John Donald Reschke

Mass of Christian Burial for John Donald Reschke, 80, Valley Falls, will be at 10 a.m. today at St. Mary’s Immaculate Conception Church in Valley Falls. Burial will be at 2 p.m. at the St. Augustine (Fidelity) Cemetery south of Sabetha with military honors by Grahem-Herbers Post 3084 Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Mr. Reschke died Saturday, July 16, 2011, at Holton Community Hospital.
He was born Sept. 12, 1930, near Falls City, Neb., the son of William and Sophie Santo Reschke. He attended school in Fairview.
Mr. Reschke served as a sergeant in the U.S. Air Force and was stationed at Edwards AFB in California. He had been a district salesman for several feed companies. Mr. Reschke had managed a Standard DX service station in Hiawatha and had worked at JC Penney in Topeka, Ron’s IGA in Holton and for Standard Construction during the building of the Kansas Turnpike.
He was a member of St. Mary’s Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, a charter member of Knights of Columbus Council 6671 and a Fourth Degree Knight. Mr. Reschke served on the USD 338 School Board for 12 years and portrayed St. Nicholas at community Christmas events.
He married Mary Ann Kanaly on June 25, 1955, at Fidelity Church near Sabetha. They recently celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary. She survives.
Other survivors include two sons, Edward and wife Kathy, Spring Hill, and Robert and wife Leann, Topeka: a daughter, Annette Montgomery and husband Rob, Orlando, Fla.; two brothers, William, El Dorado Hills, Calif., and Ralph, Lawrence; two sisters, Mary Cashman, Merriam, and Joan Jurgensmeier, Hiawatha; four grandsons, Ryan and Bradley Reschke and Cameron and Chase Montgomery; and one granddaughter, Sharla Reschke.
He was preceded in death by a son, Donald John, two brothers, Robert and Henry, and a sister, Ruth Ann Reschke.
A visitation and rosary was held Wednesday at the church.
The family suggests memorials to St. Mary’s Building Ramp Fund, sent in care of Mercer Funeral Home, P.O. Box 6, Valley Falls, KS 66088.
Online condolences may be sent at mercerfuneralhomes.com.