Obituary: Brigitte Liselotte Kettman

Brigitte Liselotte Kettman, 86, of Gladbrook and formerly of Hudson, died on October 8, 2026, at Westbrook Acres in Gladbrook. She was born on May 10, 1940, in Aschaffenburg, Germany, the daughter of Emil and Frieda (Christ) Anders.

On April 19, 1958, Brigitte was united in married to Merle Kettman in Aschaffenburg, Germany. She was the head of custodial service at the University of Northern Iowa for 24 years, until her retirement in 2002.

Brigitte and Merle loved traveling to Germany on numerous trips through the years together. She was known in the area cemeteries as the lady who decorated graves with flowers. She loved dogs and baby farm animals. In her later years, Brigitte was known to frequent the Hudson Post Office, pull up a chair behind the counter, and shoot the breeze with them for hours. Then she would go to “the shop” in Hudson and babysit their pets for hours. She was well known by all in town as “The German Lady.”

Brigitte was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Merle; a brother, Hilmar Anders of Germany; and a sister, Ingrid Smith of Germany. She is survived by three children, Dennis (Gina) Kettman of Hudson, Jeffrey Kettman of Waterloo, and Ingrid (Brent) Coulter of Traer; all of her kids from UNI through the years; five grandchildren, Andy (Krystle) Kettman of Cedar Falls, Paul (Marissa) Kettman of Ely, Amber (Shane) Mangrich of Waterloo, Lindsey (Andrew Sartorio) Coulter of Denver, Colorado, and Ben (Trinh) Coulter of Des Moines ; nine great grandchildren, Jerad and Emerson Kettman of Cedar Falls, Haley and Avary Kettman of Ely, Saxon, Mia, and Atlas Mangrich of Waterloo, and Camille and Sage Coulter of Des Moines; a brother, Thilo Anders of Germany; and two sisters-in-law, Joyce Pelton of Denver and Sandy Kettman of Waterloo.

The memorial mass will be held on Friday, October 23, 2026, at 10:30 a.m., at St. Edward Catholic Church in Waterloo with a visitation for an hour prior to the service. Hagarty Waychoff Grarup Funeral Service on West Ridgeway Avenue is assisting the family.

Brigitte never met a person she could not talk to for hours. She will be missed by all who knew her.