Otto W.A. Thieme

Otto W.A. Thieme , 92, of Decatur, Indiana, passed away Monday evening, September 2, 2019, at Adams Woodcrest.

He was born on July 30, 1927, in Adams County, Indiana to the late Amos Thieme & the late Emma (Selking) Thieme. He was united marriage to Helen M. Barger on February 11, 1950, at Immanuel Lutheran Church and she preceded him in death on June 18, 2012.

Otto served his country in the Army during WWII and was honorably discharged following his service.

He was a faithful member of Immanuel Lutheran Church.

Otto was a lifelong farmer and along with farming, he founded Otto Thieme & Sons as a drainage contractor for 60 years, retiring in 2012 at the young age of 85. His knowledge of ditching was instrumental in the design of current ditching machines developed over the years by Spiecher Machines.

Otto loved fishing and spending his leisure time watching sports, especially baseball. He attended the many sporting events of his grandchildren and also enjoyed watching Bellmont High School sporting events, especially wrestling.

Among survivors are four sons, Rickey (LeAnn) Thieme, Philip Thieme, & Bruce “Checkers” (Patty) Thieme all of Decatur & Rodney (Darlene) Thieme of Panacea, FL; two daughters, Tina Gaskill of Van Wert, Ohio & Tonia (Richard) Deus of Nashville, Indiana; two brothers, Leo Thieme & Norvin Thieme both of Decatur; sister, Delores (Jim) Cheatwood of Atlanta, Georgia; ten grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; five step-grandchildren; ten step-great-grandchildren; & five step-great-great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by a daughter, Colleen K. Haire-Thullner; a grandson, Michael Patrick McCombs; a great-granddaughter, Paige Clemons; two sisters, Esther Nuerge and Marlene Wilson; & two brothers, Arnold Thieme and Alfred Thieme.

A funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, September 7, 2019, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in rural Decatur with Pastor David Koeneman officiating. Burial will follow at Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery.

Family & friends will be received from 2 to 5 & 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, September 6, 2019, at Zwick & Jahn Funeral Home in Decatur and one hour prior to the service at the church on Saturday.

In lieu of flowers, Otto’s family would request memorial donations be directed to St. Peter Immanuel Lutheran School or Immanuel Lutheran Church.