Joseph G. Kestner

Joseph George Kestner was born October 18, 1916, to Joseph and Anna Rothmeier Kestner in Sleepy Eye, MN. He attended St. Mary's School in Sleepy Eye and the Coin Electric School in Chicago. Joseph was a pilot in the United States Army Air Corps during WWII. On May 17, 1945, he was united in marriage to Marcella Soukup in Sleepy Eye. The couple lived in Sleepy Eye for nine years before moving to Albert Lea, where Joseph was employed at Bailey Electric until his retirement in 1978. He was a member of the Church of St. Theodore, the VFW, and the IBEW Union. Joseph enjoyed woodworking, home building, fishing, and reading. Survivors include his wife, Marcella "Sally" of Albert Lea; daughter, Ann Kestner of Minneapolis; sons: Chuck and his wife, Cathy of Belton, MO, Jim and his wife, Mary of Backus, MN, and John and his wife, Lynn of St. Paul; grandchildren, Amy Tierney and Michael Kestner; great-grandson, Ryan Tierney; sisters: Betty Tower of Hutchinson, MN, Helen and her husband, Vern Tourville, Martha Kestner, and Zita Kestner, all of St. Paul; and nieces, nephews, and cousins. Joseph was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Raymond; and sisters, Veronica and Mary.