Visitation will be on Sunday, May 6, 2018 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Minnesota Valley Funeral Home, South Chapel located at 600 S. Broadway, New Ulm, followed by the Masonic service at 6 p.m.

The burial will be at 9:30 a.m. at the New Ulm City Cemetery. The Celebration of Life service will be at 11:00 a.m. on Monday May 7, 2018 at the First United Methodist Church of New Ulm, with Pastor Jo Anne Taylor officiating.

Dr. Carlos Contag is survived by his wife Ann, his children and grandchildren — David (Laurie) Contag, JaNae & Jonathan of Overland Park, KS; Kimberly Contag (Jim Grabowska) Alexander, Andrew & Benjamin of St. Clair, MN; Christopher (Pamela) Contag, Caitlin, Ashlyn & Greyson of San Jose, CA; Deborah Contag Al-Aidy (Mohammad Al-Aidy), Jazzy, Zak & Sam of Asheville, NC Theodore (Karen) Contag, Max & Charlie of Edina, MN; sister Irmgard (Juris) Jaunzems; sister-in-law Myriam Contag; brother-in-law, Dean Nelson; and many cousins, nieces, and nephews in the U.S. and around the world.

Carlos was preceded in death by his grandparents Oskar and Gertrude (Ziehe) Contag, parents Ernesto and Elizabeth (Dreier), brothers Werner and Ernst, sisters-in-law Rosellen Nelson, and Mucki L. Contag.

Carlos was born Karl Heinz Contag on July 25, 1930 in Quito, Ecuador, and was the son of Ernesto and Elisabeth (Dreier) Contag. He grew up on the Guagua Pichincha and attended the German-Ecuadorian school in Quito. When he was eleven, his family was sent to Germany for four years where he went to school in Kassel and Korbach. His family’s saga is chronicled in Where the Clouds Meet the Water, 2004. After returning to Ecuador, Carlos graduated from the Colegio Mejia in 1948 and completed a degree in veterinary medicine at the Universidad Central, Quito (1954). In 1956, he received a scholarship to study for his masters degree in veterinary hygiene and bacteriology at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, where he met his wife, Ann Schwermann. Carlos and Ann were married in New Ulm on September 1, 1956. After their marriage, Carlos returned to his home country and Ann then emigrated to Ecuador two months later. They lived in Ecuador for a year, and then returned to Iowa State University where Carlos taught and pursued his Ph.D. in veterinary bacteriology. In 1959 they returned to New Ulm where Dr. Contag joined his father-in-law, Dr. Henry Schwermann, in the Schwermann and Contag Veterinary practice in New Ulm where he took care of both large and small animals for 38 years. From 1981-1986 Dr. Contag also taught in the veterinary technicians program at the University of Minnesota, Waseca, and mentored 15 veterinary technicians. He served as the Federal Veterinarian at the Butterfield and Madelia turkey processing plants. Carlos was active in the community with Boy Scouts, served as president of the New Ulm Lions Club, taught Community Education at the New Ulm High School, was a member of the Farm-City Hub Club, served as Master of Charity Lodge #98 of the Masonic Fraternity and Worthy Patron of Orient Chapter #60 of the Eastern Star, and was a member of the Zuhrah Temple of the Shriners for 44 years. He was a member of the American Veterinary Association for 46 years, a life member of the Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association, and a member of the First United Methodist Church. Dr. Contag was a Melvin Jones Fellow – awarded for dedicated humanitarian services from the Lions Club International Foundation, and earned the Agricultural Award from the Farm City Hub Club in 2004.

Carlos and his wife, Ann, believed offering an international experience made our world a better place. They hosted 23 international students in their home while their children were growing up. These students were from Germany, Ecuador, Mexico, and Venezuela. Carlos will be remembered as a loving and caring son, father, brother, husband and friend. He has been described as an educator who enjoyed teaching. He taught clients and their children about medicine and how to care for their animals, and taught students of all ages Spanish and German in the Community Education program. He is remembered by many for his gentle way of teaching. In everything he did, Carlos sought to not just “do” but also to teach. He will be missed by all who knew him and all who learned from him.

In lieu of flowers, you are invited to send a gift to the memorial fund of the First United Methodist Church of New Ulm, Oak Hills Living Center, the New Ulm Lions Club, the Brown County Humane Society, or the Shriners Hospitals for Children — Twin Cities.

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