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Lloyd Ernst Boettcher went to be with Jesus on March 19, 2026.
Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, May 5, at 10:30 a.m. at Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake. Burial will be in Storm Lake Cemetery. Visitation will be held on Monday, May 4, from 4-6 p.m. at Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake. Persons wishing to make a gift in memory of Lloyd might consider Mission Central or St. Croix Hospice.
Born on a farm 10/31/31, on Reformation Day, his parents thought about naming him Luther, but were concerned he could never live up to that name. Nevertheless, he was a devout Lutheran. He did not like school, but despite this he graduated from Newell High School in 1949. He went into farming — the occupation he loved — with his dad in Grant Township. He served in the U.S. Army from 1952-54 as an anti-aircraft specialist with Western Air Command based in the Seattle area. He met the love of his life at a Walther League gathering in 1954, and married JoAnn Hinkeldey on Easter Sunday, April 1, 1956. It should be noted Lloyd was born on Halloween and married on April Fool’s Day.
This marriage was blessed with four children: Kevin, Iris, Ione and Kayla. He was very proud of them and their accomplishments and had many occasions to lose the buttons on his shirt as they popped in pride.
Lloyd and JoAnn farmed in the Alta area for 10 years, the first five with only outdoor plumbing. They moved their family to Providence Township in 1966, where Lloyd established a farming operation that grew to 860 acres of crops and a farrow-to-finish enterprise raising top grade pork. He was passionate about innovative automated farm operations, including a computerized feed mill and distribution system to his hog buildings. He was one of the first in the area to own a self-propelled combine and he erected an automated grain drying system. One of his sources of joy and accomplishment was working in his shop fixing equipment and creating solutions to mechanical problems. Lloyd and JoAnn retired in 1996 to Storm Lake and built a new house across the street from the lake, fulfilling one of JoAnn’s dreams to live by the lake.
As Lloyd mourned the loss of JoAnn in 2008, he became actively involved as a volunteer with Mission Central, helping to film interviews with visiting missionaries and make those videos available for interested supporters. He would often bring friends along on these frequent trips to Mapleton, both to keep him company for the drive, but also to introduce them to the work of Mission Central. One of these travel companions was Elnora Baker; their friendship blossomed during this time together and the two were married on July 5, 2013.
Lloyd was a dedicated member of Grace Lutheran Church, attending weekly Sunday service as well as serving as trustee, fixing things and coming up with solutions to problems he encountered. This led to engineering a table mover, called Table Ease, allowing one person — especially a custodian — to move 8’ wooden tables and maintain clean floors. For this invention he was awarded a U.S. Patent in 2003.
Lloyd continued to help with farm work in his retirement. He also enjoyed visiting his children who had spread across the U.S. from eastern Pennsylvania to Alaska. He spent time putting together 3D wooden and jigsaw puzzles. He loved sitting on his porch, visiting with friends and neighbors over many cups of coffee or maybe his favorite drink, a Stinger. He dearly loved Zoom calls with family, and seeing every face fill a “Hollywood Square.”
He was preceded in death by his parents, Helmuth and Ida; his five siblings: Lorraine Clausen, Lorenz “Bud” Boettcher, Ruth Harpstead, Martha “Mardie” White and Carol Maas; and his first wife JoAnn.
Those left to cherish his memory are his wife Elnora; brother-in-law Ed Maas; his children: Kevin (Kristi), Iris, Ione (Gary) Butler and Kayla (Matthew Turner); his grandchildren: Hannah and Emma Boettcher, Sophia (Brett Brones), Kristina (Brian Craig) and Jon Butler; Elnora’s children, Jim Baker and Julie Baker; and numerous nieces, nephews and friends.
