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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.