DuWayne Otterness

DuWayne Otterness, age 83, of Willmar, died Sunday afternoon, April 26, at Bethesda PleasantView Nursing Home in Willmar.

Memorial services will be 1 p.m. Thursday, April 30, at Vinje Lutheran Church in Willmar. Interment will be at Fairview Cemetery in Willmar with military honors provided by Austin F. Hanscom American Legion Post 167. Visitation will be 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, April 29, at Peterson Brothers Funeral Home in Willmar (www.petersonbrothers.com) and one hour prior to the service at the church. Memorials are preferred to the Rice Health Foundation for the Willmar Regional Cancer Center (ricehealthfoundation.org).

DuWayne Everett Otterness was born May 11, 1931, In Willmar, Minnesota, the son of Joseph and Estelle (Brecke) Otterness. He grew up and received his education in Willmar and was baptized and confirmed at Calvary Lutheran Church. He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean Conflict. On March 31, 1956, he married Sally Anderson at the Methodist Church in Renville and they made their home in Willmar. DuWayne worked for Great Northern/Burlington Northern Railroad for 35 years until his retirement in 1989.

DuWayne was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the United Transportation Union. He enjoyed fishing and hunting in his younger years and coin collecting later in life. He also enjoyed spending time with his family at the cabin on Eagle Lake and wintering in Hawaii, where he loved whale watching. DuWayne especially loved to travel and he and Sally went on 17 cruises and traveled all over the world.

He is survived by his wife, Sally; three children, Jacquelyn Cunningham of Willmar, MN; Jane (and Don) Gann of Aledo, TX, and Craig (and Jenne) Otterness of Bedford, TX; five grandchildren, Shelby and Haley Gann, and Ryan, Michael and Noah Otterness; two step-grandchildren, Chase and Kylie Allan; a sister, JoAnn Rosen of Clear Lake, WI; and other relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Eugene; and his twin sister in infancy.

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