Thomas Eugene Hotle

SIOUX CITY -- The Rev. Thomas Eugene Hotle, 76, of Storm Lake, Iowa, formerly of Sioux City, passed away Sunday, April 25, 2010, at a Sioux City hospital.

Memorial services will be 2 p.m. Saturday at Storm Lake United Methodist Church, with the Rev. Jerry Oakland officiating. Visitation with the family will be 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at the church. Arrangements are under the direction of Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel in Sioux City.

Tom was born March 23, 1934, to Thomas Gilbert and Olive (Pfeiffer) Hotle, in Washington, Iowa. He graduated from high school in 1951, in Columbus Junction, Iowa.

He married his high school sweetheart, Mildred Gabriel, on Jan. 31, 1953. He served two years in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He graduated in 1963 from Iowa Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, and from Garrett Theological Seminary with a master's of divinity degree in 1967. He served many parishes including, Mount Pleasant, Crawfordsville, Muscatine, Panora, Odebolt, Corydon, Iowa, and Crescent Park United Methodist Church, retiring in Sioux City.

He loved spending time with his family and friends. He also loved to go canoeing and camping. He served the Sac County Ambulance squad as an EMT for 10 years.

He is survived by his wife, Mildred; two sons, Thomas (Pam) Hotle of Chippewa Falls, Wis., and William (Vivian) Hotle of Apex, N.C.; three daughters, Valerie Hotle of Storm Lake, Melanie (Tom) Eckert of Dakota City and Stephanie (Doug) Krauth of Storm Lake; a sister, Joan Gilpin of Iowa City, Iowa; and 13 grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents; two infant sons; and a sister, Jean Liebendorfer.