Alex Victor Kettler

Alex Victor Kettler, born on July 16, 1932, spent his early years in a variety of orphanages and foster homes in St. Louis and Washington, MO. Father Dearman of St. Joseph’s Orphanage in Washington cared for Alex and introduced him to his adoptive parents. Herbert and Lisetta Kettler adopted Alex and raised him on their farm near Dutzow, Missouri. The Roman Catholic Church played an essential role in Alex Kettler’s life, taking him in as an orphan, caring for him, and finding a loving family for him.

The month Alex turned 18, the Korean War broke out on the other side of the world. A patriot all his life, Alex joined the military and spent 2 years in Korea. He served in combat until he got wounded, at which point he spent the rest of his time driving a truck to pick up soldiers to bring them to the MASH unit. In his later years, when asked about his military service, he would brim with pride and say he would do it again.

After returning from military service in the mid-1950s, Alex worked his entire career for a dry wall business in St. Louis. He always loved baseball and football, following the Cardinals his whole life and the Rams during their years in St. Louis. He had two children, Roy and Luann and 4 grandchildren (Janis Kimmel, Jamie Bass, Jennifer Ruwisch and Jonathan Kettler) all of whom loved their grandpa. Alex had Parkinson’s the last ten years of his life, and on Palm Sunday of 2020, he succumbed to the illness and breathed his last. A true Catholic, a loving father and grandfather, and a proud American who bled Cardinal red, Alex Victor Kettler will be remembered in the hearts of the scores of people whose lives he touched.

Alex is survived by his son Roy and his wife Vicky, his daughter Luann Haberberger and her husband Tim, 4 grandchildren, Janis Kimmel, Jamie Bass, Jennifer Ruwisch and Jonathan Kettler and 9 great grandchildren. He is also survived by his very dear friends Angie Vitale and Pat Hasler.