Michael E. Hess, 59, of Ottawa, passed away on Tuesday, June 16, 2026 at OSF St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Ottawa.
Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, June 23, 2026 at the First Presbyterian Church in Ottawa with Rev. Jenny Suydam, officiating. Burial will follow at Waltham Cemetery in Utica. Visitation will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. on Monday, June 22, 2026 at the Mueller Funeral Home in Ottawa with Masonic services at 6:00 p.m.
Michael was born on January 6, 1967, in Indianapolis, IN, to William and Frances (Simmons) Hess. He grew up and spent his entire life on the family farm in Rutland Township. He attended Rutland Grade School and Ottawa Township High School (Class of 1985). Michael married Dawn Wilson on July 20, 1991 at the Wilson family farm in Waltham Twp. He worked as a self-employed salesman, installer, and repairer of grain handling systems, a skilled fabricator, and was a jack-of-all-trades. If you needed a solution, “No” wasn’t in Mike’s vocabulary. He jumped into every task giving his absolute best. He possessed a genuine passion for understanding how things worked then shared his many and varied skills and valuable knowledge he picked up over the years.
He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, a Master Mason with the Ottawa Masonic Lodge #40, and past President and ice maker for the Waltham Curling Club. Michael loved curling. He was able to curl at many clubs with family and friends around the United States and Scotland. Curling was a true joy in his life.
In January of 2024, he traveled with Joe and Nathalie to Uganda, Africa, as member of the TUF Harvest Mission Team meeting, helping, experiencing the life and challenges of rural maize farmers. With that experience he found a deep admiration and spirit of helping fellow farmers thinking of creative solutions for future ways to help.
He is survived by his wife, Dawn Hess; his two children, Holly (Ryan Corbin) Hess of Biron, WI, Nathan (Hannah Washko) Hess of Ottawa; a sister, Nathalie (Joe) Schmidt of Ottawa; a sister-in-law, Diane (Ed Brown) Wilson of Utica; nieces, Caroline (Jace) Hill, Anna (Tyler) Ditchfield; great niece, Daisy; great nephews Henry, Franklin, Miles; and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.
He was preceded in death by his parents, William and Frances Hess.
Memorials may be directed to the Waltham Curling Club or TUF (Transforming Ugandan Farmers) Fund through Starved Country Community Foundation