On Saturday, February 3rd Victor Rossmanith made his journey to heaven at his home surrounded by his loving children. He was 87 years old, 2 weeks shy of his 88th birthday.
He was born on February 17, 1930 in Evanston, IL to Joseph and Louise Rossmanith. His family moved to Indiana when Victor was 3 and they lived on a small family farm. He was a 1947 graduate of Wheatfield High School, Wheatfield, IN. He attended his 70th class reunion last summer. Victor also served in the National Guard.
He married Joyce Jarrett on July 3rd, 1958. She preceded him in death on December 21, 2013. Their honeymoon was a trip to Mackinac Island, Michigan and northern Wisconsin to visit relatives. After many years of working swing shift in the steel mill in Gary, IN, the opportunity arose to purchase the farm they visited on their honeymoon from Aunt Lena and Uncle Julius Welke. They made the move to the farm on September 20, 1965 and have lived there since.
Victor loved his life as a farmer, planting the crops in the spring, harvesting those crops in the fall, managing a herd of dairy cattle, and just being his own boss. He and Joyce had a very successful family farm, selling the milk cows and obtaining beef animals in the early 1990’s. He also was an avid gardener, providing many fresh fruits and vegetables for his family and friends.
Victor’s biggest hobby was his love of flying. He received his first private pilot’s license on May 26, 1953. He flew for fun with friends before getting married, and then gave it up for several years before purchasing an airplane and started flying again. The grass landing strip on the farm was used very often in the warm weather months. He loved taking the grandkids up and giving them “tummy ticklers” with a quick altitude drop. He had a saying about flying “Keep thy airspeed up, hath not the ground rise up and spithe thee”.
He was always quick with a smile and a joke and loved to make people laugh. He could talk to anybody about anything. Victor was a member of Wildwood Methodist Church in Gleason. He had a heart of gold and his love of the Lord was very important to him.
Victor is survived by his six children: Deb (Ron) Doucette, Cindy (Ken) Fermanich, Dan (Colleen) Rossmanith, Brenda (Matt) Wilson, Vicki Vincent (Steve Henkens), and Joan (Dave) Andraschko. He is further survived by 16 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren, a sister Elsie Burkhardt of New York and twin brothers, Walter and Fred of Indiana.
Victor was preceded in death by one great-grandson Johnathan Wilson and a sister Frieda Strain.
The family would like to extend a special thank you to Nels Nicholson and the many neighbors who stepped up to help when Victor needed it. Also a special thank you to the Aspirus Comfort Care and Hospice services staff (Christina, Rachel, Shelly and Jane) and Hands with Hearts (Lynne, Katie, Jamee and Pam) for all of their compassionate care and assistance at home.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday at 11:00 AM at Strasser-Roller Funeral Home. Reverend Wes Jedras will officiate. Visitation will be held on Friday from 4:00PM until 7:00 PM and on Saturday from 10:00AM until the service at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to your local Hospice program or St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.