Joseph C. Grothe

Joseph Charles Grothe was born September 9, 1964, at Iowa Falls, Iowa, the son of James and Josephine Fank Grothe. He passed away Tuesday, July 25, 2017, at St. Anthony Regional Hospital in Carroll, Iowa, at the age of fifty-two.
Joe received his education at the Iowa Falls, Iowa, schools and was a 1983 graduate of Iowa Falls High School. He was married to Jolene Risius and they were parents of one son, Jon. On August 28, 1993, Joe was united in marriage to Sherri Wilken at the United Church in Westside and they were blessed with the birth of two children, Nick and Katie. He was employed as Westside’s town man when he relocated to Westside in 1990 and later was employed by Connie Schoessler at C & D Electric in Westside from 1993 to 1999. Joe was currently employed as the manager of FAC Lumber in Arcadia.
Fixing things was his specialty and his homestead reflected that as it had to be cleaned and fixed up. Having met his future wife at a horse sale, Sherri owned the horse that needed breaking and Joe broke the horse so the relationship began. He enjoyed horses and riding them, currently owning nine horses but previously owned as many as thirty-eight. They would go on trail rides with a group of other trail rider friends and traveled to equestrian parks in Illinois, South Dakota, Missouri and Arkansas. Joe enjoyed grilling and entertaining family and friends especially on Sundays. In his leisure time, he enjoyed fixing tractors, camping, westerns, classics, Bonanza, John Wayne, Chaparral and playing cards.
Joe was preceded in death by a brother. Survivors include: his wife, Sherri Grothe of Westside, Iowa; three children: Jon Grothe, Nick Grothe and Katie Grothe, all of Westside; two grandchildren, Michelle and Blake; his extended children; Jeremy Fank, Chris Sliefert and Brooke Norgart; his parents, James and Josephine Grothe of Iowa Falls, Iowa; four sisters: Margaret Grothe of Carroll, Iowa; Janice Hanson and her husband, Gary; and Rebecca Bauer and her husband, David, all of Hastings, Minnesota; and Sarah Knowles and her husband, Jodie,of Mason City, Iowa; parents-in-law, Merle and Judy Wilken; brothers and sisters-in-law: Marty Wilken and his wife, Cary; Mike Wilken and his wife, Laura; Matt Wilken and his wife, Janice; Lori Oeser and her husband, Greg, all of Westside, Iowa; and Joni Wilken of Tustin, California; many nieces and nephews, other relatives and friends.