John A. Wetsch

John A. Wetsch, 93, died August 11, 2016. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 am Saturday, August 20, at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, 519 Raymond St., Bismarck, with Rev. Jared Johnson officiating. Pie and coffee will follow the funeral for friends hoping to share their memories; pie will be provided by Fried's Restaurant, which served John, Genny and her siblings, for the last several decades. Visitation will be held from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, August 19, at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck, with a KC Rosary beginning at 7:00 pm, followed by parish prayers. Burial will be at Mandan Union Cemetery. John was born August 21, 1922, in St. Anthony, ND, the son of Anton and Magdelina (Hatzenbuhler) Wetsch. He was raised and educated in St. Anthony. He married Genevieve “Genny” Helbling in 1947. John and Genny remained on the Wetsch family farm for one year before moving to Mandan, where they happily lived most of their lives. John worked for 38 years as a salesman for Bismarck Grocery Company, Gamble Robinson Company, and Food Services of America; he was the recipient of many awards and belonged to the “Million Dollar Sales Club.” After his retirement in 1987, John and Genny traveled extensively, traversing through all 50 states, Europe, and Australia, which they toured for their 50th wedding anniversary. Several trips were made to Indianapolis to attend the Indy 500 race. John continued to travel after the death of his wife in 1999, including trips to China and Ireland. He enjoyed driving his Jeff Gordon Monte Carlo car; family and friends knew of his arrival when they spied the #24 emblazoned upon his prized automobile. John was involved in volunteer work at St. Alexius Medical Center and Medcenter One for many years. In addition to his love for friends, family, travel, and community, John adored pie and ice cream. John is survived by his two children, LaVonne and Ray Hill of Walkersville, MD, and Renee Schoepp, of Indianapolis, IN; five grandchildren, Annie Hill and Geoffrey Rowe, of Silver Spring, MD, Laura Hill-Hicks and Wally Hicks and their children, Josephine Abigail Hicks and Charlotte Louise Hicks, of Grants Pass, OR, Katherine Hill, of Brooklyn, NY, Jennifer and Jeremy Peters and their children, Isabella Rose Peters and Liliana Genevieve Peters, of Celebration, FL, and Christopher Schoepp, of Kissimmee, FL; one brother, Val (Darlene), Bismarck; his sisters, Leona George, Benedict, ND, Angie (Frank) Boehm, Mandan, and Loretta (David) Erhardt, Houston, TX; six sisters-in-law, Leona Wetsch, Des Moines, IA, Bert Flink, Mandan, Monica (Nick) Zueger, Mandan, Carol Wetsch, Bismarck, Hildegard Palin, Lolo, MT, Rochelle Wetsch, Grand Forks, ND; and two brothers-in-law, Alfred Helbling, El Cajon, CA, and Thomas Helbling, St. Cloud, MN. John is also survived by his dear friend, Jerry Haider, who was like a son to him. He was preceded in death by his wife, Genny; one son, John; six brothers, Tony, Mike, Jack, George, Ray, and Ed; three sisters-in-law, Betty, Rose, and Margaret Wetsch; parents-in-law, Alfred and Rose Helbling; two sisters-in-law, Maggie (George) Kautzman and Mary (John) Bullinger; and two brothers-in-law, Mike Flink and Mel Palin. Due to allergies, the family requests no flowers. Memorials to the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit Elementary School's library, 508 Raymond St., Bismarck, ND, 58501, would be very much appreciated.