Joseph F. Herter

Joseph F. Herter, 91, of Eau Claire, died Monday, March 27, 2017, at Bayfront Health in Punta Gorda, Florida.

Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 1, at Silver Creek United Methodist Church, Dowagiac, of which he was a member. Heather McDougall will officiate, and burial will be in Mission Hills Memorial Gardens, Niles. Friends may visit from 6-8 p.m. Friday, March 31, at Bowerman Funeral Home in Eau Claire, and leave online messages at www.bowermanfuneral.com. Memorial donations may be made to Silver Creek UMC, or to Indian Lake Fire Department.

Joseph was born May 3, 1925, in Saskatchewan, Canada, the son of Henry and Wilhelmina (Bauer) Herter. He farmed all of his life, as well as working in tool and die for Sundstrand Corporation, Dowagiac. He served as a volunteer fireman for the Indian Lake Fire Department, and he belonged to the Masonic Lodge and the Moose Lodge in Dowagiac. He had wintered the last 27 years at Lettuce Lake Campground in Ft. Ogden, Florida, where he had many good times and enjoyed the friendships made there.

Survivors include his wife, Carol; sons: Vernon (Vickie) Herter of Eau Claire, Niel (Gail) Kuhns of Mishawaka, Phillip Forrester of Bellevue, Michigan; daughters: Sue (Terry) Gantt of Goshen, Catherine Kramer of Coloma, Vicky Katona and Renee Bently of North Carolina; brothers: Don (Diane) Herter and Les (Joellen) Herter of Dowagiac; sisters: Linda Burget of Kalamazoo, Virginia Hughes of Eau Claire, Phyllis (Bill) Reitz and Hedy (Gene) Taube of Sevierville, Tennessee; 18 grandchildren; and 16 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his first wife, Catherine; son, Bill Kuhns; brothers, Victor and Ernest Herter; sisters, Nellie Price and Violet Freese; and two grandchildren, Jeff Setterburg and Kristina Kramer.

Visitation:
Bowerman Funeral Home
6635 East Main Street, Eau Claire, MI 49111
March 31, 2017, 6 - 8 p.m. Friday