John Desch obituary: John Desch's Obituary, Dove Topeka
In Memory Of
John Edward Desch
1941 - 2023
In Memory Of
John Edward Desch
1941 - 2023
John Edward Desch, 81 passed away on June 7, 2023. John’s story began on July 11, 1941 in Topeka, Ks, the oldest child born to Francis Jacob Desch and Eileen Geneva (Head) Desch. John married Sherry Avis in 1963. They divorced. They had two daughters Wendy (Desch) Branson and Paula (Desch) Webb. He married Jan Price in 1995. John's love for Jan and their blended families was second to none.
John graduated from Seaman High School in 1959. He joined the US Navy in 1966, serving 2 tours of duty in Vietnam as a heavy construction mechanic with Mobile Construction Battalion 62, a special unit of the Navy identified as the “Sea Bees”. He was awarded a Purple Heart medal during his service in Vietnam. John was a member of the American Legion for 50 years and proudly served on post 421 Honor Guard.
John worked at Henry Manufacturing, General Foods, Knox Supply, Topeka Country Club and was co-owner of the Honda Motorcycle store in Topeka. He retired in 2003.
John had many interests. He and Jan enjoyed many hours quilting together. He always had an interest in old Chevy trucks, John Deere tractors and pretty much anything that had an engine. He owned many motorcycles along the way. His trusty 1997 BMW has over 170,000 miles, many of those miles with Jan riding behind him. His longest trip was a ride to Acapulco, Mexico. Always a kid at heart, John enjoyed flying his radio controlled airplane, something he wanted since high school. John’s green thumb produced many beautiful plants and flowers. The last few years he became especially fond of growing banana trees but couldn’t grow a good tomato. John and Jan attended Wanamaker Woods Church of the Nazarene.
It was John’s opinion that all kids are “wormy” so John gave numbers to each family “Worm” as they were born. Wendy and Paula are Worm 1 and Worm 2. We now have 13 family worms. There are some special kids along the way outside the core family that also carry the Wormy Kid nickname. There have been personalized license plates on some of the kids' cars, displaying their particular worm number.
Loved ones that will miss John until they meet again are his wife Jan Desch; Sister - Judy Alexander; Daughters - Wendy (Alan) Branson, Paula (Alan) Webb; Grandchildren - Kody (Taylor) Renyer, Kellie (Kory) Kraus, Sydney Webb, Logan Webb and Lilly Branson; Great-Grandchildren - Keagan Kraus, Karsyn Kraus, Holland Renyer, Blayke Renyer, Hayes John Renyer and Briar Renyer; Niece - Nicole (Stephen) Ramer and family.
John was a perfect mixture of strength, gentleness, humor, seriousness, love, kindness, stubbornness all wrapped up in a big smile and infectious laugh. He was loved and will be deeply missed by all who knew him. John's story doesn't end here. He lives on in our hearts through family and memories.
In lieu of flowers memorial contributions can be made to:
1) American Legion, Post 421, 3110 SW Huntoon St. Topeka, Ks
2) Wanamaker Woods Church of the Nazarene, 3501 SW Wanamaker Rd, Topeka,
Ks 66614
Dove Southwest Chapel is assisting with arrangements.
To leave a special message for the family online, click the Share Memories button above.
John graduated from Seaman High School in 1959. He joined the US Navy in 1966, serving 2 tours of duty in Vietnam as a heavy construction mechanic with Mobile Construction Battalion 62, a special unit of the Navy identified as the “Sea Bees”. He was awarded a Purple Heart medal during his service in Vietnam. John was a member of the American Legion for 50 years and proudly served on post 421 Honor Guard.
John worked at Henry Manufacturing, General Foods, Knox Supply, Topeka Country Club and was co-owner of the Honda Motorcycle store in Topeka. He retired in 2003.
