Submitted by: Dan Rich
March 12, 1896 - Nov. 25, 1998
South Bend Tribune 11/29/1998
Raymond Dewy Kuespert of Forest Avenue, one of South Bend's oldest living residents, died at the age of 102 at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 25 in his home.
Mr. Kuespert received his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 1919 from Purdue University and during his nearly 40 years with the Singer Manufacturing Company, became the Singer's Superintendent of Heat, Light and Power. After Singer closed, he worked with an architectural firm in building the Indiana Toll Road.
Born in a house on Cushing Street on March 12, 1896, Mr. Kuespert was the son of Emma and John Kuespert. Along with many other German immigrants, John Kuespert, a metal worker, moved to South Bend from Arzberg, Germany, in 1870 at the age of 19. The youngest and only son in a family of five children, Raymond Kuespert was in the first graduating class from Central High School, in the class of 1914. While at Purdue, he was a Cadet Captain in the Purdue University Cadet Corps and also served as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Armed Forces, who were training in Lafayette during World War I. A member of Tau Beta Pi, an engineering honorary, he was also a member of Scabbard and Blade, the American Association of Engineers, the Indiana State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors, and was a Mason in St. Joseph Lodge 45 F & AM.
In 1925,
Mr. Kuespert married Ruth Staples and together they raised two children, Kathryn Kuespert Huffman, now of Lancaster, Pa., and Don Raymond Kuespert, now of Wilmington, Del. The Kuesperts were married for 59 years, until Mrs. Kuespert's death in 1984.
Raymond Kuespert is best remembered for his quick wit, his ability to make people smile with an appropriate joke or story for every occasion, his active mind, his deep interest in world affairs, and his interest in magic, puzzles, and solving problems. He was an active member of Westminster Presbyterian Church where he served as an Elder, a Trustee, an Usher and Sunday School Superintendent. He sponsored and supported strong adult and children's education programs at the church, including teaching Sunday School classes for many years. In 1996, Westminster marked its 100th Anniversary and Mr. Kuespert's 100th birthday in a joint celebration.
On April 1, 1966, in an article in the South Bend Tribune, Marilyn Bailey, on of the nurses from Health Care Personnel, who had cared for him in recent years, was quoted as saying, ''Church is very important to him. One Sunday, the weather was so bad that he knew he wasn't going to get to church. But he insisted on dressing up in a white shirt. He said, 'If I can't get to church, at least I can have respect for the day.'''
In the same article, he credited his long life to clean living and a positive outlook. ''I never expected to be 100 years old, but I'm here now and I plan to be here tomorrow.'' When asked what he had learned in 100 years, he said quietly, ''Treat everybody as you'd like to be treated yourself.''
In addition to his daughter and son, Mr. Kuespert is survived by five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
A memorial service in honor of Mr. Kuespert's life will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, December 5, at the Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1501 W. Cleveland Road. Burial Services will be private.
The family will receive friends between 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. on Saturday at the church.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that gifts be made to Westminster Presbyterian Church.
Welsheimer Funeral Home is handling arrangements.