Father Gene Sitzmann died Dec. 20

Father Eugene Earl Sitzmann, 90, retired priest of the Diocese of Sioux City, died Dec. 20 in Cherokee. His funeral Mass will be Dec. 30 at 11 a.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Le Mars with Bishop John Keehner and Father David Hemann presiding. Burial will be at Calvary Cemetery in Le Mars. Visitation will be 10 a.m. to noon Dec. 29 at the Greenwood-Schubert Funeral Home in Cherokee. Visitation with the family present will be Dec. 29 from 5 to 7 p.m. at St. Joseph Church in Le Mars. A prayer service will be held at 7 p.m. at the church.

Father Eugene Earl Sitzmann, the son of Edwin and Irene (Nugent) Sitzmann, was born June 13, 1935, in Le Mars. His childhood years were spent in Le Mars, where he attended school and graduated from St. Joseph Catholic School in 1953.

He was the youngest of four children. After graduation, he continued working with family interests in their own farm and in custom rented farming.
 
He joined the Iowa National Guard and in time served in the rank of Sargent, before leaving for seminary studies. He completed his undergraduate degree at St. Benedict College in Atchison, Kansas in May of 1958. He attended major seminary at the University of Louvain, near Brussels, Belgium. He was ordained to the priesthood by Louvain University President, Bishop Van Waeyenbergh July 1, 1962.
 
Father Sitzmann’s pastoral assignments included Sioux City, Ft. Dodge, Denison, Carroll, Maryhill and Quimby, and was the full-time chaplain at Cherokee Mental Health Institute (MHI) for 33 years. While at MHI, he developed the Ecumenical Institute, an accredited program for training caregivers.
 
He enjoyed traveling, windsurfing, and mountain skiing. Most of all, he enjoyed spending time with his family and friends.
 
He was preceded in death by his parents, Edwin and Irene Sitzmann; siblings, Harold (Shirley) Sitzmann, Merlin (Annie) Sitzmann and Darlene (Elwood) Koopman. He is survived by numerous relatives and friends.

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