William W. "Bill" Oldenburg, age 85, of Owatonna, died on Tuesday February 17th, 2026, at the Owatonna Hospital.

Bill was born on March 29, 1940, in Rochester, MN, the son of Ray and Ruth (Lambrecht) Oldenburg. Bill grew up on the family farm in Haverhill Township, Olmsted County, MN and was the oldest of seven children. He attended Rural School District 100, Trinity Lutheran Christian School in Rochester and graduated from Rochester Senior High School in 1957. He then attended Rochester Junior College and Mankato State College with studies in Accounting, Business Administration, and Economics, graduating in 1962.

On April 28th, 1962, he married Carla Schroeder, the love of his life, in Stewartville, MN. He was blessed with four children; Mike, Melanie, Lisa and Brenda. Bill lived his life thankful to Jesus for salvation, considered his true identity as a 'child of God' and as a faithful church member at Trinity Lutheran, Rochester, Redeemer & Good Shepherd, Owatonna.

Bill worked as an accountant for: Greenway Co-op in Rochester, Jostens in Owatonna, the Owatonna Tool Company, and as the controller for Gandy Company in Owatonna. He then worked in customer service at the Cabela's store in Owatonna before retiring.

He enjoyed fishing and hunting, was a softball pitcher, a member of the Owatonna Bowling and Golf Leagues, and loved to travel in the U.S. and overseas. He played and loved listening to accordion music. Most of all, he looked forward to family vacation trips and family gatherings.

Special achievements include: FFA member while in high school; ten year 4-H Club member and 4-H Club leadership award; Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) while at the Owatonna Tool Company; initiated and led the World Mission Team at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Owatonna for 20 years while helping raise support for the missionaries. He also enjoyed encouraging and supporting his two youngest daughters on the foreign mission field. Bill, along with his wife Carla, took a month-long mission trip together in China in 2001.

His health issues included: asthma since childhood; on oxygen since 2010, COPD, diabetes, and heart disease. A life verse, especially his final year of life, was: "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." (Phil. 4:13)

Bill is survived by: his wife, Carla; son, Mike (Valerie) Oldenburg of Owatonna; daughters, Melanie (Jim) Grant of Buffalo, Lisa Oldenburg of Owatonna, and Brenda McElroy of Fort Walton Beach, FL; grandson, Sam Oldenburg of Minneapolis; granddaughter, Amy (Michael) Seifert of Fitchburg, WI; grandson, Josh (Kiersten) McElroy of North Carolina; grandson, Isaiah McElroy of Fort Walton Beach, FL; and great grandchildren, Heidi, Holly & Baby McElroy on the way. He is also survived by his siblings: Diane Fischer of Hibbing, Elaine Oldenburg of Rochester, Gary (Pam) Oldenburg of Rochester, Glenn (Pat) Oldenburg of Clitherall; and Jeff (Esther) Oldenburg of Jackson; sisters-in-law, Diane Scharkey of Oregon, WI and Katie Schroeder of Stewartville; many nieces and nephews, and many friends he considered family.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Ray and Ruth; sister, Rita and her husband, Mike Molloy; brother-in-law, Wesley Schroeder; son-in-law, Steve McElroy; niece, Peggy Wondrasch; nephews, Danny Moe and Luke Oldenburg.

A private Christian Burial will be on Monday, February 23rd, at St. John Cemetery in Owatonna. A public Celebration of Life service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday February 24th, at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Owatonna, followed by coffee and dessert. A visitation will precede the service at 1 p.m.