Highland area has lost 89 veterans in the last year
Editor’s Note: This list was compiled from obituaries published in the News Leader and with the help of Meridith Funeral Home in Highland and Pocahontas, Spengel-Boulanger Funeral Home in Highland and Marine, Dauderman Mortuary in Alhambra and Hamel and Lesicko Funeral Home in New Douglas and Livingston.
▪ Jon David Schneider, 75, of Highland died on Monday, May 26, 2014 at Mercy Hospital in St. Louis, Mo. After high school, he served with the U.S. Army from 1958-1959, with duty in Germany and Italy. He was trained as a helicopter mechanic and became a crew chief. He is buried in Highland City Cemetery.
▪ Art Dale Capelle, 80, of Troy died on Sunday, June 15, 2014 at his home. He served with the U.S. Army from 1953-1955 during the Korean War. He is buried in St. John the Baptist Cemetery in rural Troy.
▪ Aloys J. “Al” Lengermann, 85, of Highland died on Tuesday, June 17, 2014 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Highland. He served with the U.S. Army from 1953-1955, with duty in Germany. He is buried in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Highland.
▪ Louis H. Monken, 57, of Highland died on Wednesday, June 18, 2014 at his home. He had served in the U.S. Army. He is buried in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Highland.
▪ Eugene A. Guentensberger, 85, of Trenton died on Friday, June 20, 2014 at Carlyle Healthcare Center in Carlyle. He served in the United States Navy from November 1946 to February 1950. He is buried in Trenton Cemetery.
▪ Burnell L. “Barney” Hartlieb, 71, of Highland died on Sunday, June 29, 2014 at his home. He served with the U.S. Army, with duty in Texas from 1960 to 1961. He is buried in Highland City Cemetery.
▪ Clifford Joseph Gruenenfelder, 89, of Highland died on Wednesday, July 2, 2014 at his home. In March 1943, he was inducted into the U.S. Army and served in the infantry during World War II in Europe. He is buried in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Highland.
▪ Lawrence H. “Slim” Pollmann, 78, of Highland died on Sunday, July 6, 2014 at Faith Countryside Homes in Highland. He had served in the Army. He is buried in St. George Catholic Cemetery in New Baden.
▪ Edwin J. “Ed” Kelley, 82, of St. Jacob died on Monday, July 7, 2014 at Highland Health Care Center in Highland. He had served in the U.S. Navy Reserves.
▪ John Anthony Wellen, 85, of Highland died on Thursday, July 17, 2014 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Highland. He served with the U.S. Army in Korea, during the Korean War. He is buried in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Highland.
▪ Raymond R. Rauscher, 77, of Highland died on Thursday, July 17, 2014 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Highland. He had served in the Army. He is buried in Highland City Cemetery.
▪ Joseph Earl Campbell, 81, of Highland died on Friday, July 18, 2014 at Highland Health Care Center in Highland. After studying religion for two years in college, he joined the U.S. Army, serving as chaplain for two years during the Korean War. He is buried in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, Mo.
▪ Richard Lee “Speed” Satterlee, 74, of Mesa, Ariz., died on Monday, July 21, 2014 in Mesa, Ariz. He served in the Army in the Korean War.
▪ Andrew F. “Bud” Markus, 93, of Aviston died on Thursday, July 24, 2014 at Countryside Manor in Aviston. He was a veteran of the United States Air Force. He is buried in in St. Francis Cemetery in Aviston.
▪ Wayne E. Lanham, 82, of Highland died on Monday, July 28, 2014 at his home. He had served in the Army. He is buried in Coulterville Cemetery.
▪ Hollie M. Willmann, 82, of Greenville died on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2014 at Greenville Regional Hospital. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He is buried in St. Lawrence Cemetery in Greenville.
▪ Gary L. “Rudy” Rutz, 71, of Glen Carbon died on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2014 at Anderson Hospital in Maryville. He had served in the Army. He is buried in Highland City Cemetery.
▪ William P. Noll, 88, of Staunton died on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2014 at his home. He had served in the Navy during World War II. He is buried in Immanuel United Church of Christ Cemetery in Hamel.
▪ Glenn A. Noeltner, 80, of St. Jacob died on Saturday, Aug. 23, 2014 at Anderson Hospital in Maryville. He had served in the Army.
▪ Vernon F. Marti, 82, of Hillsboro, Ill., died on Sunday, Aug. 24, 2014 at Montgomery Nursing & Rehab in Taylor Springs, Ill. He served in the U.S. Air Force and was stationed at Beale Air Force Base in California. His body was donated to science.
