Rodney E. Besse, 74, of Erie, died Tuesday, December 25, 2012 at his home. Services will be held at 11:00 AM Friday, December 28th at the Erie United Methodist Church, 811 8th Street, Erie. Visitation will be from 4 – 7 PM Thursday at Gibson – Bode Funeral Home, 202 N. Main St., Port Byron and for one hour prior to the service Friday at Church. Burial will be in the Riverside Cemetery, Prophetstown. Memorials may be made to the New Hope Church, Moline, or the Erie Fire and Ambulance.
Rodney Eugene Besse was born April 30, 1938 in Moline, IL, the son of Warde and Jeanette (Howard) Besse. He was a lifelong resident of Erie and graduated from Erie High School in 1956. He was honorably discharged from the US Navy in 1958. Rod married Cheryl Etcher on March 10, 1962 at the Moline Gospel Temple. He worked full time at John Deere Harvester, retiring in 1992, while also farming in Erie his entire life. Rod was an active member of New Hope Church, Moline, where he taught Sunday School for many years and played clarinet in the Praise Band. He loved hunting and enjoyed visiting – he never met a stranger.
Survivors include his wife, Cheryl; children and their spouses, Steve Besse, Port Byron, Lisa Besse, Erie, Sheila (Mark) Trent, Erie, David (Kris) Besse, Prophetstown; grandchildren, Adam and Rachel Besse, Justin and Zachary Brown, Nathan and Michael Trent, Jessica, Joshua and Kaitlyn Besse, and Brooke Selhost; sister, Beverly Pankratz, Stonewall, TX; mother-in-law, Dorothy Samuelson, East Moline and his faithful dog, Ginger. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother-in-law, Hilton Pankratz
Rodney Eugene Besse was born April 30, 1938 in Moline, IL, the son of Warde and Jeanette (Howard) Besse. He was a lifelong resident of Erie and graduated from Erie High School in 1956. He was honorably discharged from the US Navy in 1958. Rod married Cheryl Etcher on March 10, 1962 at the Moline Gospel Temple. He worked full time at John Deere Harvester, retiring in 1992, while also farming in Erie his entire life. Rod was an active member of New Hope Church, Moline, where he taught Sunday School for many years and played clarinet in the Praise Band. He loved hunting and enjoyed visiting – he never met a stranger.
Survivors include his wife, Cheryl; children and their spouses, Steve Besse, Port Byron, Lisa Besse, Erie, Sheila (Mark) Trent, Erie, David (Kris) Besse, Prophetstown; grandchildren, Adam and Rachel Besse, Justin and Zachary Brown, Nathan and Michael Trent, Jessica, Joshua and Kaitlyn Besse, and Brooke Selhost; sister, Beverly Pankratz, Stonewall, TX; mother-in-law, Dorothy Samuelson, East Moline and his faithful dog, Ginger. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother-in-law, Hilton Pankratz
Rodney E. Besse, 74, of Erie, died Tuesday, December 25, 2012 at his home. Services will be held at 11:00 AM Friday, December 28th at the Erie United Methodist Church, 811 8th Street, Erie. Visitation will be from 4 – 7 PM Thursday at Gibson – Bode Funeral Home, 202 N. Main St., Port Byron and for one hour prior to the service Friday at Church. Burial will be in the Riverside Cemetery, Prophetstown. Memorials may be made to the New Hope Church, Moline, or the Erie Fire and Ambulance.
Rodney Eugene Besse was born April 30, 1938 in Moline, IL, the son of Warde and Jeanette (Howard) Besse. He was a lifelong resident of Erie and graduated from Erie High School in 1956. He was honorably discharged from the US Navy in 1958. Rod married Cheryl Etcher on March 10, 1962 at the Moline Gospel Temple. He worked full time at John Deere Harvester, retiring in 1992, while also farming in Erie his entire life. Rod was an active member of New Hope Church, Moline, where he taught Sunday School for many years and played clarinet in the Praise Band. He loved hunting and enjoyed visiting – he never met a stranger.
Survivors include his wife, Cheryl; children and their spouses, Steve Besse, Port Byron, Lisa Besse, Erie, Sheila (Mark) Trent, Erie, David (Kris) Besse, Prophetstown; grandchildren, Adam and Rachel Besse, Justin and Zachary Brown, Nathan and Michael Trent, Jessica, Joshua and Kaitlyn Besse, and Brooke Selhost; sister, Beverly Pankratz, Stonewall, TX; mother-in-law, Dorothy Samuelson, East Moline and his faithful dog, Ginger. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother-in-law, Hilton Pankratz
Rodney Eugene Besse was born April 30, 1938 in Moline, IL, the son of Warde and Jeanette (Howard) Besse. He was a lifelong resident of Erie and graduated from Erie High School in 1956. He was honorably discharged from the US Navy in 1958. Rod married Cheryl Etcher on March 10, 1962 at the Moline Gospel Temple. He worked full time at John Deere Harvester, retiring in 1992, while also farming in Erie his entire life. Rod was an active member of New Hope Church, Moline, where he taught Sunday School for many years and played clarinet in the Praise Band. He loved hunting and enjoyed visiting – he never met a stranger.
Survivors include his wife, Cheryl; children and their spouses, Steve Besse, Port Byron, Lisa Besse, Erie, Sheila (Mark) Trent, Erie, David (Kris) Besse, Prophetstown; grandchildren, Adam and Rachel Besse, Justin and Zachary Brown, Nathan and Michael Trent, Jessica, Joshua and Kaitlyn Besse, and Brooke Selhost; sister, Beverly Pankratz, Stonewall, TX; mother-in-law, Dorothy Samuelson, East Moline and his faithful dog, Ginger. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother-in-law, Hilton Pankratz
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