Jay Uthoff

Jay Uthoff, age 65, of Decorah, Iowa, passed away on Tuesday, December 23, 2025, at WinnMed in Decorah, Iowa. His 65 years were filled with peaceful patience, quiet kindness, and calm competence, dedicated to the service of others. He was beloved and respected by all who had the privilege of knowing him.

Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 3, 2026, at St. Benedict Church, 307 W. Main St, Decorah, with Father Donald Hertges presiding. Burial will be at a later date.

Visitation will be held from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, January 2, 2026 at Helms Funeral Home, 306 E. Water Street, Decorah. There will be no visitation prior to the service on Saturday morning. Please come in and be seated.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate memorials in Jay’s name. All funds will be divided between the Luther College Endowment Fund, Habitat for Humanity, and the Decorah Community Food Pantry

Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on November 18, 1960, to Pauline and Donnon Uthoff, Jay joined older sisters Ann and Lynn. Later, his little sister Amy completed the family. At the time of Donnon’s death in 1970, the family lived in Eldora, IA.

Following Pauline’s marriage to Leonard Ledbetter in 1975, Jay’s family moved to Decorah. He enrolled at Decorah High School, where he met Kathryn Stortz, the love of his life. Following their graduation from DHS in 1979, Jay moved to Dubuque and worked for Tri-State Drilling. He also entered the Army Reserves at this time. Jay and Kathy were married on July 11, 1981, the start of a partnership that grew stronger and more loving over the 44 years of their marriage.

In 1984, Jay graduated from Northeast Iowa Technical Institute with his Industrial Electrician degree. He was hired in June 1984 as an electrician at Luther College, a place to which he dedicated the entirety of his career. Jay was a jack of all trades (and a master of most); while he started at Luther as an electrician, over the years, he was able to grow into roles with increasing leadership responsibility. Since 2013, he has served the college as Director of Facilities Services. During his tenure, the school engaged in a number of powerful sustainability initiatives, including the installation of the wind turbine, construction of solar arrays, and exploration of geothermal heating and cooling. Jay never tired of sharing how Luther was working to build a more environmentally responsible campus.

While Jay’s commitment to Luther College was second to none, he was even more dedicated to his role as a father. Kathy and Jay welcomed Megan in April 1984, Andrew in July 1987, and Matthew in October 1990. All three children grew up surrounded by love, support, encouragement, and the knowledge that anything worth doing was worth doing the right way. It was not uncommon to see three blond heads trailing Jay around campus, following him around on weekend service calls or walking the buildings to check on things over holiday breaks. While he was humble about his own accomplishments, he possessed a healthy pride in his children and, later, grandchildren. He supported them fully in all of their endeavors and never tired of talking about them and sharing pictures.

Jay enjoyed traveling to Korea and Idaho, working on various building projects, reading, solving puzzles, and spending time outdoors. Above all, he treasured doing these things with the people he loved the most.

Jay leaves his legacy of love with his wife, Kathy; children Megan (Nathan) Walker, Andrew (Jennie) Uthoff, and Matthew Uthoff (Amber Snow); grandchildren Adam and Anna Walker, Tenley, Grey, and Nico Uthoff, Aleah and Adriana Snow, and Kylar Uthoff; siblings Ann (Steve) Kester and Lynn Pfaff; mother-in-law Ruth Stortz; sisters-in law Deb (Mike) Schacherer, Susie (Marinus) Mlady, Heidi (Kevin) Bohr and brother-in-law Randy Stortz (Renee Wagner), along with many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Pauline Ledbetter, and her partner Joe Winkel, his father, Donnon Uthoff, his step-father Leonard Ledbetter, his sister Amy Uthoff, his father-in-law Gerald Stortz, brother-in-law John Garwood, and niece Hope Bohr.