John David Kressley Sr.'s Obituary
John David Kressley Sr., 95, was born November 7, 1924 to Oscar and Nora (Carr) Kressley in St. Pauls, NC. and passed away Tuesday, April 7, 2020 in Pasadena, Texas.
He is preceded in death by his parents; his wife of 64 years, Kathryn G. (White) Kressley; his brothers, Claude, James, Paul Kressley; his sisters, Bertha (infancy), Helen Bryant, Ruth Cooper and Mary Reed; and his grandson, Jeff Simpson.
John is survived by his Children; Cheryl (Twink) and husband Bruce Simpson of Magnolia, TX, Judith (Judy) and husband Mike (Pepper) Smith of Dickinson, TX, John Jr. (Skip) and wife Janet Kressley of Dickinson, TX and Deborah (Debbie) and husband Jerry Fourman of Pasadena, TX. He is also survived by his Grandchildren; Angela Smith, Tracey Simpson, Jason Smith, Michael Kressley, Wendy Kressley, Lori Straitwell and Christopher Fourman. He was blessed and survived by 15 Great Grandchildren and 2 Great Great Grandchildren.
John proudly served his country in WWII from 1943-1945 in the 169th Infantry, 43rd Division, Company B. He served in New Zealand, New Caledonia, New Georigia Islands, Japan, New Guinea and the Philippines. He was a member of "The Greatest Generation" proudly serving his country in the Army.
For his service, he was awarded 3 Overseas Service Bars; Meritorious Unit Award; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Ribbon with 2 Bronze Stars and 1 Bronze Arrowhead; Philippine Liberation Ribbon with 1 Bronze Star; Presidential Unit Emblem; Army of Occupation Medal; Good Conduct Medal and Victory Medal.
John's father passed when he was just a baby and his older brothers had already joined the Marines and Army. He left school prior to graduation to work several different jobs to help support his mother. He worked on the docks and in a munitions plant building torpedoes when he was 18. He met the love of his life, Kathryn, while teaching Sunday school. They married and soon after he was drafted. After the Army, he worked as a fireman with the Houston Fire Department at Station 11 and Station 20 before going to work at Hughes Tool Company on Harrisburg.
John had a good sense of humor and did not like to argue or raise his voice. He was always there if you needed him and never complained about helping. He loved his family and enjoyed seeing them every chance he could. He loved camping, watching football, baseball and of course his western movies. He knew all the old movies by heart. He knew the names of the movies, the actors and the actresses. John could tell you who they were married to, what movies they were in and when they passed away. His body gave out slowly over the years but his mind was still going strong.
Throughout his life, John maintained his strong Christian beliefs and the Love for his Lord. The family takes great comfort knowing he is with his Lord and his sweetheart, Kathryn, for eternity.
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