Alice Witteman
May 23, 1928-June 21, 2020
Alice Marie (Bourassa)
Witteman passed with
grace and peace Sunday,
June 21, 2020, at Perham
Living in Perham, MN.
Alice was born in Rolla,
ND, on May 23, 1928, the
daughter of Hector and
Clara (LeBlanc) Bourassa.
Following the loss of her
mother at a young age, Al-
ice was raised by her
beloved Grandma Gar-
ceau.
Upon graduation from
St. John High School in
1946, Alice moved to
Minot, ND, and became
employed at St. Joseph’s
School of Nursing as a
stenographer under the
direction of Sister
Amadeus.
On the weekends, Alice
often commuted by bus
from Minot to St. John.
During her travels, Alice
met a friend who intro-
duced her to Lyle “Bud”
Witteman. Bud had been
recently discharged from
the Army following
WWII. They fell in love
and were married on
January 23, 1948, at St.
John the Baptist Catholic
Church, St. John, ND.
Bud and Alice made
their home in Mohall, ND,
where Bud farmed with
his father, Fred. They be-
gan raising their family:
three daughters and one
son. Bud kindled a pas-
sion of owning and
operating a family restau-
rant, and when the oppor-
tunity arose in 1959, they
purchased the Central
Cafe and Bakery in Stan-
ley, ND. In 1962, they re-
turned to Mohall where
Bud resumed working
with his father on the
farm and Alice began her
occupation with the Ren-
ville County Farmer (a
weekly newspaper) with
Henry Sullivan as the
publisher. Alice pas-
sioned her career for the
newspaper industry, writ-
ing a weekly column and
eventually becoming the
editor of the newspaper in
1980. Inspired by her
French heritage, her
column was titled “Ceci et
Cela” (French translation:
This and That). Over the
years, Alice received
numerous awards for her
column, which was en-
joyed and loved by many
weekly readers. It was
also during this time that
a fourth daughter was
born. Alice always said
that her last child “kept
her young.”
She was a longtime
member of the St.
Jerome’s Catholic Church
Alter Society and the
American Legion Auxili-
ary in Mohall. Alice was
also a member of the
Mohall Coterie Club, a
women’s social club
motivated by home make-
overs in preparation for
their annual rotating
get-togethers. Alice and
Bud were avid supporters
and members of the Ci-
tizens United to Save the
Valley and found great joy
in spending time at
Mouse River Park. Bud
passed away unexpected-
ly on February 19, 1981.
In 1984, wishing to be
closer to her family, Alice
relocated to Minot, ND
thus ending her time with
the Renville County Farm-
er. Once settled in Minot,
Alice became employed
with Franklin
Printing-Greater
Northwest Publishing,
continuing her passion for
the newspaper and print
business. She retired at
the age of 82.
Following retirement,
Alice relocated to Min-
nesota to be near her
daughters Cathy and
Dawn. Alice resided with
Cathy in Faribault, MN,
for a year before moving
to Perham Living in Per-
ham, MN. Alice spent her
time among other
residents enjoying days of
bingo, music, and staff
that would eventually be-
come a well-loved part of
her extended family.
Alice lived a faith-based
life and looked forward to
her weekly Catholic Mass
and Rosary. Her residence
was a charming and cen-
tral location for her large
family gatherings where
she delighted everyone
with her spunky and wit-
ty sense of humor. Sur-
rounded by family, visit-
ing, laughing, and listen-ing to her grandchildren
sing was always her favor-
ite.
Alice will be dearly
missed by: her three
daughters Cheryl (Robert)
Story of Westerville, OH,
Catherine (Robert) Hor-
vath of Faribault, MN, and
Dawn (Todd) Grothe of
Underwood, MN; her son
Thomas (Diane) Witteman
of Mohall, ND; 14
grandchildren; 21
great-grandchildren; and
sisters Luella Gumeringer
of Friendsville, TN. and
Loretta Richards of Burns-
ville, MN.
Alice was preceded in
death by: her parents;
husband Bud; brothers
Leo and Gerald Bourassa;
and her beloved daughter
Candace Kowitz.
Visitation will be Fri-
day, June 26 from
5:00-8:00 p.m. at St.
Henry’s Catholic Church
in Perham, MN with
rosary at 6:30 pm and par-
ish prayers at 7:00 pm.
Visitation will continue
Saturday, June 27 from
10:00 – 11:00 a.m. fol-
lowed by a funeral Mass
at 11:00 a.m. at St.
Henry’s Catholic Church.
Burial will be at the
Mohall Community
Cemetery at a later date.
Schoeneberger Funeral
& Cremation Service, Per-
ham, MN (218) 346-5175
www.schoenebergerfh.
com.