Albert Francis “Al” Bot, 94, Luverne, died Sunday, April 24, 2016, at the Minnesota Veterans Home in Luverne.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 2 p.m. Thursday, April 28, at St. Catherine Catholic Church in Luverne. Burial with military honors will follow at St. Catherine Cemetery in Luverne.
Albert Bot was born June 6, 1921, to William and Mary (Stassen) Bot in Ghent. He grew up and attended school in Marshall, graduating from Marshall High School in 1939. In 1942 Al entered the service of his country during World War II and was active in the Pacific Theater. He served in both branches of the Marines and Navy and was honorably discharged in 1946. He then attended South Dakota State University in Brookings, where he studied pharmacy. In 1948 he left the Midwest and moved to Coronado, California, where he worked at the Orange Avenue Pharmacy.
On February 6, 1952, Al married Barbara Breen. In 1955 Al and Barb moved to Luverne, where they raised their five children. Al owned and operated Bot Drug Store on Main Street in Luverne for 34 years until his retirement in 1989. In 2009 Al entered the care of the Minnesota Veterans Home in Luverne.
Al was a member of St. Catherine Catholic Church in Luverne and was active with the Knights of Columbus. He was a member of Rotary Club, had served as president of the Luverne Country Club, and was on the Luverne School Board for 13 years. He enjoyed tennis, bridge, golf, fishing, camping, traveling, gardening and spending time with his family.
Al is survived by his wife, Barbara, of Luverne; five children, Kris Anne (Robert) Christenson, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Robin (John) Fritsch, Sioux Falls, Jono (Susan) Bot, Sioux Falls, Connie (Rodney) England, Minneapolis, and Jennifer (Kerry) Middleton, Edina; 14 grandchildren, Brooks, Jono, Kaitlin and Marie Claire Christenson, Andrew, Rachel, Joanna, Veronica and Luke Fritsch, Kelli Spader, Patrick and Philip England, and Jack and Andrea Middleton; and three great-grandchildren, Josie, Jhaimann and Briggs.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a granddaughter, Elizabeth Fritsch; a grandson, Thomas Cole England; four brothers, Louis, William, Joseph, and John Bot; and four sisters, Betty Mack, Mary Van Moore, Helen Johnson, and Donna Withers.
Memorials are preferred to Luverne Dollars for Scholars or Sanford Luverne Hospice.
Arrangements are by Hartquist Funeral Home of Luverne, www.hartquistfuneral.com.
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