Wilbur George Oudekirk, 77

Published 8:34 am Thursday, August 23, 2018

Wilbur “Will” George Oudekirk, 77, of Dodge Center, Minnesota, passed away on Monday, Aug. 20, 2018, at Season’s Hospice House in Rochester, Minnesota.

Wilbur George Oudekirk, 77

Will was born on Feb. 26, 1941, the son of Eldred and Frieda (Risius) Oudekirk in Austin, Minnesota. He grew up in rural Brownsdale, Minnesota, on the family farm and graduated from Hayfield High School in 1959. He was united in marriage to Diane Anderson on Dec. 8, 1962, at the First Baptist Church in Brownsdale. Together, they raised five children. Will worked at Risius Motor Sales in Brownsdale and later at IBM as a Senior Electronic Build Technician until his retirement. After retirement, he worked for the local co-op. He did custom caterpillar work and also farmed. Will was instrumental in the construction of Faith Community Church and took pride in volunteer work with Camp Lebanon.

He was a “Jack of all trades and master of everything,” a self-taught fixer. In his younger years, he was a volunteer for the Brownsdale Fire Department. He enjoyed tinkering in his shop and attending local auctions and Southern Minnesota garden tractor pulls.

Email newsletter signup

Will is survived by his wife, Diane Oudekirk, Dodge Center; children, Kimberly (Kurt) Jones, Austin, Shawn (Michael) Buttshaw, Atchison, Kansas, Laurie (Dale) Magnuson, Mora, Minnesota, Dallas (Serena) Oudekirk, Byron, Minnesota, and Carrie (Kirk) Luthe, Brownsdale; 14 grandchildren; five great grandchildren; one brother, Darrell (Joy) Oudekirk, Austin; three sisters, Janice (John) Holst, Brownsdale, Cheryl (Roger) Bowie, Centralia, Illinois, and Linda Oudekirk, Rochester. He was preceded in death by his parents; and one great-grandson, Theodore Peterson.

The funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 24, 2018, at Faith Community Church, 305 State Street, West Concord, MN, with the Rev. David Breederland officiating. Visitation will be from 4-7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 23, 2018, at Czaplewski Family Funeral Home, 25 South Street SW in Dodge Center, and for one hour before the service on Friday at the church. Interment will be in Greenwood Cemetery in Brownsdale. The family prefers memorials to American Cancer Society, Faith Community Church or donor’s choice.