Willard D. Ioerger, 92

Delavan — Willard Daniel Ioerger, age 92, of Delavan, died Jan. 12, 2009, at Nicollet Place in Blue Earth.

Funeral services were held Jan. 17, 2009, at 11 a.m., at the United Methodist Church in Delavan with Military Honors. Rev. Lora Sturm officiated. Burial was in Rice Lake Cemetery, Delavan.

Spencer-Owen Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

He was born Oct. 30, 1916, in Franklin County, near Alden, Iowa, the son of Lafe and Hulda (Fredrickson) Ioerger.

Willard attended rural schools in Iowa where his family lived near Alden and Burdett, Iowa. In 1926 his family moved to rural Freeborn where Willard attended school. At age twenty-one he moved to Wells and ran the Wells Dairy and Pasteurizing Plant with his family. He also owned and operated a café in Wells. In Sept. of 1943, Willard joined the U.S. Army and after military training in Mineral Wells, Texas and Chard, England he entered combat during WWII at Normandy and Omaha Beach in France. He served in the 38th Infantry Division which was de-ployed at the D-Day Invasion. His military occupational specialty was a light machine gunner. He was wounded in action in 1944 during his European Middle Theatre tour while he was in France. Military citations include a Bronze Star, three Purple Hearts, Expert Marksman, and Good Conduct Medal. He was honorably discharged in 1946 following a year of hospitalization and military schooling, much of it at Leavenworth, Kan.

Willard married Doris M. Hanson of Sherburn at her parent’s home on May 2, 1945. They lived at Leavenworth, until 1946 when they moved to Wells. In 1951 Willard moved his family to a farm near Delavan. Willard spent most of his life farming and also enjoyed doing carpentry work. He was a member of the Delavan Methodist Church, Edward Holt American Legion Post #486, Disabled American Vet-erans, and past active member and officer of the Faribault County National Farmers Organization. He enjoyed family, telling stories, traveling, fishing, hunting, farming, building, reading and living life.

He survived by his daughter, Corrine (Charles) Prescher of Delavan, son, Lafe (Joyce) Ioerger of Delavan, seven grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren, sister Luella Markle of Winnebago, his sister-in-law Rosella Ioerger of Longmont, Colo., and 24 loving nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Doris in 1997, brother Henry Ioerger, parents, and 13 brothers or sisters-in-law.

Memorials are preferred to Hospice, Interfaith Caregivers or the Delavan Methodist Church.