John Blotz

John Blotz, age 94 of Larchwood, IA died Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at Rapid City Regional Hospital in Rapid City, SD. Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 AM, Saturday, Jan. 31st at The Church of St. Mary in Larchwood, IA, with Father John Vakulskas officiating. Burial will follow at Larchwood Cemetery. Visitation will be Friday, Jan. 30th from 2:00 to 8:00, with the family present from 6:00 to 8:00PM at The Church of St. Mary in Larchwood. There will also be a 7:00 PM Vigil service at the church Friday night. John Blotz was born November 2, 1914 in Mitchell, South Dakota to Charles and Frances (Bradley) Blotz. He received his education at Plano Country School near Mitchell. He entered military service in 1941. During WWII he served in Italy and North Africa with the 109th Engineer Combat Battalion who were attached to the 34th Infantry. The job of his unit was to go ahead of the infantry on the front lines to clear mines and blaze roads to allow the allies to advance. In Italy he saw action and lost many friends in both Anzio and Monte Cassino. The 109th still holds the record for consecutive days under direct fire of approximately 300 days at Monte Cassino, Italy. Later in the war John and his comrades were in North Africa and he witnessed devastating tank battles between the units of German General Rommel and U.S. General George Patton. The 109th Engineer Combat Battalion has held reunions for the men every year since the war. On December 22, 1947 he was united in marriage to Verna Serck in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. To this union 3 boys were born, Paul, Ron and Mark. For the first year of their marriage the couple lived in Sioux Falls where John worked as a mechanic. The couple then bought a farm near Larchwood where they raised their family. John loved operating his farm. Working the cropland and caring for his livestock and milk cows were very important to him. He was also a very talented mechanic and enjoyed working on and maintaining his tractors. But most of all John loved his family. This past Tuesday John died at the Rapid City Regional Hospital in Rapid City, South Dakota at the age of 94. He will be greatly missed. John is survived by his three sons, Paul (Annie) Blotz of Larchwood, Iowa, Ron (Janel) Blotz of Deadwood, South Dakota, and Mark (Lucinda) Blotz of Richland, Washington; three grandchildren, Kyle Blotz of Des Moine, Iowa, Heather Blotz and Zack Blotz both of Richland, Washington; sister, Sister Esther Blotz of Aberdeen, South Dakota; and other extended family members. He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Frances Blotz; his wife of 36 years, Verna; four sisters, Eva, Helen, Mary and Mabel; and brothers, Alfred, Charles and Joe.