Samuel ""Sam"" Kautz, 100, went home to be with the Lord Saturday, December 21, 2013. He was born December 13, 1913 to Samuel & Karolina (Wolf) Kautz on the family farm north of New Leipzig. Sam grew up on the family farm and completed the eighth grade at the one room rural school located approximately one mile southwest of the farmstead.

On March 18, 1935, Sam married Erna Hertz at Trinity Lutheran Church. Into this union, Sam and Erna started with six cents and a marriage that would last 65 years. Throughout those years they lived on three different farms within a 2 mile radius. They moved onto the Kautz farmstead in 1945 and he lived there until the fall of 2012. Their farming years included dairy, raising pigs, chickens and ducks, butchering their own animals as well as making their own cheese and butter and selling the cream and eggs. After retiring from milking they changed over to a beef cattle operation. His grandson, Cordell has worked with Sam on the farm since 1981.

Sam and Erna had 4 children, 10 grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren. They also welcomed their five year old godchild/nephew Howard Kautz into their home and raised him along with their own children.

Having been blessed with an ear for music, Sam self-taught himself on both the accordion and the harmonica. Besides being a farmer he was a county tax accessor, a school board member until the country schools closed, a Sunday school teacher, sang in the church choir and on the church council for Trinity Lutheran Church for many years. Sam's favorite past time for the past twenty years was driving the four wheeler around the pastures to check the Red Angus cattle, and enjoying the drive along the ponderosa pines.

Grateful for sharing his life are his daughters: Florence (Delmar) Seidler, New Leipzig; Priscilla (Bob) Wiederhold, Littleton, CO; son: LeRoy (Dodie), Jamestown; and daughter-in-law: Alvina Kautz, New Leipzig. Grandchildren: Cordell (Bonnie) Kautz, Glenn (Yvonne) Seidler, Clint (Kathy) Kautz, Tim (Lisa) Seidler, Julie (Quejay) Armijo, Junior (Julie) Kautz, Sam Kautz, Lori (Kent) Schluchter, Patricia (Matthew) Erickson, and Deanna (Patrick) Clary. Great grandchildren: Nicholas Hummel, Zachary Seidler, Kyle Seidler, Rochelle Hummel, Kendall Kautz, Kayla Seidler, Dillon Seidler, Kylee Kautz, Maisie Kautz, Emery Erickson, Kaia Schluchter, Sidona Kautz, Catherine Erickson, Sidney Erickson, and Anja Schluchter. A special godchild/nephew, Howard (LuElla) Kautz, Truman, MN, and their family including Michael, Maggie, & Alaina Kautz; Belinda (Kevin), Cole, Keaton, & Kennedy Schluchter; Jonathan (Connie), Karlee, & Ashlee Kautz; Teresa (John), Emily, Courtney, Gracie, & Johnnie Zaharia; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Sam was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, a son, Corwin, seven brothers, Henry, Robert, Dan, Fred, Christ, Albert and Bill, five sisters, Christina Stern, Julia Giese, Mary Giese, Helen Lemke, and Bertha Stelzer.

The Funeral Service for Sam will be held at 10:00am Friday, December 27, 2013 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Leipzig. Pastor John Amundson will officiate with burial in the Trinity Lutheran Cemetery north of New Leipzig.

A family service will be held at 7:00pm on Thursday evening at Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Leipzig.

Special music will be provided by Marjorie Mueller, organist and Marci Haase will sing, ""In the Garden"" and ""When He Was On the Cross. The Congregation will sing, Children of the Heavenly Father and Silent Night.

Serving as Honorary Casketbearers are Sam's great grandchildren, Nicholas Hummel, Zachary Seidler, Kyle Seidler, Rochelle Hummel, Kendall Kautz, Kayla Seidler, Dillon Seidler, Kylee Kautz, Maisie Kautz, Emery Erickson, Kaia Schluchter, Sidona Kautz, Catherine Erickson, Anja Schluchter, and Sidney Erickson.

Serving as Casketbearers are his grandchildren, Cordell Kautz, Glenn Seidler, Clinton Kautz, Tim Seidler, Julie Armijo, Junior Kautz, Sam Kautz, Lori Schluchter, Patricia Erickson, and Deanna Clary, Michael Kautz, Belinda Schluchter, Jonathan Kautz, and Teresa Zaharia.

Memorials have been established to the New Leipzig Ambulance and Immanuel Lutheran Church.

May the Lord bless the memory of Sam Kautz among us.

Visitation will be on Thursday December 26, from 1:00 to 6pm at the Evanson-Jensen Funeral Home in Elgin and on Friday one hour prior to services at the church in New Leipzig.