~ Biographical Sketch ~

     Alvin J. Mesch was born on Sunday, June 12, 1921 in Bernard, Dubuque County, Iowa, son of Adolph P. Mesch and Elizabeth Zeiser. See Assumption Church, Sylvia, near Zwingle.³



An unidentified newspaper clipping of a letter Alvin wrote to the editor of his hometown newspaper reads:

Letter from Pvt.

Alvin J. Mesch
Camp Hood, Texas
July 9, 1944

Dear Editor:
Just a line to say hello to you and all the folks back home and to let you all know that I am fine and sure hope that I am fine Minger hope that all my friends and you are the same.

I received my paper for the first time yesterday and sure was glad to get it as a fellow can keep up on the news from around home when he reads it, all I can say is that it is about the best little paper in the vicinity of Dubuque so keep up the good work in printing your paper because I really enjoy reading it.

Well news is very scarce around here, about all I can say is that the army is o.k. unlike it anyhow and I am proud to be a soldier in the United States.

I have very nice Sergeants Lieutenants and about the finest Captain in the whole U.S. Army at least I think so anyway.

About the only thing that I don’t like about the army is K. P. I don’t think many soldiers do, although I never get K. P. but once a month and that is enough for me, and another thing that gets me is that Texas sun, it sure can get hot down here, it has been 120 already and I sure hope that it don’t get any hotter than that, although a fellow don’t notice the heat near as much as you do in Iowa as this is a dryer climate. One nice thing down here is that it is nice and cool in the evenings and a fellow can really sleep, the only thing is that they get a fellow up to[sic] early. We get up most of the time between 4:30 and 5:00 o’clock, so you can see what I mean about having to get up early.

I will also have to say that the chow is not so bad for the amount of men they have to feed, I don’t think you will find anyone who is starving as we get plenty to eat, the only thing that isn’t very good down here is that Texas water, it is awful tasting but a fellow kind of get used to it after you are here long enough, but believe me I sure miss the good old Iowa water and I don’t mean maybe either.

The news is scarce so I guess I will have to close for now.

From one of your devoted readers.
Pvt. Alvin J Mesch 37696766
Co, C. 155 Bn., 92 Regt.
Inf. Repl. Tr. Center, 3^rd Plat.
Camp Hood, Texas.
P.S. Keep the good news coming I really enjoy it.⁴

At age 24, Alvin married Elgene Schmidt on Wednesday, November 7, 1945. Elgene was 24 years old.¹

In July, 1967, Alvin and Elgene were living (according to his father's obiturary) in Dubuque, Dubuque County, Iowa.⁵

Alvin was a Sheriff's Deputy for 22 years for Dubuque County, Iowa.⁶

Alvin died on Tuesday, June 20, 1995 at age 74 from a heart attack.¹ He was laid to rest on June 23 in the Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Key West in Dubuque, Dubuque County, Iowa. The funeral service was held at 10:30 a.m with Rev. Wayne Ressler, Rev. Wm. Wilkie, Rev. Maurice Lynch, and Rev. James Heiar officiating and Donald Gibbs was lector. The pallbearers were Joseph Marshall, Charles Gibbs, Richard Biechler, Gerald Marshall, Paul Gibbs, and Rick Schmidt.⁷



His obituary in an unidentified and undated newspaper clipping read:

Alvin J. Mesch

Services for Alvin J. Mesch, 73, 733 W. Eighth St., will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday at Nativity Catholic Church.

Burial will be in Mount Olivet Cemetery, Key West, Iowa, where full military rites will be accorded by the American Legion, Post 6, of Dubuque. Friends may call from 2 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Ed Siegert-Al Didesch Colonial Funeral Home, 390 N. Grandview Ave., where there will be a parish wake service at 4:30 p.m. and the American Legion, Post 6, past commanders will meet at 7 p.m.

Mr. Mesch was a bookkeeper at the former Dubuque Star Brewing Co. for 11 years and was a Dubuque County deputy sheriff for 22 years, retiring in 1986.

He was born July 12, 1921, in Bernard, Iowa, son of Adolph and Elizabeth (Zeiser) Mesch. He died at 4 a.m. Tuesday, June 20, 1995, at home.

He married Elgene “Jean” Schmidt Nov. 7, 1945, at St. Donatus (Iowa) Catholic Church.

He attended the former Zwingle (Iowa) High School and Bayless Business College. He was a World War II Army veteran; was a lifetime member, past commander and was currently the chaplain of the American Legion, Post 6, of Dubuque; the past second district commander of the American Legion; member and past commander of the Disabled American Veterans; and was a member of the 40 and 8 of the American Legion, Nativity Catholic Church and its guild and senior citizens and the Iowa State Sheriff and Deputy Association.

Surviving are his wife, Elgene; three sons, Ferdinand (Machrina) Mesch, of Manila, Philippines, Terence Mesch, of Arkansaw, Wis., and Randal (and Becky) Mesch, of Dubuque; three daughters, Lori (and Rick) Schmitz, of Carmel Ind., Lana (and Michael) Sebero, of fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Leta (and Bruce) Palmer, of Oakesdale, Wash; 11 grandchildren; two sisters, Agnetta (and John) Beichler, of the Dubuque, and Irma (and Donald) Gibbs, of Springbrook, Iowa; and a brother, Clement (and Arleen) Mesch, of Tucson, Ariz.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Adolph and Elizabeth Mesch; a brother, Vincent Mesch; and a sister and brother in law, Dorothy and Bob Marshall.

An Alvin J. Mesch Memorial Fund has been established.³