Joseph "Joe" Ignatius Kresse (1922-2012)

KRESSE, ULRICH, TRUE, BEHRENS, HOELSCHER, ELLIOTT, CASADY, LANGEBARTLES

Posted By: Mark Christian
Date: 8/7/2012 at 22:07:24

From Bacon Funeral Home & Crematory obituary, Nevada and Maxwell, Story County, Iowa:

Joseph "Joe" Kresse

January 15, 1922 - March 20, 2012
Maxwell, Iowa

Joseph I. Kresse passed away Tuesday, March 20, 2012, at the Ramsey Village Nursing Home in Des Moines. Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 24 at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Nevada. Burial will follow at St. Patrick's Cemetery in Nevada.

Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. March 23 at the Maxwell Community Center in Maxwell.

Joseph Ignatius Kresse was born Jan. 15, 1922, in North Little Rock, Ark. to Herman and Emma (Ulrich) Kresse. He attended Catholic High School in Little Rock, graduating in 1941. Attending with him was his identical twin brother, Eugene "Gene" Kresse.

Joe served in both the Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard during World War II . He saw action in both the South Pacific and North Atlantic.

Joe attended Spring Hill College in Mobile, Ala. earning a Bachelor of Science in Biology. He furthered his studies doing post graduate work at the University of Arkansas and graduated in Medical Technology.

On March 13, 1952, he married Sarah M. True, and moved from N. Little Rock to Kennett Square, Pa., then to Maxwell, where they were members of the community for 49 years, and raised 11 children.

Joe was employed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a microbiologist working in veterinary medical technology in Arkansas, Pennsylvania, and Iowa. Joe specialized in virology and applied his knowledge to domestic and foreign animal diseases, especially with a project to eliminate hog cholera in the United States. He worked at the National Animal Disease Laboratory in Ames, until his retirement in 1987.

After retirement, Joe was a virology teacher/researcher in the Master's program in Virology at the University of Mexico in Mexico City. Also, after retirement Joe was active in his parish at St. Patrick's in Nevada. He found his niche in serving the members of his parish at CEW weekends, Parish Council, and sharing his faith in Bible studies.

Surviving Joe are his wife, Sarah; his children, Sarah (Gene) Behrens, of Des Moines, Marion (Jean), of Ames, Mary (Tom) Hoelscher, of Dubuque, Joe (Olga), of Bloomington, Minn., Charles (Donna), of Lemont, Ill., Robert (Cyndi) of Eagan, Minn., Marie (Dave Elliott), of Des Moines, Patricia ("Cap") Casady, of Indianola, Theresa, of Des Moines, Ben (Candace), of Louisville, Ky., and Helen (Bill Langebartles), of Des Moines. He also is survived by 29 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren. He has two living brothers, Gene (Doris), of N. Little Rock, and Andrew (Arletta), of Conway, Ark.

Joe was preceded in death by his parents; six siblings; and an infant son, David Michael Kresse.

Memorials may be given to St. Patrick's Parish of Nevada, St. Mary's Parish of Elkhart, Iowa, or to the charity of one's choice.

Bacon Funeral Home and Crematory in Maxwell is handling arrangements.

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A message from Joe's family:

Joe's family would like to thank everyone for the tremendous outpouring of support and sympathy. The kind words, food and your time were greatly appreciated. A special thank you to those who took part in the service, everything was beautiful and the way Joe would have wanted it. Thank you again and God bless.

The Kresse Family

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