Louis B. Greteman

Louis Bernard Greteman, age 96, of Carroll passed away on Wednesday, January 29, 2020 at St. Anthony Nursing Home in Carroll.

Mass of the Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 A.M. on Monday, February 3, 2020 at St. John Paul II Parish – Holy Spirit Church in Carroll with Fr. Kevin Richter as Celebrant and Fr. Timothy Johnson as Homilist.  Lectors for the Mass will be Julie Mayhall, Jonathan Wegner, Anne Greteman Bitga, and Laura Greteman.  Pianist for the Mass will be Kate Cuddy and vocalists will be Kathleen Macke, Grace Ledet Widseth, and Mimi Ledet Moen.  Gift Bearers will be Lou’s granddaughters.  Mass servers will be John, Cate, and Charlie Mayhall and Alyse Greteman. Casket bearers Lou’s grandsons.  Burial will be in Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Carroll with military honors by the Carroll American Legion.

Friends may call at Holy Spirit Church in Carroll after 1:30 P.M. on Sunday where there will be a Christian Wake Service held at 4:15 P.M. followed by a Rosary by the Carroll Knights of Columbus.  Additional visitation will be held at the church from 9:30 – 10:15 A.M. on Monday.  Funeral arrangements are entrusted to the Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home of Carroll and online condolences may be left for the family at www.dahnandwoodhouse.com

In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Louis and Julia Greteman Scholarship Fund, Kuemper Catholic Schools or St. Anthony Hospice.

Louis was born to Victor and Anne Greteman in Willey, Iowa, on June 12, 1923.  He attended St. Mary's Grade School (Willey, IA) and St. John's Preparatory School (Collegeville, MN), before enlisting in the U.S. Army on September 26, 1942.  He joined active service in World War II on March 6, 1943, first touring the Aleutian Islands.  Following the Japanese surrender, he was redeployed to the European front. He received a Purple Heart after being wounded in the Battle of the Bulge.  After recovering, he supported U.S. Air Force operations in England until the end of the war.

He returned to the United States after the war, and he married his beloved wife of 72 years, Julia Frances Rahm, on August 26, 1947. He graduated from Creighton University (Omaha, NE) with a Bachelor of Science of Commerce in 1948, and they moved to Carroll, Iowa, where they resided together for the rest of his life.

Louis worked for his father at Greteman Bros. Store in Willey before college.  He established Greteman Insurance and Real Estate in 1950, his brother Bob joining him in 1953. Together, they spearheaded the development of Carroll's Rolling Hills (1960) and Woodland Heights (1971) residential additions.

Louis also participated in a number of boards that helped shape the Carroll community.  He was appointed to the first Carroll Planning and Zoning Board and elected to the Carroll Community Schools Board of Education, during which Fairview Elementary School was constructed.  He also served on the board that was responsible for the construction of Holy Spirit Catholic Church.

A devout Catholic, Louis was active in his parish and a member of the Knights of Columbus.  He always espoused the value of a quality education and ensured that each of his nine children graduated from college.  He enjoyed travel, golf, and entertaining friends and family.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his son Mark, and his brothers Paul, Robert and James. Survivors include his wife, Julie; his children Mike (Cathy), Mary (Joel) Swanson,  Jean (Tom) Farner,  Jim (Mary), Nick, all of Carroll; Margie (Jim) Wegner, Omaha NE; Susan (Phil) Leonard, Anoka, MN; Ann (Aaron) Ledet, Franklin, TN; and Patty, Atlantic, IA.  He also is survived by 19 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren; sister-in-law Clare Greteman of Carroll; and brother-in-law LeRoy Rahm, Des Moines, IA.