Obituary of John Secrest

John Secrest, age 85, of Osage Beach, Missouri, passed away Tuesday, December 9, 2008 at University Hospital in Columbia Trauma Center, Columbia, Missouri following serious injuries sustained in a pedestrian accident in Osage Beach, Missouri on Friday, December 5, 2008. John was born in Joplin, Missouri on June 15, 1923 to Sherman and Maime Secrest. John was preceded in death by his parents, his sisters Beulah, Bea, Kathleen and his brother Jake. He graduated from Joplin Senior High School in May 1940 and married his high school sweetheart, Nellouise DeVaney Secrest on December 9, 1942. John and Nellouise have one son, John Carlton Secrest, Jr. born in 1945 in Joplin, Missouri. After thirty one years of marriage, Nellouise preceded her husband in death in 1973. John served in the United States Army from March 1943 to September 1945. He served with the 555th Anti-Aircraft Battalion attached to the 104th Infantry Division in Belgium and Germany. He was wounded twice and received two Purple Hearts. Among the military medals he received were a Presidential Unit Citation and the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with two Bronze Service Stars. He loved attending the 555th AAA Battalion reunions. In 2006, John was honored along with the other surviving member of the 555th AAA Battalion by President George Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush with a breakfast event at the White House in Washington, D.C. on Veterans� Day. Mrs. Bush�s father was also a member of the 555th AAA Battalion. During his professional life, John worked as a supervisor for Southwestern Bell Telephone Company in Joplin and St. Louis. He retired in 1983 and is a member of the Telephone Pioneers. Until 1987 he worked for his son, John at Secrest Engineered Products, Inc. in St.Louis County. On February 1, 1974, John married Josephine Hughes Hoell in St. Louis, Missouri. He became the father of Jo�s three children, Ted Hoell, Cynde Hoell Hussmann, and Bob Hoell. John and Jo were happily married for 34 years, totally enjoying their retirement years in Osage Beach. Following the December 5, 2008 accident in Osage Beach, Josephine joined John in death on December 10, 2008. John and Jo were residents of St. Louis County until their retirement to Tan-Tar-A Estates in Osage Beach, Missouri in 1987. John was a member of Lake Presbyterian Church, as well as being a Mason and a member of the American Legion. He was an active golfer, and enjoyed hunting and fishing. He was active in the Tan-Tar-A Homeowners Association and was a past member of the Board of Directors. John will be missed by his son John Secrest, Jr. and his wife Patricia of Osage Beach, Missouri, his son Ted Hoell and Suzanne Wiss of Columbia, Missouri, his daughter Cynde Hoell Hussmann and her husband Harry of Florissant, and Bob Hoell and his wife Gail of Fulton, Missouri, nine grandchildren, ten great grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and many friends and neighbors. The family wishes to thank the emergency responders of Camden County, the Lake Regional Hospital Trauma Center, and the University of Missouri Hospital Trauma Center for their care and loving kindness to John.