Roger E. Carstens, age 78, of Holstein, passed away on Wednesday, December 21, 2016 at his residence of Holstein. A funeral service will be held on Wednesday, December 28, 2016 at 10:00 AM at the St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church of Holstein with the Rev. Matthew R. Martens officiating. Burial will be at the Holstein Cemetery of Holstein. A visitation will be held on Tuesday, December 27, 2016 from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM at the church.
Roger Elmer Carstens was born and raised on their family century farm in Holstein, Iowa to Elmer and Harriett Beyer (Carstens) on January 13, 1938. In high school he was active in various clubs including being the art person for the school newspaper; roles in school plays; helped with movie machine and the school handyman. He was a member of the Douglas Doers 4–H Club. After high school, he served in the National Guard for nine years and went active in 1956.
He was married to Carole Jean Wittrock on May 28, 1961. To this union two children were born, Rory and Rajean. The family made their home on the family farm west of Holstein.
Roger was a farmer his entire life and also worked for Moser Implement in Holstein. He was very neighborly and was always willing to help a friend in need. He participated in many combining and harvest bees. He was a handy man, refurbishing his 630 John Deere tractor, building tractor cabs and swapping motors from one vehicle to another.
He is survived by his son, Rory and wife Sara Carstens and their children Matthew and Darren, all of Holstein, Iowa; his daughter, Rajean and husband Joe Eddy and their son Conner of Spring, Texas; sister, Karen Magnuson of McClelland, Iowa; sister-in-law, Sheryle and Darwin Ehlers of Holstein; brother-in-law Lyle and wife Alice Wittrock of Holstein, Iowa; and numerous nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents; wife Carole Jean Carstens; parents-in-law, Hilma and William Wittrock; and brother-in-law Ronald Magnuson.