George Mittelbach

GEORGE MITTELBACH

Amana

George P. Mittelbach, 93, of Amana, died Saturday, April 11, 2015, at Colonial Manor of Amana. Funeral services: 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 14, at Middle Amana Community Church, Middle Amana, with Elder Elly Hoehnle officiating. Burial will be in Amana Cemetery, with military honors. Visitation: 4 to 7 p.m. Monday, April 13, at Middle Amana Church.

Memorials may be contributed to the Amana Church Society or Essence of Life Hospice.

Kloster Funeral Home, Marengo, is assisting the family with arrangements.

George Philipp Mittelbach was born July 14, 1921, in West Amana, Iowa, son of Philipp and Clara (Leichsenring) Mittelbach. He received his education in the West Amana grade school and graduated from Marengo High School in 1939. He attended the University of Iowa from 1940 to 1942 before enlisting in the Navy as an aviation cadet. He attended Navy preflight school in Iowa City and graduated as a commissioned officer from the Naval Air Navigation School at Oklahoma in 1945. He served as an aviation navigation instructor until 1946, receiving an honorable discharge. While on leave from the Navy, he married Dorothy Marie Leichsenring on Dec. 14, 1944, at the home of her parents, John and Magdalena Leichsenring, in Amana.

After military service, George worked at Amana Refrigeration for several years before becoming a tool designer at Allis-Chalmers in Cedar Rapids, where he was employed for 10 years. In 1959, he went to work for P&H Harnischfeger Corp. in Cedar Rapids and retired as manager of manufacturing in 1982 after 24 years with the company.

George served on the board of directors of the Amana Society and was a lifelong member of the Amana Church, teaching Sunday school for many years. He also was a member of the Amana Heritage Society and served as a museum guide after his retirement.

George enjoyed playing golf with his friends at the Marengo golf club, hunting with his son and two grandsons, and he especially enjoyed his early morning walks around Amana. He was an accomplished artist and produced many oil paintings of Amana scenes. Above all, he was devoted to his family and cherished the times he spent with them.

George is survived by his son, Gary Mittelbach and wife Katherine Gross of Richland, Mich.; grandsons, John Mittelbach of Venice, Calif., and Mark Mittelbach of Kalamazoo, Mich.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Dorothy (Leichsenring) Mittelbach; and a sister, Lucille Langlas.

The family wishes to extend special thanks to the nurses and staff of Colonial Manor of Amana and Essence of Life Hospice for its kind and compassionate care.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.klosterfuneral home.com.