Joseph Wetch

Joseph Andrew Wetch, Bismarck, passed away Friday, June 9, 2006 at home surrounded by his family. Services will be held at 1:00 PM Wednesday at Church of St. Mary, Bismarck, with the Msg. Gerald Walsh officiating. Burial will be in the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan, with military rites provided by VFW Post 1326. Visitation will be from 1:00 to 9:00 PM Tuesday at Eastgate Funeral Service, 2302 East Divide Avenue, Bismarck, where a vigil/rosary will be held at 7:00 that evening. Visitation will resume Wednesday at 12:00 noon prior to the funeral mass. Joe was born in Wilton, ND, July 26, 1926, to Elizabeth Judt and Joseph Wetch. He was raised on a farm in Shields, ND. Joe joined the U.S. Navy at the age of eighteen and served in the Pacific during World War II. He participated in the Atomic Bomb testing at Bikini Atoll and served on the USS Phaon and the USS Sphinx. On January 28, 1948 Joe married Cecilia Dilger. They lived and raised their family in Bismarck. Joe started his business, Wetch Plumbing and Heating in Mandan. He was a member of the VFW and Bismarck-Mandan Home Builder's Association. He was a Master Plumber by trade but could do almost anything. Dad loved to fish, fix, build, cook, travel, hunt and work in the garden. He took many trips to Canada and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Dad always had a project or two in the works and anyone could "get volunteered" to help. Our Dad was a quiet man with a great sense of humor. He loved to laugh. He was a good and decent man who worked hard to provide for his family. Go gently into this good night, for God has chosen you to come home. Your job is done and you did it well. Good job, Dad! Joe is survived by his wife of 58 years, Cecilia; his loving children, Sandra Bill Illich, Idaho Falls, ID, Jolene Ross Barnett, Chandler, AZ, Timothy Carla Wetch, Bismarck, Kathy Kotin, Phoenix, AZ, and Joseph Lori Wetch, Jr., Fargo; eleven grandchildren, Samantha Shaw, David Stout Jr., Tavis Stout, Natalie Hemphill, Amber Meidinger, Adam Wetch, Jaime Kotin, Matthew Kotin, Chad Barnett, Grayson Wetch, and Mackenzie Wetch; two step-grandchildren, Bruce and Brian Illich; five great-grandchildren, Austin Frederick, Cailey Meidinger, Landyn Meidinger, Dylan Shaw, and Haylee Wetch; four sisters, Ann Ralph Hersch, Moorhead, MN, Peggy Alec Kary, Mesa, AZ, Ella Shapley, Concord, CA, and Patricia Briese, Litchfield Park, AZ; and one sister-in-law, Reggie Wetch, Mandan. He was preceded in death by four sisters, Frances Jim Caldwell, Betty Mac McLain, Rose Marie Wetch, and Theresa Wetch; three brothers, Mike Wetch, Frank Dean Wetch, and Nicholas Wetch; and two brothers-in-law, Glen Shapley and Don Briese. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials may be given to MedCenter One Hospice or Church of St. Mary.

Joseph Wetch

July 26, 1926 - June 9, 2006