Irving William KUESTER

KUESTER, LEONARD, AUSTIN, SLINING, THOMPSON, MCMURRAY, SCHWICHTENBERG, MEINTS, SORENSON, SUMMERS, BERRY, DAVIS

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 9/15/2010 at 09:59:27

June 18, 1931 -- September 10, 2010

BELMOND, IA - Irving William Kuester, 79, of Belmond died Friday (Sept. 10, 2010) at the Belmond Medical Center with his family at his side. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 16, at the Belmond United Methodist Church with the Rev. Michael Druhl officiating. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. today at the Andrews Funeral Home, 516 First St. S.E., Belmond. Memorials may be directed to the family or the donor's choice.

Irving Kuester, the son of Irving and Marguerite (Leonard) Kuester, was born June 18, 1931, at Belmond. He attended Belmond schools until age 11 and at that time moved to Minneapolis, Minn. Irv attended Minneapolis North High School where he graduated. After his high school education, Irving went to work for Western Union Corp. His career with the company as an installer and technician took him to various places in the United States and Irving also traveled overseas to do work for Western Union. He retired from the company at the age of 55. Following his retirement from Western Union, Irving continued to work as an employee of "Air Phone" in the company's infancy for several years and operated his own painting business. Irv and family painted numerous homes and businesses in the Belmond area and had even painted Belmond's downtown arcade as a family.

Irving was united in marriage to Harriet Heather Austin and the couple later divorced. He later married Jo Ann Slining in March 1971 at the United Methodist Church in Belmond. Irving was a man who truly loved to spend time in the presence of his family. Be it an afternoon or evening at the helm of the grill in the backyard hosting his family and friends, a competitive, but friendly game of cards or a few hours spent together watching his favorite Minnesota Vikings. He loved being in the outdoors and looked forward to fishing excursions to Camp Sunnyside Resort in Canada or a trip to an area lake. Irving enjoyed time on the golf links and had been an active member of the Belmond Country Club and at the golf club in Queen Creek, Ariz., where he and Jo Ann had wintered for 15 years. He enjoyed helping others and had done some volunteer work during the times spent in Arizona. Irving believed in doing things meticulously and was known for his excellent staining skills and the wonderful woodworking and carpentry he had done. Many of his family members received handmade gifts such as foot stools and other handcrafted items he had made for them. Irv was a perfectionist who believed in doing things to the best of his abilities. His family fondly remembers earlier years when Irv loved to ice skate and playing hockey on the family ice rink that he would maintain in the backyard. Irv enjoyed listening classic country performers such as Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, The Highway Men and others. He was an avid coin collector and spent countless hours collecting and sorting coins to put in books for his kids and grand kids. He will be remembered as a man of who enjoyed the simple things in life, be it the tranquility of a lake in Canada, or just being with family and friends.

His memory will live on in the lives of his surviving family, including his wife, Jo Ann, of Belmond; son, Scott Allen Kuester, of Harcourt; daughter, Lori Kay (Ron) Thompson, of Minnesota, sons, Bryan Kuester of Belmond, Mark (Kim) Kuester of Klemme, and Craig McMurray of Rowan, daughter, Lori Kuester, of Goodell, Cindy McMurray of Klemme, and Joyce Schwichtenberg of Mason City; his grandchildren, Cory Kuester, Ryan Kuester and companion, Jess Meints, Ross and his wife, Emili Kuester, and Jaydon Kuester, Jessica Thompson and husband, Chad, and Nate Thompson, Amber Sorenson, Tanner Schwichtenberg, and Dawson Summers; and great-grandchildren, Tatin Sorenson, and Christian Berry, and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, a brother, Garith Kuester; and a sister, Mavis Davis. Andrews Funeral Home.

Mason City Globe Gazette - Iowa
September 15, 2010