Richard Aussem

Richard "Dick" Aussem, 70, of Ottawa, died Wednesday, July 23, at Ottawa Regional Hospital & Healthcare Center. Mass of Christian burial will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Patrick's Church in Ottawa with Monsignor Thomas Badovsky officiating. Burial will be in St. Columba Cemetery with military services. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday at Ottawa Funeral Home with prayers at 4 p.m. and the Knights of Columbus in attendance. He was born Sept. 15, 1937, in Ottawa, to Charles and Sara (Kossow) Aussem. He married Margaret McNeely at Immaculate Conception Church in Morris on Aug. 1, 1959. He was a member of St. Partick's Church and the Knights of Columbus. Richard also served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1956 to 1958. Survivors include his wife, Margaret; one daughter, Debra (Jeffrey) Aussem-Day of Springfield; two sons, Richard A."Tony" (Beth) Aussem of Kansas City, Mo., and Dean (Sherry) Aussem of Odessa, Texas; four grandchildren, Lindsay and Bethany Day and Lexi and Taryn Aussem; one sister, Mary Ann (William) Schwarzbach of Rockford; and one brother, James (Mary Jane) of Ottawa. He was preceded in death by a sister, Joyce Livingston, and a brother, Charles "Choppy" Aussem. Pallbearers will be Bob, Tom and Tim Aussem, Jim and John Schwarzbach and Bill Durdan. Memorials may be directed to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease) Association, 27001 Agoura Road, Suite 150, Calabasas Hills, CA 91301; Early Education Building at St. Patrick's School or Marquette High School Class of 1956 Endowment Fund. You can view Dick's Timeless Tribute Video at: http://ottawafh.yourtribute.com