John had many interests. He and Jan enjoyed many hours quilting together. He always had an interest in old Chevy trucks, John Deere tractors and pretty much anything that had an engine. He owned many motorcycles along the way. His trusty 1997 BMW has over 170,000 miles, many of those miles with Jan riding behind him. His longest trip was a ride to Acapulco, Mexico. Always a kid at heart, John enjoyed flying his radio controlled airplane, something he wanted since high school. John’s green thumb produced many beautiful plants and flowers. The last few years he became especially fond of growing banana trees but couldn’t grow a good tomato. John and Jan attended Wanamaker Woods Church of the Nazarene.
It was John’s opinion that all kids are “wormy” so John gave numbers to each family “Worm” as they were born. Wendy and Paula are Worm 1 and Worm 2. We now have 13 family worms. There are some special kids along the way outside the core family that also carry the Wormy Kid nickname. There have been personalized license plates on some of the kids' cars, displaying their particular worm number.
Loved ones that will miss John until they meet again are his wife Jan Desch; Sister - Judy Alexander; Daughters - Wendy (Alan) Branson, Paula (Alan) Webb; Grandchildren - Kody (Taylor) Renyer, Kellie (Kory) Kraus, Sydney Webb, Logan Webb and Lilly Branson; Great-Grandchildren - Keagan Kraus, Karsyn Kraus, Holland Renyer, Blayke Renyer, Hayes John Renyer and Briar Renyer; Niece - Nicole (Stephen) Ramer and family.
John was a perfect mixture of strength, gentleness, humor, seriousness, love, kindness, stubbornness all wrapped up in a big smile and infectious laugh. He was loved and will be deeply missed by all who knew him. John's story doesn't end here. He lives on in our hearts through family and memories.
In lieu of flowers memorial contributions can be made to:
1) American Legion, Post 421, 3110 SW Huntoon St. Topeka, Ks
2) Wanamaker Woods Church of the Nazarene, 3501 SW Wanamaker Rd, Topeka,
Ks 66614
Dove Southwest Chapel is assisting with arrangements.
To leave a special message for the family online, click the Share Memories button above.
John Edward Desch, 81 passed away on June 7, 2023. John’s story began on July 11, 1941 in Topeka, Ks, the oldest child born to Francis Jacob Desch and Eileen Geneva (Head) Desch. John married Sherry Avis in 1963. They divorced. They had two daughters Wendy (Desch) Branson and Paula (Desch) Webb. He married Jan Price in 1995. John's love for Jan and their blended families was second to none.
John graduated from Seaman High School in 1959. He joined the US Navy in 1966, serving 2 tours of duty in Vietnam as a heavy construction mechanic with Mobile Construction Battalion 62, a special unit of the Navy identified as the “Sea Bees”. He was awarded a Purple Heart medal during his service in Vietnam. John was a member of the American Legion for 50 years and proudly served on post 421 Honor Guard.
John worked at Henry Manufacturing, General Foods, Knox Supply, Topeka Country Club and was co-owner of the Honda Motorcycle store in Topeka. He retired in 2003.
John had many interests. He and Jan enjoyed many hours quilting together. He always had an interest in old Chevy trucks, John Deere tractors and pretty much anything that had an engine. He owned many motorcycles along the way. His trusty 1997 BMW has over 170,000 miles, many of those miles with Jan riding behind him. His longest trip was a ride to Acapulco, Mexico. Always a kid at heart, John enjoyed flying his radio controlled airplane, something he wanted since high school. John’s green thumb produced many beautiful plants and flowers. The last few years he became especially fond of growing banana trees but couldn’t grow a good tomato. John and Jan attended Wanamaker Woods Church of the Nazarene.
It was John’s opinion that all kids are “wormy” so John gave numbers to each family “Worm” as they were born. Wendy and Paula are Worm 1 and Worm 2. We now have 13 family worms. There are some special kids along the way outside the core family that also carry the Wormy Kid nickname. There have been personalized license plates on some of the kids' cars, displaying their particular worm number.