▪ Jerald Leon McGrew, 84, of Marine died Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014 at Faith Care Center in Highland. He had served in the Army. He is buried in Memorial Gardens in Flora, Ill.
▪ John E. Krieter III, 61, of Highland died Monday, Sept. 8, 2014 at St. Luke’s Hospital in Chesterfield, Mo. He has served in the Air Force.
▪ Harold H. Primm, 88, of Alhambra died Sunday, Sept. 14, 2014 at Alhambra Care Center in Alhambra. He had served in the Army. He is buried in Robinson Cemetery in Pocahontas.
▪ James Oliver Stever, 78, of Greenville died on Monday, Sept. 15, 2014 at his home. He enlisted in the United States Army Reserves in 1959. He had active duty at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., from 1959-1960. He rose to the rank of sergeant 1st class. He was honorably discharged in 1966. He is buried in in Mount Auburn Cemetery.
▪ Donald Lester Merkle, 69, of Alhambra died on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2014 at St. Louis University Hospital in St. Louis, Mo. He was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army and served from 1968 until 1973, achieving the rank of captain. During this time, he served one year in Vietnam as a reconnaissance pilot, where he was awarded a Bronze Star. He is buried in Salem Cemetery in Alhambra.
▪ Eldon Ambuehl, 74, of Phoenix, Ariz, died on Monday, Sept. 22, 2014 at All Roses Group Home in Phoenix, Ariz. He had served in the Navy. He is buried in Grantfork United Church of Christ Cemetery.
▪ James F. “Jim” Garrison Jr., 67, of Highland died on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014 at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Belleville. He served with the US Army, active duty from 1966 to 1969 during the Vietnam War. He is buried in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, Mo.
▪ Thomas A. Brown Jr., 88, of Pocahontas died on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2014 at Faith Countryside Homes/Faith Care Center in Highland. He served with U.S. Navy during World War II. He served at the U.S. Naval Training and Distribution Center (TADCEN) in California and was an operating engineer with the Seabees in the South Pacific. He received the World War II Victory Ribbon, American Area Ribbon, and Asiatic Pacific Area Ribbon. He is buried in Robinson Cemetery in Pocahontas.
▪ Jerry R. Ward, 59, of St. Jacob died on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014 at Barnes Jewish Hospital. He retired from the U.S. Air Force as a master sergeant after serving 20 years. He is buried in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, Mo.
▪ John Christopher Cahoon, 76, of Highland died on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014 at his home. He had served in the Air Force. He is buried in Sunnyside Cemetery in Sorento.
▪ Lawrence F. Pollmann, 89, of Marine died Friday, Oct. 17, 2014 at Anderson Hospital in Maryville. He served with the U.S. Army during World War II, from July 1943 to December 1945, with duty in Europe (Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes, Rhineland and Central Europe). He is buried in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Highland.
▪ Robert E. Ruegger, 63, of Palm Bay, Fla., formerly of Highland, died Saturday, Oct. 18, 2014 at his home. He served active duty with the U.S. Army for 20-plus years; many years he was a warrant officer. He is buried in Highland City Cemetery.
▪ Larry William Chassels, 71, of Highland died Sunday, Oct. 19, 2014, at Legacy Place in Highland. While in college, he participated in U.S. Navy ROTC. After graduating, he went to active duty with deployment to Vietnam. He served aboard the following ships: USS King, USS Sample, USS Fox, USS Samuel B. Roberts, and USS Ernest G. Small. He retired from the Navy on July 1, 1991, with the rank of commander and more than 26 years of service. He also earned a sharpshooter designation for marksmanship while in the Navy. He is buried in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, Mo.
▪ Joseph G. “Butch” Geiger Jr., 77, of Highland died on Friday, Oct. 24, 2014 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Highland. He served in the U.S. Army. He is buried in in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Highland.
▪ Derl L. Monken, 82, of Highland died on Friday, Oct. 24, 2014 at Anderson Hospital in Maryville. He served with the U.S. Army from 1952-1954. He is buried in in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Highland.
▪ Toby A. Suhre, 50, of St. Louis, Mo., died on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2014 at his home. He served with the U.S. Marine Corps. He is buried in Salem Cemetery in Alhambra.
▪ Eugene “Popeye” Kovach, 86, of Highland died on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014 in Highland. He served with the U.S. Army from September 1946 to January 1948, with active duty during World War II in Japan.
