John Eschweiler

John Joseph Eschweiler, age 85 of New Hampton, Iowa died Monday November 30, 2009, at his home. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held 10:30 a.m. Thursday December 3, 2009, at Holy Family Parish – St. Joseph Center in New Hampton with Rev. John Harpel celebrating the Mass. The pall will be placed by his children. Lector will be Diane Dietzenbach. Chris Carrier will be the organist accompanying Shawnessy Lau as cantor and the Holy Family Resurrection Choir. Offertory gifts will be presented by Steve Eschweiler and Sheryll Harambasic. Burial will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery, New Hampton with Kevin Eschweiler, Tim Eschweiler, Taylor Eschweiler, Logan Eschweiler, Nathan Eschweiler, and Victoria Eschweiler serving as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers are John's 'Coffee Group'. Visitation will be 3 – 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Hugeback & Chenoweth Funeral Home in New Hampton where there will be a 6:00 p.m. Scripture Service. Visitation continues one hour prior to service at the church. John was born November 7, 1924, in New Hampton, Iowa the son of John Conrad and Rose Margaret TeKippe. He attended St. Mary’s Catholic School and was a graduate of New Hampton High School. John continued his education at Coyne Electrical School of Chicago, Illinois. John was married to Violet Schmadeke on November 19th of 1946 and to this union two children were born. After Violets death, John was later married to Alice Huffman at St. Joseph’s Parish in New Hampton on October 9th of 1965 and to this union four children were born. John lived in New Hampton almost his entire life and loved being a part of the community. John loved to fix things, especially electronics. A love that led him to a career in radio and television sales and repair. He was a successful businessman and owner of Eschweiler T.V. from 1971 until his retirement in 1986. John was also a member of the Chamber of Commerce. In retirement, John enjoyed going for coffee with his friends, and made a habit of “going for a ride” around town to make sure he knew what was going on. John took great pride in his family. He supported and cared for them right up until his death. Survivors include his wife Alice; five sons, Steven (Deb) Eschweiler of Cedar Falls, David (Marlena) Eschweiler of Fort Wayne, IN, Kevin (Anita) Eschweiler of New Hampton, Tim (Emily) Eschweiler of St. Paul, MN, Todd (Amy) Eschweiler of Johnston; two daughters, Sheryll (Jerry) Harambasic of Lynchburg, VA, and Jean (Scott) Roers of Eau Claire, WI; 11 grandchildren and one great grandson; one brother Merle Eschweiler of Portland, OR; two sisters Mila Mae Meyer of New Hampton, and Bernadette “Sissie” Unterberger of Waukon. He was preceded in death by his parents; his first wife Violet; two brothers, Robert Eschweiler at age 13 and Francis Eschweiler in infancy; and one sister Geraldine in infancy.