Theodore “Ted” Mottaz spent more than four decades teaching agriculture, leading farm organizations, and shaping the lives of students across Knox County. He died Monday, May 11, 2026, at Farmington Village Nursing Rehabilitation Center. He was 78.
“You could count on him to do whatever you needed to do,” said David Erickson of Altona, a local ag leader and lifelong friend who first knew Mottaz as a neighbor in Victoria when Erickson was in kindergarten and Mottaz was a high school freshman.
Full obituary: Theodore “Ted” G. Mottaz ~ January 19, 1948 – May 11, 2026
From Vietnam to the classroom
Mottaz grew up in the ROVA school district and graduated from Yates City High School. He earned a Bachelor of Science from Western Illinois University and started his teaching career at Carthage High School before being drafted into the Army.
He served in Vietnam as a combat infantry radio operator in the Central Highlands region and DaNang, achieving the rank of sergeant and earning the Bronze Star, among other decorations. When he came home, he returned to the classroom.
Erickson was one of those students. Mottaz was his ag teacher at ROVA High School starting his sophomore year, and the two stayed connected for decades after.
“He was a perfectionist in every sense of it — from how neat his car was to what he demanded of you as a student,” Erickson said. “He expected the best out of you based on what your abilities and potential were. That’s why so many people had a great relationship with him as a teacher — he really engaged and got involved with his students.”
At Sandburg, where he taught from 1979 until his retirement in 2002, Erickson said Mottaz essentially rebuilt the agriculture program. He even recruited Erickson — by then a high school teacher himself — to teach night courses in agriculture at the college.
“Hundreds,” Erickson said of the students Mottaz influenced over the decades. “Hundreds.”
Building leaders in Knox County
Mottaz also pushed students toward leadership. He earned a Master of Science from Southern Illinois University and was active at every level of agricultural education — local, state, and national. In Knox County, he served as president of the Farm Bureau, Corn Growers, Soil and Water Conservation, and the Farm Bureau Foundation, among other roles. Nationally, he served as board member and chairman for the National Council for Agriculture Education.
It was Mottaz who encouraged Erickson to pursue a state FFA officer position — a year away from college that Erickson described as life-changing. The two would remain intertwined for decades. Erickson later followed Mottaz as Knox County Farm Bureau president.
“I think it was for Ted as a teacher too,” Erickson said. “He didn’t tell you exactly what you needed to do. He led you to understand what you thought you needed to do and how you could improve.”
His honors included the Honorary American Farmer Degree, the Knox County Distinguished Service to Agriculture Award, and designation as an Illinois Master Farmer.
Beyond agriculture, Mottaz served his community in other ways as well — including as mayor of Oneida.
Family, farming, and retirement
Mottaz farmed alongside his father and brother in Knox and Peoria counties throughout his teaching career. Agronomy was his specialty — soils and crop production — and Erickson said it was a subject he brought genuine passion to both inside and outside the classroom.
About 10 years ago, Mottaz was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. In his later years, symptoms of dementia followed.
“His wife was a trooper,” Erickson said. “She wanted to keep him active. They went everywhere with the kids and the grandkids until he couldn’t.”
Erickson paused as he reflected on the loss of his longtime friend and mentor.
“Somebody that’s known you all your life and had that kind of influence on your life — you just miss everything about them,” he said.
Mottaz is survived by his wife of more than 55 years, Janet; two children, Phillip (Rachel) Mottaz of Sun Valley, California, and Emily (Joe) Webel of Farmington; and seven grandchildren.
A funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Monday, May 18, at Elmwood United Methodist Church. Visitation is the night before from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday, May 17, at the church. Burial with military rites will be held at Lyons Cemetery near London Mills.
