Sixth Generation

76. Lt. Col. Otto Henry BRANDAU was born on 11 August 1914 in Wellington Township, Monroe County, WI.^6,24,36 He appeared in the census in 1920 in Wellington Township, Monroe County, WI.¹⁰ He was living with his parents. He appeared in the census in 1930 in Wellington Township, Monroe County, WI.⁴³ Otto was educated in 1938 in Madison, Dane County, WI.⁷³ While he was a student at the University of Wisconsin in 1938 and 1939, he dated Bernice Pergande. Gary Griggs, her son, has several letters the he wrote to her--including a couple in mid-1939 in which he wrote about wanting to marry her. She married James LaVerne Griggs in November of that year. He appeared in the census in May 1940 in South Ridge, Wilton Township, Monroe County, WI.¹⁵ He was listed in the household of his parents, but he is believed to have been a student at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, WI.

. He served in the military between 1940 and 1965.³⁶ He flew B-17 bombers during World War II and reached the rank of Lt. Colonel in the U.S. Air Force.

, Otto died on 9 August 1997 at the age of 82 in Kirkwood, St. Louis County, MO.³⁶

Obituary Notes: "Otto H. Brandau, retired Lt. Col., U.S.A.F., died Aug. 9. 1997, in Kirkwood, Mo. He was born Aug. 11, 1914, in Wellington Township, Monroe County, Wis., to Henry and Wilhelminia (Minnie Birkholz) Brandau. He was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran faith at St. Matthew's Ev. Lutheran Church.

Otto attended grade school at South Ridge, graduated from Wilton High School and County Normal Teaching College at Viroqua. He taught at the Graf country school. rural Clifton, for two years before attending a diesel engineering school in California. He returned and attended the UW Madison for three years prior to his enlistment in the U.S. Air Force in 1940, where he served as a pilot. He made one mission over Germany and was shot down and became a Prisoner of War for the next 13 months.

Otto married JoAlice (nee Davis) on Dec. 13, 1941 in San Antonio, Texas. Four children were born to this union. After retiring from the service, he spent 25 years as an engineer with McDonnell Douglas Aircraft in St. Louis, Mo.

He is survived by his devoted wite, JoAlice; two daughters, Elli Jo (Darrel) Yates and Judy Kay Brandau; and two sons, Thomas H. (Barbara) Brandau and Ronald N. (Terri) Brandau; six grandchildren, Cathy, Jennifer, Mark, Veronica, Mackenzie and Ford; two brothers, Harvey (Ella Mae) Brandau of Kendall and Carl (Peg) Brandau of Tomah; a sister-in-law, Emogene Brandau, and brother in-law Mahnard Buchholz, both of Wilton; nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends, including two special friends, John and Greg.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a grandson; two sisters, Irene Brandau and Edna Buchholz, and a brother, H. R. "Dick" Brandau.

Funeral services were held Tuesday, Aug. 12 at 22 s.m. at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Kirwood, Mo.

His retirement years were centered around his church, St. Paul's Lutheran, and volunteering in the admission office of Missouri Baptist Hospital."

. He was buried on 12 August 1997 in Des Peres, St. Louis County, MO.⁷⁴ in the St. Paul's Lutheran Cemetery.

Lt. Col. Otto Henry BRANDAU and Josie Alice "Jo" DAVIS were married on 13 December 1941 in San Antonio, Bexar County, TX.^36,42,73,75 Josie Alice "Jo" DAVIS⁷⁵, daughter of Delbert DAVIS and Isabel STEPHENS, was born on 21 August 1923 in San Antonio, Bexar County, TX.^76,77 She appeared in the census in 1930 in Bexar County, TX.⁷⁸ She appeared in the census in June 1940 in San Antonio, Bexar County, TX.⁷⁹ She was living with her mother, Isabel Davis. Jo died on 1 April 2004 at the age of 80 in Kirkwood, St. Louis County, MO.^74,75,76,80 She was buried in Des Peres, St. Louis County, MO.⁷⁴ in the St. Paul's Lutheran Cemetery.

Lt. Col. Otto Henry BRANDAU and Josie Alice "Jo" DAVIS had the following children: