. John Commandry #313, or the New Bremen American Legion Post 241.