Mr. Gerald Kirchgessner, 74, of Galesburg, Illinois died at 9:22 am Sunday, September 17, 2017 at Marigold Health Care Center.
He was born October 22, 1942 in Minneapolis, Minnesota the son of Bernard Joseph and Florence Rhea Foster Kirchgessner.
Gerald is survived by his brother, Daniel (Susan) Kirchgessner of Galesburg and his sister, Joyce Ferris of Tucson, Arizona and 10 nieces and nephews and several great nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents and his brother in law, Don Ferris.
Gerald served in the US Army from 1962-1965 during Vietnam.
He worked for Maytag Corporation for over 25 years. He graduated from Abingdon High School in 1962. Gerald had attended Carl Sandburg College and a drafting school in New York. He was a member of the Corpus Christi Catholic Church. Gerald was a member of the Joseph Hunt Knights of Columbus #556. He enjoyed riding bikes, listening to music and dancing. He was an avid fisherman. One of Gerald’s greatest accomplishments was to be the first person to ride their bike over the 41 bridge.
Funeral Mass is scheduled for 1:30 pm Friday, September 22, 2017 at Corpus Christi Catholic Church with Rev. William Miller officiating. Visitation will be 5:30-7:30 pm at Hinchliff-Pearson-West Galesburg Chapel with Rosary being prayed at 7:30 pm. Burial will be in Abingdon Cemetery with Military Rites by Harry E. Wiles Military Legion Post #381. Memorials may be made to the Corpus Christi Catholic Church or to the Knights of Columbus #556. Online condolences may be made at www.h-p-w.com
