Adolf Edwin "Al" Reiss

Reiss, Adolf (Al) Edwin, 85, was born March 5, 1925 in St. Joseph, MO to Jacob and Margaret Reiss. Mr. Reiss was of German descent and both of his parents moved to the U.S. from Germany prior to WWII. He passed away on Jan. 31, 2011 at his home at “The Cedars” in rural Augusta after a long and courageous battle with cancer. Mr. Reiss served in the U.S. Army in WWII under General Patton and was decorated with a bronze Star and other medals and ribbons. He was at the Battle of the Bulge and helped liberate the concentration camp at Auschwitz. He also was one of the soldiers who captured Nazi rocket mastermind, Wernher von Braun. After the war, he attended Iowa State University on the GI bill and graduated with a civil engineering degree. He owned Reiss & Goodness Engineers for over 60 years until his retirement on Oct. 1, 2010. He was the oldest living, still working civil engineer in the state of Kansas (member of ASCE). He designed the water and sewer systems for small towns of Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and parts of Texas. He owned Severy Gas, Flint Hills Gas and Americus Gas until selling the businesses in 2010. He still has a working farm (wheat, soybeans) in Arkansas City. He was also a member of Grace Presbyterian Church of Wichita. He was preceded in death by his wife, Joan M. Reiss, who passed away in 1999. Survivors include: son, Raymond Reiss (Jane) of Wichita; daughter, Marcy Mallison (John) of Houston, TX; daughter, Lisa Attrill (David) of Australia; son Jim Hess (Praew) of Pattaya, Thailand; daughter Leslie Bibb (Ken) of Oklahoma; sister Dr. Alice M. Reiss of Lenexa, KS; brother Jacob Reiss (Elizabeth) of Olathe, KS; 17 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great grandchildren. Visitation will be held Wed. from 12 to 8 pm with family present 6 to 7 pm. Funeral service will be held at 1:00 pm Friday, Feb. 4 at Resthaven Mortuary, 11800 W. Kellogg, Wichita, KS 67209. In lieu of flowers donations may be sent to Interim Healthcare-Hospice. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.