John E. Hesse

John E. Hesse, 73 formerly of Fordyce, NE died at his daughter’s home in Madison, WI on Thursday, August 6, 2020. Mass of Christian Burial will be on Thursday, August 13, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. at St. John the Baptist Church in Fordyce with the Rev. Andy Phan officiating.  Burial will be at St. John the Baptist cemetery in Fordyce.   Visitation will be on Wednesday, at church, from 6-8:00 p.m. with a vigil service at 7:00 p.m. Visitation will continue on Thursday one hour prior to services.  Facemasks and social distancing will be required for the visitation and funeral.  You may watch a livestream of the funeral at https://www.facebook.com/WintzRay/live/  Arrangements are under the direction of the Wintz Funeral Home in Hartington. Pallbearers will be grandsons Ryan Higginbotham, Samuel Higginbotham, Jonathan Corey, Jackson Steffen, and Joseph Steffen. John was born on July 14, 1947 in Crofton, NE to Alfred and Ethel Hesse. He grew up in Crofton and graduated from Crofton High School in 1965. He married Susan Kuehn on June 7, 1969 in Fordyce. They lived in Norfolk, NE until moving to Fordyce in 1979. John owned and operated Truckers Bookkeeping Service in Yankton, SD until retirement in 2012. John moved to Council Bluffs, IA in 2013 in order to be closer to his children and grandchildren. He lived at Risen Son Christian Village where he loved to play cards and visit with residents and guests. John was an avid fisherman and treasured memories of 17 fishing trips to Canada with family and friends. He was a member of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Fordyce, and most recently St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Council Bluffs. He was a faith filled man who found great joy in the simple treasures of life. John is survived by his 4 daughters and their husbands and children, Amy (Chris) Higginbotham (and their children Ryan, Samuel and Jordan) of Council Bluffs, Iowa; Molly (Shane) Corey (and their children Jonathan and Megan) of Elkhorn, Nebraska; Stacy (Philip) Steffen (and their children Jackson, Joseph, Ella, Millie, Andrew and James) of Lincoln, Nebraska; Emily (Rick) Denney (and their children Finn and Kate) of Middleton, Wisconsin; 2 brothers Bill (Jan) Hesse of Yankton, SD, Tim (Esther) Hesse of Lodi WI; 2 sisters Jane Hesse of Gilbert, AZ and Donna (Jack) Hellwege of St. Louis, MO. He was preceded in death by his wife Susan and parents Alfred and Ethel.

Funeral Service