ROMAN POTTHOFF
MUSCATINE, Iowa - Roman Theodore Potthoff, 95, of Muscatine, died Sunday, January 22, 2012, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City.

Funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, January 27, 2012, at St. Mathias Church, 215 West Eighth Street. The Reverend Jason Crossen will officiate the service. Casket bearers will be Roman's grandchildren. Burial will take place in St. Mary's Cemetery with Military Rites provided by the V.F.W. A time of food and fellowship will be held at Gannon Hall following the committal service.

Visitation will be from 10 to 11 a.m. on Friday, January 27, 2012, at the church. The Ralph J. Wittich-Riley-Freers Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements. Memorials may be made to the Ss. Mary and Mathias Parish or the Ss. Mary and Mathias Catholic School.

Mr. Potthoff was born on May 30, 1916, in Carroll County, Iowa, the son of Theodor J. and Margaret Spangler Potthoff. He married Catherine C. Hannasch on September 4, 1940, at the St. Peter and Paul Church in Carroll. She preceded him in death on June 3, 2004.

Roman graduated from Carroll High School and obtained a Bachelor's of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the College of Engineering of the University of Iowa in 1942, where he was voted president of his class.

Upon graduation, he was commissioned with the rank of second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and later assigned to the Ordinance Department. After serving 35 months overseas in the North African and the European theaters, he was discharged with the rank of Captain on March 26, 1946. Shortly thereafter, Roman moved to Muscatine with his wife, Catherine, to begin his 37 year career with Stanley Engineering Company as a project engineer specializing in diesel and steam power plants. Roman retired in 1983.

His professional and community life were dynamic and rewarding. A registered professional engineer in four states, he held membership in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Society of Military Engineers, Society of the Professional Engineers and was a Life Member of the Muscatine Elks and the American Legion. He was an active member of St. Mathias Church and oversaw the construction of Gannon Hall. His work as Stanley's allowed him to travel extensively; he enjoyed sharing stories collected from around the world in places such as Antarctica and Africa.

Alongside these commitments, he always took time to be with his family, using every opportunity as a teaching moment for his children. His hobbies and interests included woodworking and repairing classic automobiles. Always the engineer, he loved working with his hands. In 1950, he designed and constructed his home on Climer Street where he and Catherine raised their four children.

Those left to honor his memory include his children, Pam McClean and husband, Joe, of Kansas City, Missouri, Sheryl Wieskamp and husband, Gary, of Muscatine, Richard Potthoff and wife, Sue, of Manchester, New Hampshire, and David Potthoff and wife, Tracey, of Western Springs, Illinois; nine grandchildren, Michael, David, and Caroline McClean, Stephen Wieskamp and wife, Dana, Julie Wieskamp-Lunn and husband, Jason, Jenny Valleau and husband, Geoff, Joseph Potthoff and wife, Rachel, and Maggie and Max Potthoff; four great-grandchild, Matthew, Joseph, Samuel, and Luke Wieskamp; one brother, Maurice Potthoff of Carroll; three sisters, Cecile Nelis of Cypress, Texas, Margaret Schleisman of Phoenix, Arizona, and Annabel Carter of Phoenix, Arizona; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife; and four brothers, Alvin, Orlando, Theodor, and Jerome. ... Read More