Henry J. Hoesing

HOESING HENRY JOSEPH

Henry Joseph Hoesing was born October 12, 1924 on a farm near Menominee, NE to Edward and Mary (Messling) Hoesing, on the day the Yankton Meridian Bridge opened.  Henry entered the Army in 1943.  He landed on D-day +3 on Omaha Beach, Normandy as a Sherman tank driver.  He fought his way through France, Belgium and Germany and served in the occupation army following VE Day until his honorable discharge.  Henry met and married the love of his life, Alice (Jensen) Hoesing, on May 3, 1948.  They were married 68 years and became proud parents of six children.  Henry farmed in the Wakonda area until 1960, then moved to Yankton.  He worked for the Corps of Engineers at Gavin’s Point Dam in Yankton until his retirement.

Henry had a love and talent for fishing and gardening.  His challenge was to have the first ripe tomato in Yankton.  Darrell Loecker, Henry and his two sons shared the thrill of the hunt for mushrooms.  Spotting the many eagles at the dam in the winter time delighted Alice and Henry.  They liked to travel, traveling in their motorhome from Alaska, Texas and California and points in between.  They both were active in St. Benedict’s Catholic Church.

Henry is survived by his children:  Mary (Howard) Knodel, Mike (Linda) Hoesing, Karla (Darrell) Sawyer, Jean Hoesing and Anne “Daddy’s little Girl” (Don) Schultz; daughter-in-law, Lynn Hoesing; sister-in-law, Emma Hoesing; brothers-in-law:  Ellis (Mary Ellen) Jensen, Nels (Mary) Jensen, Gary (Cynthia) Jensen, Robert (Sharon) Jensen and Marvin (Connie) Jensen.  He is also survived by 10 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandsons and his “chosen” adopted family, Jim and Mary Ann Plavec and their children: Keith, Kevin and Katie.

Henry was preceded in death by his wife, Alice; son, Steven; grandson, Aaron; infant twin grandchildren; great-grandson, Evan Gaertner; his parents; his brothers:  Robert, Paul, and Richard; his sisters:  Josephine Eckhardt, Sylvia Schmidt and Viola Korkow; his Jensen relatives:  Norman and Betty Jensen, Carl Jensen and Gladys and Elmer Carlson.