Kenneth William Tresser

May 26, 1922 – February 8, 2014

Kenneth William Tresser was born on May 26, 1922 in Indianapolis, Indiana to Ralph W. Tresser and Grace Irene (Pollock) Tresser. They lived in the northern suburb of Ravenswood on the White River. He had only one younger brother, Ralph Tresser, Jr. They lived like Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn on the river as kids and there Kenny learned to love fishing, swimming and being a boy scout especially when they went on camp outs.

He lettered in track in high school. He dropped out of high school as a senior and went to work at White Castle Hamburgers to support his mother and brother when his parents divorced, but went back to school the next year to finish and he and Ralph graduated together. He was a very good student and always made excellent grades.

He always worked and couldn’t remember not having a job. He had a paper route and he and Ralph would ride on the running boards to deliver the Indianapolis Star early in the morning. He told of being paid seventy-five cents a week. The first week after collection the boss asked if they would like a coke and it was a real treat to two little poor boys until he subtracted the five cents from their week’s pay.

He was drafted and served in the Army Air Force from October 17, 1942 to February 11, 1946, starting as a private and was promoted to supply sergeant, a non-commissioned officer. He loved all the traveling he did then, especially to India and always had stories to tell. Even when he was in the emergency room the day he died, he asked his Indian doctor where in India she was from and told her he had been in Calcutta and Bombay.

After he was discharged he came to San Diego and he went to work for Balboa Laundry & Dry Cleaning. That is where he met Emma Mae Wilson who also worked there. They dated for a short while and were married on April 12, 1947 back in Omaha, Nebraska with all of Emmy’s family and friends. They lived there only a short while. Kenny dropped out of butcher school because his dad needed his sons to come and help him at Tresser’s Spring Valley Market. They bought a house in Spring Valley in 1949 and there they had their fours sons, Gregory William, Stephen Kenneth, Timothy Claud and Douglas Phillip.

He worked there with his dad almost 20 years, seven days a week but always had time to play catch with his sons when he got home in the evenings and went to their Little League games after work. When his dad closed the store in 1965, he went to work for Food Basket, Klauber Wagenheim and then eventually bought Banks Sweeping, a lot sweeping service. Emmy would often ride along with him at night. He would pray for rain when he really needed a night off.

In his retirement both he and Emmy were mystery shoppers for several years. He was a volunteer sheriff and a janitor at Faith Chapel. In 1966 he and Emmy began to attend Skyline Wesleyan Church and there they found the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal savior. They were involved as chaperones in the youth group there. They loved to go to church and also attended Faith Chapel for many, many years. He and Emmy loved all the activities and friends they made at Faith Chapel and the 55+ senior group there. They enjoyed all the field trips and often invited family members to the various programs. They also made dear friends at Mt. Miguel Covenant Village during the four years Emmy lived there. After Emmy died on March 11, 2013, he began attending Summit Church in Spring Valley, which was his last church home.

He loved music, especially from the big band era and knew all the lyrics. He also loved Bill Gaither’s gospel music. He loved jokes and funny stories and Christmas. He was the very first Santa Claus for Christmas in La Mesa in the early 1950’s.

He had heart by-pass surgery in 1991 and 18 months later they replaced his aortic valve with a pig valve that was expected to last only 10 years. At his last appointment with his cardiologist, Dr. Hoagland, the doctor was amazed it was still working fine after 22 years. He said, “Ken, when you are done with it I think we will use it on another patient.”

In the last few years Kenny struggled with congestive heart failure, A-fib, chronic obstructive lung disease, bladder cancer, skin cancer and kidney failure. We are amazed he did so well as his body was wearing down. He lived at home every day of his life and was admitted to the hospital the day of his death with pneumonia. All his sons were there and many grandchildren to say goodbye and how much they loved him. After everything was said, and prayed and he had his last communion, he lapsed into a coma and died peacefully just before midnight on February 8, 2014.

He leaves behind his four sons, three daughters-in-law, nine grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren. We love you pop.

under the direction of Greenwood Memorial Park & Mortuary, San Diego, CA.