Wayne F. Osterheld

Wayne Fladstol Osterheld was born June 11, 1920, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the son of Ambrose and Elida Osterheld. His family later lived in Stoughton, where Wayne attended school before continuing his education at Whitewater State College and Stout Institute.

Osterheld entered the U.S. Army on February 12, 1942, during World War II. Assigned to the Army Air Corps, he trained in airplane mechanics at Sheppard Field, Texas. After completing the course, he received additional training at Chanute Field, Illinois, before returning to Sheppard Field, where he became an instructor at the Army Air Corps ground school.

While stationed in Texas, Osterheld met Aurita Eldridge of Wichita Falls. They were married February 1 during the war at the First Methodist Church in Wichita Falls. At the time, Sergeant Osterheld was serving as an instructor at Sheppard Field, while Aurita worked in the quartermaster's office there.

Osterheld ultimately attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. After 44 months in the Army Air Corps, he was discharged on December 9, 1945, and returned to Stoughton.

Following the war, Osterheld became active in American Legion Otis Sampson Post 59. In June 1951, he was elected Commander, succeeding Dr. Rodney K. Peterson. He was formally installed that fall, with former Post Commander Rolfe Hanson serving as installing officer. Osterheld led the Post during the 1952 Legion year.

Newspaper accounts from his term provide glimpses of Post life during that period. In October 1951, for example, Commander Osterheld announced a Halloween dance at the Legion Hall for Legionnaires and their guests—the first Post dance of the season.

Osterheld eventually left Wisconsin and lived in several places during the years that followed. His later life was considerably more troubled. Newspaper records from Texas document a series of arrests involving worthless checks during the 1950s. In 1967, at age 47, he pleaded guilty in federal court to interstate transportation of a forged $605 check and received a five-year federal prison sentence. Contemporary reporting stated that Osterheld acknowledged writing additional bad checks and had previously served prison sentences.

Wayne F. Osterheld died in Springfield, Missouri, on November 3, 1968, at the age of 48. He was buried at Fairmount Cemetery in San Angelo, Texas. His obituary remembered him as a World War II veteran and listed among his survivors his children Steven, Patricia and Robert.

Osterheld's story is an unusual chapter in the history of Post 59. He was a World War II Army Air Corps Staff Sergeant who spent much of his service training others, returned home to Stoughton, and was chosen by fellow veterans to lead their American Legion Post. His life after leaving Stoughton took a far different course, one that included serious personal and legal difficulties before his death at only 48 years old.