Joseph A. Tauke, 1912 - 2005

TAUKE, REICHER, KRAPFL, SOVA, MARCHE, BRANSTAD

Posted By: Cheryl Moonen (email)
Date: 9/30/2014 at 16:42:01

Joseph A. Tauke, 93, of 1715 Glen Oak, died Monday, Nov. 21, at Mercy Medical Center-Dubuque, following a brief illness.

Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Nativity Catholic Church. Burial will be in St. Francis Xavier Cemetery, Dyersville. Friends may call from 3 to 9 p.m. Friday at Siegert-Casper Colonial Funeral Home, 390 N. Grandview Ave., where there will be a wake service at 3 p.m.

He was born on April 14, 1912, in Dyersville, son of John and Anna (Krapfl) Tauke.

He married Esther Reicher, on June 4, 1940, also of Dyersville; she preceded him in death in September 1983.

He graduated from Xavier High School, Dyersville, in 1929.

He moved to Dubuque in 1936, to work for Universal Motor Ford.

During World War II, he was drafted into the Army, fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and received a Bronze Star.

After the war, he returned to Dubuque, and joined Seig-Dubuque Co., where he worked, first as a salesman and eventually as the sales manager, until his retirement in 1982.

He was an active member of the Nativity Catholic Church, he walked there to daily Mass for the past 49 years. He served as an usher from the 1960s to this past Sunday.

After his retirement, he enjoyed volunteer work. Although he was older than most of the residents of the local nursing homes, he regularly visited "the old folks" and received awards for his efforts from the Scenic Valley Area Agency on Aging, Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and RSVP. He also was a volunteer at the Dubuque Police Department, the Girl Scouts and the Dubuque County Republican Party. He was a member of the Serra Club, Loras Club and American Legion.

He was an avid sports fan, especially of the Chicago White Sox. He enjoyed politics, fishing and golf, but he most loved spending time with his family and neighbors.

Surviving are a son, former United States Congressman Tom (Beverly) Tauke, of Alexandria, Va.; two daughters, Mary Sue (Richard) Sova, of Barrington, Ill., and Mary Beth (Jean) La Marche, of Derby, N.Y.; a grandson, Joseph and a granddaughter, Elizabeth, both of Alexandria; and numerous sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nieces and nephews.

He also was preceded in death by his parents; three brothers, Edgar, Eugene and Andrew; and four sisters, Marie, Catherine, Dorothy and Rita.

Memorials may be sent to Holy Family Catholic Schools, 2005 Kane St., Dubuque, Iowa 52001.