Alfonse John Bentler

      Alfonse John Bentler, 78, of Donnellson, died at 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, 2000, at Fort Madison Community Hospital.

      The funeral service will be 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 20, at St. John Catholic Church in Houghton with the Rev. Dennis Hoffman officiating. Visitation will begin after 2 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 19, at St. John Catholic Church. A rosary by the Knights of Columbus will be recited at 3 p.m. and a Christian vigil service will be recited at 7 p.m. Tuesday evening at the church. Burial will be in St. John Cemetery of Houghton. Memorials may be made to St. John Catholic Church.

      Mr. Bentler was born Nov. 13, 1922, at Houghton, the son of Fred and Veronica Menke Bentler. He married Barbara A. Nichting Nov. 23, 1967, at St. John Catholic Church in Houghton. A lifelong resident of the Mt. Hamill and Houghton areas, for the past 46 years he was co-owner of Mt. Hamill Elevator, Donnellson Elevator, Farmington Feed and Mt. Pleasant Lumber stores. He was a member of St. John Catholic Church of Houghton and the Holy Name Society of St. John?s, a 56-year member of the Houghton Knights of Columbus and a 42-year member of the Fort Madison Elks Lodge.

      Survivors include his wife; three sons, Jerry, Joe and Marty Bentler, all of Donnellson; two brothers, Gervase and Mollie Bentler of Bonaparte and Raymond and Marlene Bentler of Salem; four sisters, Roselita and Richard Brown of Washington, Ill., Pauline and Henry Pieper of Wever, Eileen and Marvin Hellman of Houghton and Marcella and Frank Arndt of Fairfield. He was preceded in death by his parents.