(Harold) Lee Ostrom, 66, Hutchinson
(Harold) Lee Ostrom, 66, lost his long battle with Parkinson’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia on Jan. 14, 2018, at Harmony River Living Center in Hutchinson.
A memorial service will be held Friday, Jan. 26, at 4 p.m., at New Journey United Church of Christ in Hutchinson. A private scattering of ashes will be held at a later date.
Lee Ostrom was born May 6, 1951, in Stillwater, to Harold E. and Betty (Block) Ostrom. He grew up in Columbia Heights, where he excelled in athletics — especially softball and basketball. He was captain of the 1968-69 Columbia Heights High School basketball team.
He attended Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter.
He married Jean Hanson on Sept. 11, 1971, in Columbia Heights. They were blessed with two children, Krista Ostrom and Daniel Ostrom. The Ostroms loved to travel and to camp, especially anywhere near Lake Superior.
Mr. Ostrom worked his entire adult life in journalism. His passion was for small-town newspapers. He began with the Sun Newspapers in Roseville and New Brighton. In 1976, he began working for the Dickinson (North Dakota) Press, working as both the sports editor and the managing editor of the paper. In 1985, the Ostroms moved back to the Twin Cities Metro, where he began working for the Stillwater Gazette. In 1988, he became the managing editor of the Fairmont Sentinel. From there, the family moved to Mora in 1993, where he was the managing editor of the Kanabec County Times. Another move, in 2000, brought them to Hutchinson, where Mr. Ostrom was the managing editor of the Hutchinson Leader until medical issues forced him to leave that position. He began working at The McLeod County Chronicle in 2002 as the sports editor, and continued there until 2013, when he retired due to complications of Parkinson’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia.
Mr. Ostrom was a proud Rotarian and served as the president of the Glencoe Rotary from 2006 to 2007. He also was very active in his church.
He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Jean Ostrom of Hutchinson; daughter, Krista Ostrom and son-in-law, Matt Motujec and granddaughter, Lily Cozine of Woodbury; son, Daniel Ostrom of Mankato; mother, Betty Ostrom of Bayfield, Wisconsin; brother, Keith Ostrom of Grand Forks, North Dakota; sister and brother-in-law, Susan and Kevon Dietel of Bayfield, Wisconsin; cousins, nieces and nephews, and many dear friends.
He was preceded in death by his father, Harold Ostrom; grandparents; aunts and uncles; and one niece.
His body was donated to the University of Minnesota, and his brain was donated to the Harvard Brain Project. May the knowledge gained from his death help others to live.
