Joseph E Stoessel

Joseph Edward Stoessel, 82, went to be with Our Lord on Sunday, March 6, 2011. He was born on January 30, 1929 to Joseph (Sr.) and Ida Stoessel in New York City. In his early life, Joseph would never fail to send a yearly birthday greeting to then President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who shard the same January 30th birthday. Young Joseph was always thrilled to receive replies of reciprocal birthday wishes on White House stationary from the President's personal secretary. As a teenager, he frequented the city's Arcadia and Roseland ballrooms to hear the big bands play. He would occasionally be permitted to sit in with the musicians and play drums or piano. Eight-bar boogie-woogie and swing music were his specialty, and Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich, Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, and Duke Ellington were among his favorite musicians of the time. During the 1940's, he moved to rural Millerton, New York where he attended high school and met Elsa Loeblein. The two wed in May of 1950 and recently celebrated 60 years of marriage. Joseph was drafted into the Army in 1952 and served as an infantryman in the many hill battles of the Korean War. After the war, he toured military based and hospitals in Korea and Japan as part of the Second Infantry Division's all-soldier band, the CIB Revue. Upon returning stateside in 1954, he assisted with his father-in-law's dairy farm and settled into family life. In 1962, he and his family moved to Pinellas County in search of a warmer climate for his daughter's asthma condition. Here, he worked in retail store management with the Southland and Kroger companies. He retired from Eckerd Drugs in 1996. Joseph enjoyed spending time with his family, playing the piano, and caring for his series of beagle and dalmatian dogs. He was a member of Largo's Prince of Peace Lutheran Church and the American Legion Post 119. He is survived by his wife Elsa, daughters Alison Nunez and Susan Weber, son Michael, grandchildren; Melissa, James, Kimberly, Danielle, Lindsey, and great grandchildren Kayla and Hannah. A small, family ceremony will be held at Moss Feaster Funeral Home Serenity Gardens Chapel on Indian Rocks Road in Largo FL. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Joseph's favorite interests, the Disabled American Veterans (www.dav.org) or the Tampa Bay SPCA (www.spcatampabay.org).