▪ Jerome Alphonse Schleper, 65, of Pocahontas died Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014 at Greenville Regional Hospital. Burial was in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Highland. Mr. Schleper served in the U.S. Army, entering the service on April 18, 1969. He received his training at Fort Lewis, Wash. He served in Germany from Sept. 17, 1969 to Aug. 21, 1970. He then served in Vietnam, from Oct. 4, 1970 to April 10, 1971, in areas of Phan Thiet and Tuy Nog. He attained the rank of sergeant, E5.
▪ Clifford O. Thurnau, 83, of Glen Carbon died Monday, Nov. 24, 2014 at Eden Village Retirement Center in Glen Carbon. He served with the U.S. Army, with active duty during the Korean War from January 1953 to December 1954. He is buried in Benld Cemetery.
▪ Julian E. Armbruster, 79, of Highland died on Sunday, Nov. 30, 2014 at his home. He enlisted in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Italy with the 34th Artillery Division. He is buried in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Highland.
▪ Jerry Mason, 77, of Highland died on Sunday, Nov. 30, 2014 at St. Louis University Hospital in St. Louis, Mo. He has served as a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne.
▪ Retired U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Arvid E. Nelson, 82, of Trenton died Thursday Dec. 4, 2014 at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Mo. He served in the United States Air Force for 22 years and was a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars. He was a member of Security Service, which took him to locations all over Asia.
▪ Lester A. Bazaillion Jr., 71, of Marine died on Friday, Dec. 5, 2014 at Relais Bonne Eau Hospice in Edwardsville. He is buried in Valley View Cemetery. He entered the U.S. Army in November of 1961. He served in the Army for 23 ½ years, retiring as a master sergeant (E-8). His primary specialties were as a 35H50 calibration specialist, 16Z50 air defense artillery senior sergeant, and 16B40 Hercules missile crew member.
▪ Marion “Grit” Tsupros, 89, of Livingston died on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2014 at the Community Memorial Hospital in Staunton. He enlisted in the Army in April 1943. He became one of the charter members of the 82nd Airborne. He jumped on D-Day, landing in Sainte-Mère-Église. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge and marched into Berlin, being wounded three times along the way. He is buried in Spangle Cemetery near Livingston.
▪ Donald Louis Andruska, 85, of Marine died on Friday, Dec. 12, 2014 at Rosewood Care Center in Edwardsville. A United States Navy veteran, he proudly served his country during the Korean War on the USS Currituck. He is buried in Marine Cemetery.
▪ Clarence Leroy “Slim” Leitschuh, 83, of Lakeland, Fla., died on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of the Korean War, serving on the USS Laffey.
▪ Carmon D. Thiems, 76, of Highland, IL, died Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014, at SSM De Paul Health Center in St. Louis, Mo. He had served in the Air Force. He is buried in Highland City Cemetery.
▪ Arnold F. Weare, 90, of York, Maine, died on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2014 at Heritage Health in Staunton. He is buried in York Village Cemetery in York, Maine.
▪ Braid D. “Brady” Decker, 58, of Highland died on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2014. He had served in the Army. He is buried in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, Mo.
▪ James F. Harlan, 90, of Highland died on Monday, Dec. 22, 2014 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Highland. After graduation, he joined the Navy. He served as a tail machine-gunner in World War II and was awarded a Purple Heart after being shot down in the Philippines. He is buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Steelville, Mo.
▪ James D. Hediger, 77, of Highland died on Monday, Dec. 22, 2014 his home. He had served in the Army. He is buried in Fairlawn Cemetery in Vandalia.
▪ Udell H. Meyer, 84, of rural Hamel died on Friday, Dec. 26, 2014 at Hitz Memorial Home in Alhambra. He served with the US Army, with active duty in Korea during the Korean Conflict from Dec. 3, 1951 to Sept. 8, 1953. He is buried in St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery in Hamel.
▪ Thomas H. “Tom” Werner, 79, of Pocahontas died on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2014, at St. Louis University Hospital in St. Louis, Mo. He served with the U.S. Navy from July 12, 1956 to June 13, 1958, with duty in Japan and Australia.
▪ Harry Kreutzberg, 78, of Marine died on Friday, Jan. 2, 2015 at Hitz Memorial Home in Alhambra. He served with the U.S. Army in Korea from 1956 to 1958. He is buried in Marine Cemetery.
