Charles Kautz

LONE TREE ? Charles ?Mike? Michael Kautz, 80, of Lone Tree, died Friday, June 17, 2016, in Mercy Hospital in Iowa City.

A celebration of life service was held at 11 a.m., Monday, June 20, at the Sorden-Lewis Home for Funeral and Cremation Services in Lone Tree. Immediately following the service, a time of food and fellowship was held at the Lone Tree American Legion. Burial will be at a later date in the Muscatine Memorial Park Cemetery. Visitation was held from 4 to 7 p.m., Sunday at the funeral home. Memorials may be directed to the Lone Tree Fire and Rescue or the Lone Tree Athletic Boosters.

Mr. Kautz was born Jan. 2, 1936, in Muscatine, the son of Charles H. Kautz and Elowene (Kibby) Kautz. He married Janet Loveless on June 21, 1959, in Muscatine.

He grew up in Muscatine and attended the Muscatine public schools, graduating from Muscatine High School in 1954. While in high school, he competed in baseball and basketball, and ran track. He attended Muscatine Community College, where he played baseball and was a member of the 1954-55 and 1955-56 junior college state basketball champions. He completed his graduate work at Coe College in 1958 with a B.A. in biology and a minor in physical education and coaching. After a brief stint in the Army, he taught science and coached girls? basketball at Nichols until the school closed. Then he took a job at Lone Tree, where he taught biology, chemistry, physics, physiology, and general science until his retirement in 1997. At various times he coached baseball, softball, girls? basketball and girls? track. His longest coaching stint was girls? track, which he coached for 44 years. In December he will be inducted into Iowa Association of Track Coaches Hall of Fame. He also officiated basketball, softball, baseball and volleyball in eastern Iowa for more than 30 years. During summers, he worked for Pioneer Seed Company at Downey as a detasseling and rogueing superviser. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, and playing fast pitch softball. He was especially fond of the numerous canoe and camping trips to Canada and Minnesota.

Surviving are his wife, Janet, of Lone Tree; two children, Lori Swinton and husband Mitch of Lone Tree, and Doug Kautz and wife Bonali of Tucson, Arizona; and three grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents; and one son, Timothy.