Loved ones that will miss John until they meet again are his wife Jan Desch; Sister - Judy Alexander; Daughters - Wendy (Alan) Branson, Paula (Alan) Webb; Grandchildren - Kody (Taylor) Renyer, Kellie (Kory) Kraus, Sydney Webb, Logan Webb and Lilly Branson; Great-Grandchildren - Keagan Kraus, Karsyn Kraus, Holland Renyer, Blayke Renyer, Hayes John Renyer and Briar Renyer; Niece - Nicole (Stephen) Ramer and family.
John was a perfect mixture of strength, gentleness, humor, seriousness, love, kindness, stubbornness all wrapped up in a big smile and infectious laugh. He was loved and will be deeply missed by all who knew him. John's story doesn't end here. He lives on in our hearts through family and memories.
In lieu of flowers memorial contributions can be made to:
1) American Legion, Post 421, 3110 SW Huntoon St. Topeka, Ks
2) Wanamaker Woods Church of the Nazarene, 3501 SW Wanamaker Rd, Topeka,
Ks 66614
Dove Southwest Chapel is assisting with arrangements.
To leave a special message for the family online, click the Share Memories button above.
John graduated from Seaman High School in 1959. He joined the US Navy in 1966, serving 2 tours of duty in Vietnam as a heavy construction mechanic with Mobile Construction Battalion 62, a special unit of the Navy identified as the “Sea Bees”. He was awarded a Purple Heart medal during his service in Vietnam. John was a member of the American Legion for 50 years and proudly served on post 421 Honor Guard.
John worked at Henry Manufacturing, General Foods, Knox Supply, Topeka Country Club and was co-owner of the Honda Motorcycle store in Topeka. He retired in 2003.
John had many interests. He and Jan enjoyed many hours quilting together. He always had an interest in old Chevy trucks, John Deere tractors and pretty much anything that had an engine. He owned many motorcycles along the way. His trusty 1997 BMW has over 170,000 miles, many of those miles with Jan riding behind him. His longest trip was a ride to Acapulco, Mexico. Always a kid at heart, John enjoyed flying his radio controlled airplane, something he wanted since high school. John’s green thumb produced many beautiful plants and flowers. The last few years he became especially fond of growing banana trees but couldn’t grow a good tomato. John and Jan attended Wanamaker Woods Church of the Nazarene.
It was John’s opinion that all kids are “wormy” so John gave numbers to each family “Worm” as they were born. Wendy and Paula are Worm 1 and Worm 2. We now have 13 family worms. There are some special kids along the way outside the core family that also carry the Wormy Kid nickname. There have been personalized license plates on some of the kids' cars, displaying their particular worm number.
Loved ones that will miss John until they meet again are his wife Jan Desch; Sister - Judy Alexander; Daughters - Wendy (Alan) Branson, Paula (Alan) Webb; Grandchildren - Kody (Taylor) Renyer, Kellie (Kory) Kraus, Sydney Webb, Logan Webb and Lilly Branson; Great-Grandchildren - Keagan Kraus, Karsyn Kraus, Holland Renyer, Blayke Renyer, Hayes John Renyer and Briar Renyer; Niece - Nicole (Stephen) Ramer and family.
John was a perfect mixture of strength, gentleness, humor, seriousness, love, kindness, stubbornness all wrapped up in a big smile and infectious laugh. He was loved and will be deeply missed by all who knew him. John's story doesn't end here. He lives on in our hearts through family and memories.
In lieu of flowers memorial contributions can be made to:
1) American Legion, Post 421, 3110 SW Huntoon St. Topeka, Ks
2) Wanamaker Woods Church of the Nazarene, 3501 SW Wanamaker Rd, Topeka,
Ks 66614
Dove Southwest Chapel is assisting with arrangements.
To leave a special message for the family online, click the Share Memories button above.
Services & Gatherings
Visitation
Thursday, June 15, 2023 from 9:00am to 10:00am
Wanamaker Woods Church of the Nazarene
Memorial Service
Thursday, June 15, 2023 at 10:00am
Graveside
Thursday, June 15, 2023 from 2:30pm to 3:30pm
Leavenworth National Cemetery
Southwest Chapel (785-272-9797) is assisting the family
Southwest Chapel (785-272-9797) is assisting the family