Stanley Laverne Ottens

Stanley Laverne Ottens, age 90, of Mt. Carroll, Illinois died Tuesday, December 6, 2011 at home. A funeral service will be held 10:30 a.m. Saturday, December 10, 2011 at the Mt. Carroll United Methodist Church with Reverend Terri Lafferty officiating. Burial will be in Oak Hill Cemetery with Full Military Rites. Visitation will be held from 4:00 – 8:00 p.m. Friday, December 9, 2011 at the Frank-Law-Jones Funeral Home, Mt. Carroll and also one hour prior to the service at the Church.
Stanley was born May 9, 1921 in Morrison, Illinois, the son of Claus and Elsie (Dykhuizen) Ottens. His Mother passed away when he was two years old and he was moved around to different Uncles and Aunts much of his early life. Stanley was the 4th of 5 children and quit school during the 8th grade to start working in the fields of his Uncle’s farm.
On Dec 7th, 1939 he enlisted in the Army at the Savanna Army Depot and by the end of the day was on a train headed for Fort Sheridan, IL. While stationed at Fort Sheridan, he met the love of his life, Roberta Catherine Doornbosch. In January, 1942, he was shipped out to Iceland, then England, and then was part of the D-Day Invasion. He was assigned to Gen. Patton’s 3rd Army and was part of the forces in the Battle of the Bulge and played a part in the Siege of Bastone as a Platoon Sergeant of a Triple “A” Battery. The war ended and in 1946, upon returning to New York harbor, he was met by Roberta and they were married immediately. He was Honorably Discharged from the Army at Fort Sheridan some days later and soon after went to work at Bowman Dairy in Oak Park, IL. About a year and a half later, he relocated his young family to Thomson and started a 22 year career in farming at locations near Thomson, Chadwick and Mt. Carroll.
In December, 1968, Stanley decided to stop farming and started working at Locke Mfg in Mt. Carroll, working there for 2 years as a fork truck operator. He then went to work at Ralston Purina in Clinton as an order checker/ fork truck operator and later earned a pipefitter certificate and finished out his Purina career as a pipefitter in Plant Maintenance.
Stanley was an avid pool player, having been a member of several teams in the Mt. Carroll and Savanna area. He won several trophies for his ability and was widely known and revered as an outstanding shooter. In 2009, he had to give up his hobby as he had acquired Macular Degeneration and lost most of his sight.
Stanley was a life member of the Savanna VFW Post 2223 and a continuing member of the Mt. Carroll American Legion Post 67. He was also a long-time member of the Mt. Carroll United Methodist Church as well as a past member of the Church Board for several years.
Stanley will be sadly missed by his two sons, Jonathon (Kathleen) Ottens of Kileen, Texas and Richard Ottens of Mt. Carroll; special friend and caregiver, Charleen Collins of Mt. Carroll; 4 grandchildren, Morgan Perry of Fort Hood, Texas, Brian Lee, Stephanie Elsyne and Catherine LeAnn, all of Macomb County, Michigan; and five great grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Roberta; his two brothers, John and Ellis Ottens; and one sister, Pauline.