▪ Harold Earl Hoenig, 73, of St. Jacob died on Monday, Jan. 5, 2015 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Highland. He served in the Army. He is buried in Burial will be in Augusta Cemetery in St. Jacob.
▪ Edwin E. Reker, 93, of Highland died on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Breese. He served with United States Army from Sept. 2, 1942 to Oct. 14, 1945, with duty in the European, African, and Middle Eastern theaters. He earned the Silver Battle Star in the Battle of Monte Cassino. He is buried in Highland City Cemetery.
▪ Arthur J. Flaiz, 90, of Highland died on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Highland. He served with the U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1949, with duty in the South Pacific. He served with the U.S. Coast Guard from 1949 to 1964. He is buried St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Highland.
▪ Paul N. Huber, 76, originally of Springfield, Ill., died on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015 at the Hitz Memorial Home in Alhambra. He had served in the Marine Corps.
▪ Donald J. Voss, 73, of Florissant, Mo., died on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2015 at Christian Northeast Hospital in St. Louis, Mo. He was an Army veteran. He is buried in in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, Mo.
▪ Donald Paul Schauerte, 85, of Albuquerque, N.M., died on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2015 in his home. He was a communication sergeant for Battery C of the 209th Field Artillery Battalion in the Illinois National Guard in 1947. He served in the 3rd Infantry Division of the U.S. Army during the Korean War (1952-1953) and was awarded the Korean Service Medal with three Bronze Stars and the United Nations Service Medal. He is buried in Sunset Memorial Park in Albuquerque, N.M.
▪ Lorraine E. (Imhof) Knebel, 88, of Highland died on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2015 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Highland. She is buried in Keystone Cemetery in St. Jacob.
▪ George Henry Grindstaff Sr., 82, of New Douglas died on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015 at his home. He served the country in the United States Army as a corporal during the Korean War from 1953 to 1955. He is buried in New Douglas Cemetery.
▪ Ralph W. Kuhlengel, 92, of Trenton died on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2015 at his home. He served with the U.S. Navy with in the Pacific during Word War II with 7th Fleet as a machinist mate, second class aboard the USS Chaffee. He is buried in Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery, in Stolletown, Ill.
▪ Richard D. Diesselhorst Sr., 76, of Whippoorwill, Okla., died on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2015 at the Robert J. Dole V.A. Medical Center in Wichita, Kan. He served 12 years of active duty with the U.S. Air Force. He is buried in Salem Cemetery in Alhambra.
▪ Timothy S. “Tim” Bergfield, 41, of Richmond Hill, Ga., died on Friday, Jan. 30, 2015 at Memorial Health Medical Center in Savannah, Ga. He He served in the U.S. Army, with duties overseas. He is buried in Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Fla.
▪ William D. “Willie” Harris, 88, of Alhambra died on Friday, Feb. 6, 2015 at Hitz Memorial Home in Alhambra. He served with the U.S. Navy during World War II. He is buried in Salem Cemetery in Alhambra.
▪ Mildred “Millie” Wieneke Hecht, 93, died on Feb. 8, 2015 at Faith Faith Care Center in Highland. In 1942, on her 21st birthday, she joined the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, which later became the Women’s Army Corps. After basic training and specialist school at Des Moines, Iowa, she was assigned to recruiting duty at Buffalo, N.Y., and Niagara Falls, N.Y. After World War II ended, She was reassigned to duty at Fort Dix, N.Y. On Jan. 4, 1946, she was discharged.
▪ Harold Louis Edward Blase, 91, of Fort Worth, Texas, died on Feb. 13, 2015 at his home. He began his military career in 1941. He served in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. One of his favorite accomplishments in his 27 years with the Army was starting the Sunday school program in New Ulm, Germany, in 1961. He finished his Army career as sergeant major with the ROTC program at Washington University in St. Louis.
▪ William H. Holthaus, 86, of Breese, died Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015 at Missouri Baptist Medical Center in St. Louis, Mo. He was a veteran of the United States Army. He is buried in St. Dominic-St. Augustine Cemetery in Breese.
▪ Dr. James Edward Baumann, DDS, 91, of Paris, Ill., died on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015 at Union Hospital in Terre Haute, Ind. He was a U.S. Army veteran, serving in a mobile Army surgical hospital (MASH) unit in post-Word War II occupied Japan. He is buried in Edgar Cemetery.
