Commander Richard 'Ed' Van Houten USN

Middleton-Commander Richard Edward (Ed) Van Houten USN retired, age 83,passed away on Sunday, April 25, 2010. Ed was born in Mobile, Alabama onFeb. 15, 1927 the son of Carl Frank Van Houten and Margaret (BufordMcWilliams) Van Houten Mostransky. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy on January16, 1945 at the age of 17, and was the youngest man to be selected forpromotion to Chief. Ed was a graduate of the University of Mississippi,and also received his Master of Business Administration degree from Michigan State University while in the Navy. He received the Marcus E. Taylor Medal, at the University of Mississippi in Accounting Proficiency, and was a member of the Phi Kappa Phi National Scholastic Honor Society. Ed was selected to participate in the Seaman toAdmiral Program, and was commissioned Ensign; Supply Corps in 1956 andtimely promoted to Commander, Supply Corps in 1969 and proudly served hiscountry for more than 29 years. He was stationed in Guam, MarianaIslands, Ithaca, NY; Newport, RI; Norfolk, VA; Athens, GA; Oxford, MS;Washington, D.C.; East Lansing, MI; Mechanicsburg, PA; Ankara, Turkey; KeyWest, FL; and Great Lakes, IL. Following retirement from the Navy, Edmoved to Lake Mills, WI and started a second career. At the WisconsinDepartment of Labor and Human Relations and Wisconsin Governor\'sEmployment and Training Office Ed was responsible for major systems fortracking expenditures for various state and federal programs such as CETA. He was also a member of the Lake Mills Town Board. In 1982, Ed moved to Madison and worked at Wisconsin Power and Light (Alliant Energy) where he remained until his second retirement in 1995. During this time he served as Manager of Internal Audits, Manager of Contract Administration and Manager of Generating Station Procurement. Following his second official retirement Ed worked another ten years as aconsultant on various accounting and contract issues for KensingtonConsulting and other companies. Ed\'s volunteer work upon total retirementconsisted of Middleton Outreach Ministry, American Red Cross, DowntownKiwanis Club, Wheelchair Recycling Program, and the Wisconsin HarvestProgram. He was also a member of the Military Officers Association of America, U.S. Naval Institute, and The Navy League.He is survived by his wife, Doris (Dori) (Laufenberg) Stoddard Van Houten, andher daughter Kristi Stoddard Harcourt; sisters, MargaretVirginia Van Houten Winkler, Katherine (Toni) Mostransky Trumball andtheir families; daughters, Sandra Jean Van Houten Herbert, Tracy VanHouten Korabic and Kelly Van Houten King; son, Richard Edward Van Houten,Jr.; grandsons, Ian Michael Dunteman, Lee Alexander Dunteman, LieutenantEdward William (Ted) Herbert, IV, SC, USN, Jacob Matthew Herbert; and step grandsons, Alden Lloyd Harcourt and Campbell Roy Harcourt;granddaughters, Justine Korabic Niehaus, Jordan Korabic, Lisa Marie VanHouten, Callie Elizabeth Van Houten, and Bambi Lee Van Houten; 8 great grandsons; and 2 great granddaughters.He was predeceased by his first wife, Ollie Jean Davis Van Houten Sutter,his second wife, Cynthia Perry Van Houten Englehardt, brother, Carl FrankVan Houten, Jr. and a sister, Mary Turner Van Houten York. Ed loved his country, cared about people, and could be counted on to help. He will be missed and was truly an officer and gentleman!Memorial services will be held at GUNDERSON WEST FUNERAL HOME, 7435University Avenue, Middleton, on Tuesday June 15, 2010 at 7:30 PM, withRev. Gene Ferrara and Chaplain Stephen J. Zwettler presiding. Burial wasin Arlington Cemetery in Milwaukee on May 8, 2010, with full militaryhonors.There will be a memorial visitation on Tuesday June 15, 2010 from 6:30 PMuntil the time of the service at the funeral home.Dori wishes to thank Clare Bridge Memory Care Facility, HospiceCareInc., and Dean Health Systems for the dedicated and loving care they gave Ed. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to HospiceCare Inc. 5395 E. Cheryl Parkway,Fitchburg, WI 53711, Alzheimer's Association, 517 N. Segoe Rd. #301,Madison, WI 53705, or the American Heart Association, 2850 Dairy Dr., Madison,WI 53718. Memorials: In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to HospiceCare Inc. 5395 E. Cheryl Parkway,Fitchburg, WI 53711, Alzheimer's Association, 517 N. Segoe Rd. #301,Madison, WI 53705, or the American Heart Association, 2850 Dairy Dr., Madison,WI 53718. Cemetery: Burial wasin Arlington Cemetery in Milwaukee on May 8, 2010, with full militaryhonors. Visitation: There will be a memorial visitation on Tuesday June 15, 2010 from 6:30 PMuntil the time of the service at the funeral home. Service: Memorial services will be held at GUNDERSON WEST FUNERAL HOME, 7435University Avenue, Middleton, on Tuesday June 15, 2010 at 7:30 PM, withRev. Gene Ferrara and Chaplain Stephen J. Zwettler presiding