Willie waited for his beloved Rose to go, then he passed away peacefully at noon, the day before Christmas. On February 6, 1896 he will be ninety nine.

He was raised by his grandparents in Ochenbach, Germany, the place of his birth. Drafted into the German army in World War I, he served on four different fronts. While a medic, he was captured and was a prisoner of war in France for two and a half years. He came to America just prior to the Great Depression and transferred all of his loyalties, and more, to his new country. Here he met and married Rose Leu, a young girl who had recently migrated from Switzerland. They were married in 1931 in Brooklyn, New York. The marriage was later solemnized in the Salt Lake Temple. They were not blessed with children.Under extreme financial hardships, together they established what became a prosperous artistic leather business. He served many years as ward clerk in the Brooklyn and Manhattan wards. They retired to Bountiful, Utah. Here, without modern technology, they accomplished more genealogical research than most. Both filled a full-time mission to Hiram, Ohio, and were ardent temple workers.

Anna, a sister to Rose lived with them for many years. The three worked together to provide a home filled with culture and beauty. Their vegetable and fruit garden overflowed to give neighbors, friends and family much in the way of food. They were senior members of the Val Verda 2nd Ward, where they were dearly loved by many.

He is survived by two sisters, Martha Schreiter of Lovelock, Nevada and Leisel (Louise) Gehrum of Bountiful; four sisters-in-law, and 11 nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be Wednesday, December 28, 1994 at 11 a.m. in the Russon Brothers Bountiful Mortuary, 295 North Main, where friends may call from 9:45-10:45 a.m. prior to services.

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