In loving memory of
Bernard Harold Ortgies
April 21, 1935 - May 7, 2019
Bernard Harold Ortgies, 84, passed away peacefully on May 7, 2019 at YourLife Memory Care in Tallahassee, Florida. He was born in Bruning, Nebraska on April 21, 1935. Bernard graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Civil Engineering. He married Sharon Le Moon in 1958 and had three daughters. Bernard worked for the Iowa Department of Transportation for 29 years before leaving for the private sector. He was an Engineering Management Consultant for Wilbur Smith and Sverdrup Corporation/ Jacobs Engineering. While consulting, Bernard was sent to the International Monetary Fund in Beijing, China. He took trips to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Terracotta Army, and the Forbidden City. Bernard and Sharon were huge Cyclone fans with season tickets to Iowa State Football & Basketball games. He enjoyed reading and taking his family on summer vacations. Fun trips included Manhattan Beach at Lake Okaboji and excursions to Pikes Peak in Colorado as well as out to the East Coast, visiting the home of Betsy Ross, Hershey's Chocolate Factory, and the site of the Gettysburg Address. Bernard married Gaile (Johnson) Letchworth in 1991. After retirement, he loved to travel to Georgia, Arizona, and Iowa to visit with his children and granddaughter. Bernard loved the desert and visited every National Park in Utah and Arizona. Bernard kept a journal and dedicated it to his granddaughter, Rachel. One of the quotes in this journal: "Love is the virtue of the heart, Sincerity is the virtue of the mind, Courage is the virtue of the spirit and Decision is the virtue of the will." The Organic Commandment-Frank Lloyd Wright, 1940. Bernard is preceded in death by Sharon Le (Moon) Ortgies. He is survived by his wife, Gaile Ortgies of Tallahassee, Florida; daughters, Tamra (Eric Young) Ortgies Young of Atlanta, Georgia, Janel (Roger) Jones of Boone, Iowa, Denise (Todd Jones) Ortgies-Jones of Scottsdale, Arizona, granddaughter Rachel Jones of Boone, Iowa and brother Roland (Carmela Anderson) Ortgies of Greenbrae, California. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Bruning Library, Myra Kluck, Librarian, PO Box 250 Bruning, Nebraska 68322 or the Iowa State University Foundation, 2505 University Boulevard, PO Box , Ames, Iowa 50010 Visitation will be Thursday, June 13 from 5-7 pm in Ames, Iowa at the Adams Funeral Home and graveside service with burial will be Friday, June 14 at 10 am at the Ames Municipal Cemetery.
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