JIMMY A. WESSELS

TEGELER, WESSELS, BROCKENSTEDT, ERSCHEN, EVERS, KNEPPER, WILHELM, CARLSON, KRAMER, PFOHL, REICHER, ENGELKEN, KRAPFL, FITZGERALD

Posted By: Mary Durr (email)
Date: 7/22/2003 at 08:43:31

Jimmy A. Wessels

Telegraph Herald - Friday, June 13, 2003

DYERSVILLE, Iowa - Jimmy A. Wessels, 83, of Dyersville, died unexpectedly Wednesday, June 11, 2003, at home.

Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at St. Francis Xavier Basilica, Dyersville, with the Rev. Ed Petty officiating. Burial will be in St. Francis Cemetery, where military rites will be accorded by American Legion Post 137 of Dyersville. Friends may call from 2 to 9 p.m. today at Kramer Funeral Home, Dyersville, where there will be a parish scripture service at 5 p.m., and an American Legion Post 137 service at 7 p.m.

He was born on May 29, 1920, in Petersburg, son of Henry J. and Antonette (Tegeler) Wessels. He married Emma Bockenstedt on May 12, 1947.

He served his country in World War II, enlisting in the Army in September 1940. He went overseas in August 1942, where he served nearly three years without furlough in the 804th Tank Destroyer Battalion in the African and European Theaters in Ireland, England, Africa and Italy. While in Italy, he was fortunate to have had an audience with the Pope.

He returned to the United States in May 1945, and was the first serviceman from the Dubuque County area to be discharged on the point system.

Jimmy was a member of St. Francis Xavier Parish, a life member and past commander of the American Legion Post 137, a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7736, a former member and past Chef de'Gare of the 40&8 Voiture 632, of Dubuque, a member-carpenter of Union Local 678, a former member of the Eagles Club and past president of the Retired Eagles Activity Club of Dubuque.

A retired carpenter and a loving husband, father, grandfather and brother, he will be sadly missed by many.

Surviving are his wife, Emma; three daughters, Gayle (Dean) Erschen, of Zimmerman, Minn., and Gwenn (John) Evers and Gloria Knepper, both of Dyersville; six grandchildren, Karmen (Steve) Wilhelm, of Marion, Kourtney (Brent) Carlson, of West Des Moines, Kurt Kramer, of Dyersville, Nathan Knepper, of Ottumwa, Emily Knepper, of Des Moines, and Melanie Knepper, of Cedar Falls; four great-grandchildren, Spencer Wilhelm, Emma Carlson, and Alec and Reece Knepper; and three sisters, Delores Pfohl and Sister Mary David Wessels, both of Dubuque, and LuAnn Reicher, of Dyersville.

He was preceded in death by his parents; four brothers, Iranous, Clarence, Ralph and Don Wessels; and three sisters, Isabelle Engelken, Marcella Krapfl and Gene Fitzgerald.