▪ Earl H. Schuerman, 84, of Highland died on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2015 at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Belleville. He joined the U.S. Air Force in 1951. He retired in 1971 at Pease Air Force Base in New Hampshire as master sergeant. During his 20-year career, he had been stationed at Washington state, Germany, France, Kansas, Virginia and Hawaii. He had multiple deployments to Vietnam. His last years were in air rescue and recovery as a flight engineer on a C-130. He is buried in New Douglas Cemetery.
▪ Kenneth Henry Jones, 95, of Livingston died on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015 at the Anderson Hospital in Maryville. He served in the Army during World War II as a private from July 1941 to November 1945. He was a recipient of the Silver Battle Star. He is buried in Spangle Cemetery near Livingston.
▪ Richard P. Rusick, 58, of St. Jacob died Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015 at Marine. He had served with the U.S. Navy.
▪ Wilbert B. “Will” Mersinger, 74, of Highland died on Sunday, March 1, 2015 at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Mo. He served in the U.S. Army from 1961 to 1963 during the Berlin Crisis, Cuban Crisis, and Vietnam era. He was stationed at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. He is buried in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Highland.
▪ Paul C. Powers, 93, of St. Peters, Mo., formerly of Highland and Cahokia, died on Sunday, March 1, 2015 at Spencer Place in St. Louis, Mo. He was a World War II U.S. Army veteran and was present at Pearl Harbor. He is buried in Lake View Memorial Gardens in Fairview Heights.
▪ Carroll Wayne Hessenauer, 70, of Greenville died on Tuesday, March 3, 2015 at his home. He served in the U.S. Navy from September 1962 to November 1967 and received the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal. He is buried in Mount Auburn Cemetery.
▪ Christ J. “Sonny” Schwarz, 79, of Grantfork died on Thursday, March 5, 2015 at his home. He had served with the United States Army Reserves. He is buried in St. Gertrude Catholic Church in Grantfork.
▪ Nick E. Gregory, 83, of Pocahontas died on Thursday, March 5, 2015 at Normandy Nursing Home in Normandy, Mo. He had served in the Navy. He is buried in Robinson Cemetery in Pocahontas.
▪ Donald Howard “Green Jeans” Goodall, 80, of Alhambra died on Friday, March 6, 2015 at his home. He was a was a U.S. Army veteran.
▪ George Calvin Demas, 84, of Bunker Hill died on Friday, March 6, 2015 at the Christian Northeast Hospital in St. Louis, Mo. He served as a private in the Army during the Korean War from 1952 to 1954.
▪ Roger A. Pfister Sr., 63, of Highland died on Saturday, March 7, 2015 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Highland. He joined the U.S. Navy Seabees (MCB-40) in 1971 and received an honorary discharge in 1975. He is buried in Highland City Cemetery.
▪ Andrew “Andy” Anderson, 76, of Highland died on Tuesday, March 10, 2015 at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Belleville. He spent four years in the United States Air Force, serving all over the world, before being assigned to Scott Air Force Base. He is buried in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Highland.
▪ Allan M. Siegner, 63, formerly of Highland, died on Friday, March 13, 2015 in Tempe, Ariz. He served in the Navy from 1974 to 1982, where he started his career as a cytotechnologist, in which he worked for 15 years.
▪ Kenneth R. Knickerbocker, 68, of Gardner, Kan., died on Friday, March 13, 2015 at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Belleville. He served with the U.S. Army and retired as a 1st sergeant. He is buried in Georgia National Cemetery in Canton, Ga.
▪ Larry K. Lappe, 65, of Portage Des Sioux, Mo., died on Thursday, April 2, 2015 at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Mo.
▪ Milton C. Heim, 89, of Highland died on Wednesday, April 8, 2015, at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Highland. On Oct. 2, 1946, he joined the U.S. Air Force at Scott Air Force Base. He had duty in Japan. On Oct. 6, 1949, he was honorably discharged at Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, Ill., as a staff sergeant.
▪ Gerald E. “Jerry” Clayton Jr., 63, of Pocahontas died on Saturday, April 18, 2015 at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Belleville. He was an Army veteran.
▪ Richard H. “Rich” Cook, 79, of Pierron died Sunday, April 26, 2015 at Highland Health Care Center in Highland. He served in the United States Army from 1958 to 1960 and was stationed at Fort Bless, Texas, and White Sands, N.M. He was honorably discharged on July 27, 1960 with the rank of corporal while serving on a missile crew. He is buried in Jesse Cemetery in Jesse, W. Va.
This story was originally published May 20, 2015 at 10:48 AM with the headline "Highland area has lost 89 veterans in the last year."