Fr. Edgar Jutte, C.PP.S., 88, died at 12:30 a.m. on Monday, April 10, 2023, at St. Rita’s Medical Center, Lima, Ohio, where he had been a patient for several days. He died of complications following a fall at St. Charles Center, Carthagena, Ohio, where he made his home.

He was born on March 21, 1935, in St. Peter, Ohio, to Theodore and Mary (Dorsten) Jutte. He entered the Congregation in 1949 at Brunnerdale, its former high school seminary near Canton, Ohio, and was ordained on June 9, 1962.

After his ordination, Fr. Jutte was an assistant pastor at Precious Blood Church in Fort Wayne. In 1965, he volunteered to serve in the Peruvian mission.

Fr. Jutte returned to the United States in 1973, then served as a chaplain at the Maria Stein convent of the CPPS Sisters. From 1974-75, he ministered at Precious Blood Church in Fort Wayne. He became an associate pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Ottawa, Ohio, in 1976.

In 1978, Fr. Jutte returned to Latin America, this time to minister in Chile. He then returned to Peru in 1982, when he was assigned to ministry in La Oroya, a mining town far above the tree line in the Andes.

An injury forced his return to the United States in 1993. He served in parishes in Mexico from 2000-2013, when he retired to St. Charles Center in Carthagena, Ohio, where he lived for 10 years.

Fr. Jutte is survived by his only sister, Madonna Brunswick, Coldwater, Ohio; his brother, Thomas Jutte, Sidney, Ohio; a sister-in-law, Dorothy Jutte, New Bremen, Ohio; and several nieces and nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.

He was preceded in death by brothers Mark Schwieterman and his wife, Rosemary; Orval Schwieterman and his wife, Helen; Roger Schwieterman and his first wife, Dorothy, and his second wife, Dolores; his brother, Donald Jutte; brother-in-law John Brunswick; and sister-in-law Vivian Jutte.

Fr. Edgar had a strong constitution and strong faith to go with it. When he served in La Oroya, he took on ministry in small, remote villages, hiking out with only a few necessities. That was the way he lived out his vocation. But he also nourished it; he enjoyed reading theological texts and then discussing new ideas with his fellow Missionaries.

He was devoted to the people of God and to his religious congregation. Missionaries would play cards some evenings and trade stories about legendary C.PP.S. Missionaries of yore. Fr. Edgar would comment, “Well, the age of characters is gone.”  and his fellow members would respond, “Sure they are!” They would cast significant looks at Fr. Edgar, who never minded jokes and pranks at his expense. Quick witted, he would wait for an opportunity to pay them back in kind.

A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Tuesday, April 18 at 2 p.m., with Fr. Jeffrey Kirch, C.PP.S., provincial director, presiding. Fr. Tom Brenberger, C.PP.S., will be the homilist. Burial will follow in the Community cemetery.

Calling hours at St. Charles will be held in the Gaspar Room on Monday, April 17, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and on Tuesday until the beginning of Mass.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, United States Province.