Eleanor Ostertag

Eleanor Ostertag, age 85, of Atchison, Kansas, passed away on October 17, 2026, at Atchison Senior Village.

Mass of Christian burial will be held on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Joseph Church with Rev. Jeremy Heppler, OSB as celebrant. A parish rosary will be on Tuesday, Oct. 20th at 5:30 p.m. with visitation to follow until 7:00 p.m. at the Arensberg-Pruett Funeral Home. She will be laid to rest at Mt. Calvary Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to Mt. Calvary Cemetery, Children’s Mercy or Atchison Humane Society in care of the funeral home.

Eleanor was born on August 15, 1941, in Atchison, Kansas, the daughter of Gertrude (Chew) and John Knowles. She attended Washington Elementary and is a graduate of Mount St. Scholastica Academy.

She married Roy Arthur Ostertag on July 14, 1959, at St. Joseph’s Church and they celebrated fifty-eight years of marriage before his passing on September 24, 2017.

Eleanor worked for the Atchison H2O Company for several years until transitioning to a secretarial role with Lincoln Grain, which was later acquired by ConAgra, where she remained until her retirement. She was a member of St. Benedict Parish and volunteered at the Sacred Heart Thrift Store. She took on the role of sorting and washing countless loads of clothes that were donated for many years. For many years, she adopted a family to support during Christmas, always going above and beyond. In her younger years, she enjoyed going square dancing with friends. She loved to plant flowers around her house and give them daily care.

She is survived by her children, Craig (Jeri Ann) Ostertag, Guy (Vonda) Ostertag, Corey (Alison) Ostertag, and Sharon Ostertag; and her brother, Pat Knowles; and her nine grandchildren and fifteen great grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her parents, husband, brother, Larry Knowles and grandson, Shaun Ostertag.