Mr. Ewell D. "Tony" Utt, 87, of Burlington died at 8:10 a.m. Friday, January 20, 2012, at Great River Hospice House in West Burlington.
Born May 1, 1924 in West Grove, Iowa he was the son of Ralph and Lea Mae Ruth York Utt. On November 15, 1946 in Bloomfield, Iowa, he married Bonnie Peterson of Stronghurst, Illinois.
Mr. Utt deferred completing school until after the war. After completion of his service time, he came to Burlington and graduated from Burlington High School.
Mr. Utt was inducted into the Army on March 20, 1943, serving with the 3rd division in Italy and was seriously wounded in action on November 10, 1943 during the timeframe depicted in the 1955 Audi Murphy movie classic "To Hell and Back" near the Cassino Abbey. He was awarded the Purple Heart for his service and received an honorable discharge from the Army on August 2, 1944 while recovering from his wounds.
Mr. Utt was a millwright at Champion Spark Plug. He was a member of Burlington Baptist Church, Disabled American Veterans and bowled on the Burlington Bowling League. He was a great TV fan and enjoyed watching sports. Earlier in life he had enjoyed playing on the baseball league and competed in many championships. He had played golf with his co-workers at Champion and he and his wife had bowled on the Senior League. Spending time with his family was his biggest enjoyment.
Survivors include his wife of 65 years, Bonnie Utt of Burlington; three sons, Larry (Kathy) Utt of Mishawaka, Indiana, Dennis (Mechelle) Utt of Topeka, Kansas and Dana Utt of Marion; two daughters, Lana (Jim) Frick of Colchester, Illinois and Chris Gehringer of Burlington; 12 grandchildren; 23 great grandchildren; one sister, Marie Barry of New London; several nieces and nephews.
His parents, one brother, three sisters, and three great grandchildren preceded him in death.
The family will receive friends from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Monday, January 23rd in Lunning Chapel.
The funeral service for Mr. Utt will be 1:00 p.m. Tuesday, January 24th in Lunning Chapel. Pastor Kendall Adams will officiate. The Burlington Area Veterans Honor Guard will conduct Military Rites. Interment will be in Carman Cemetery.
A memorial has been established for Burlington Baptist Church
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