Dean Wetherell

OSAGE - Dean Frank Wetherell, 79, of Osage, died Friday, Nov. 4, 2011, at Faith Lutheran Home in Osage following a brief illness.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8, at Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home in Osage with Pastor Jan Tjaden officiating.
Visitation is from 5-7 p.m. Monday at Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home. Following the funeral service, cremation will take place with inurnment at the Orchard Cemetery at a later date.
Dean was born Feb. 11, 1932, in rural Colwell, to Frank and Myrtle (Kahney) Wetherell. He attended Colwell School until the spring of 1942, when his family moved to their farm southeast of Orchard. He attended country school through eighth grade, graduating from Orchard High School in 1949. He was very active in sports, playing basketball and baseball through high school.
He married Joan Kleespies on April 12, 1950, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Osage. They lived in Orchard until 1953 when they moved to the Kleespies family farm north of Orchard. Dean was a farmer all of his life. He loved the cattle business. He would talk for hours about buying, selling and feeding cattle with his many friends in the business. He especially liked to talk to his rancher friends in North Dakota where most of the cattle were purchased.
Left to cherish his memory are his wife, Joan of Osage; two children, Pat (Monte) Rogers of Orchard and Bob Wetherell of Osage; one grandson, Jeff (Brandie) Rogers of Orchard; four great-grandchildren, Savanah, Jaycee, Aubry and Laila; sister-in-law, Jean Taets of Osage; brother-in-law, Joe Kleespies. Jr. of Walla Walla, Wash.; and sister-in-law, Jean Wetherell of Osage.
He is also survived by many nephews, nieces and close friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents; an infant son, Richard Wetherell; and two brothers, Lynn Wetherell and Glenn Wetherell.
Information available and condolences accepted at www.champion-bucheitfuneralhome.com.
Champion-Bucheit Funeral Home, 641-732-3706.