KEHRET, Oscar 1917-2003

KEHRET, MEIER

Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 2/1/2009 at 12:55:43

Oscar Kehret, 86, a resident of 806 Richings Street, Charles City, died Thursday, April 24, 2003, at the Floyd County Memorial Hospital in Charles City.

Funeral services for Oscar Kehret will be held at 2:00 p.m. Monday at Trinity United Methodist Church. Pastor Gayle Wilcox will officiate. Burial will be in Riverside Cemetery, Charles City. There will be a flag presentation by the Charles City Ceremonial Unit.

Friends may call at the Hauser Funeral Home from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday. Visitation will continue Monday at the funeral home from 9 to 11 a.m. and at the church an hour prior to the service.

Oscar Kehret was born February 10, 1917, on a farm west of Nashua, the son of Carl F. and Wilhelmina (Meier) Kehret. As a child he moved with his parents to a farm near LeRoy, Minn., and later graduated from the Austin High School in 1938. He then worked at the family dairy farm until one year military training became mandatory.

Before that year was completed World War II started and Oscar was sent with the Minnesota National Guard overseas to North Ireland. He had the dubious honor of being the fifth American soldier to set foot on foreign soil in World War II. Oscar participated as a foot soldier in front line duty in the North African, Sicily, and Italian campaigns as part of the 133rd Infantry Red Bull Division.

On July 5, 1944, he was united in marriage to Loretta Moltz at Austin, Minn. His passion was farming, which he did for several years until health problems arose. He loved horses and raising sheep, ducks, and all livestock. Oscar was especially interested in evergreens and shrubbery, for which he won an Izaak Walton windbreak award. He was an employee of Floyd County for fifteen years working as a heavy equipment operator, retiring in 1980.

He taught Sunday School at Grace United Methodist Church in Floyd for many years. Interestingly enough, one of his former Sunday School students later became his daughter-in-law. Time spent with his grandchildren was very special to Oscar. He was a member of Trinity United Methodist Church.

Those thankful for sharing his life are his wife, Loretta of Charles City; two sons, Douglas (Maxine) Kehret of Waterloo; and Dale (Colleen) Kehret of Charles City; five grandchildren, Mindy Mueller, Dan Kehret, Bill Kehret, Kelly Kehret, and Jennifer Kehret; a sister, Marie Bergland of Hayfield, Minn.; three sisters-in-law, Marvlyn Moltz of Charles City, Leona Kehret of Austin, Minn., and Eloise Peterson of Des Moines; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, six brothers, and four sisters.