Joseph “Joe” K. Wetzstein, 47, Dickinson, there will be Memorial Service at 10 a.m., Thursday, December 23, 2010 at St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church, Dickinson, with Rev. Lisa Lewton officiating. Inurnment will take place at the Sacred Heart Cemetery, Glen Ullin. Visitation will be on Tuesday from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Ladbury Funeral Service, Dickinson, on Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Ladbury Funeral Service and at the church from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., with a prayer service at 7:30 p.m. at the church. Visitation will continue one hour prior to services at the church on Thursday.
Joe passed away to be with his heavenly family on Wednesday, December 15, 2010 at North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale, Minn., with his wife and daughter at his bedside. He suffered from a burst aneurysm and severe strokes. He and his wife, Jill, had gone to visit their daughter, Ariana, who was attending college at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, over Veteran’s Day weekend. The strokes and aneurysm occurred the morning he was going to travel home.
Joseph was born on May 18, 1963 in Eugene, Ore. He lived there with his father, Joseph “Joey”, mother, Diane, and younger sister, Dana. Joe’s father was killed in a construction accident when Joe was 18 months old, so the family moved back to Glen Ullin, and then to Hebron. When his mother remarried, another sister, Melissa, and brother, Mike, joined the family. Since his father had been known as “Joey” and his grandfather, as “Joe,” our Joseph was called Jody as he grew up in Hebron. He also had a nickname of “Slim” that his many friends also knew him by, as he entered high school. Later as he worked in the business world, he asked to be called “Joe”. Joe loved math, numbers, and statistics, and even at a young age, would remember numerous stats from local and state sports records.
Joe attended college at North Dakota State University and Williston State College, and he graduated from Dickinson State University. In Dickinson, he was an assistant manager for Pizza Hut, and a manager for Skippers. He also operated a sports card shop, Centerfield, with a partner, Jeff Schultz, and then his own shop, Slim’s Sports Cards. He also enjoyed doing some color commentating for a local radio station. He was also certified to sell stocks, bonds, & securities, and began working at H & R Block.
Joe married his wife Jill A. Nelson of Thief River Falls, Minn. in Dickinson, on June 10, 1989. They have one daughter, Ariana. Joe was very proud of his family. He enjoyed traveling on vacations to the Nelson family lake cabin in Erskine, Minn., attending various sporting events, and traveling to various vacation spots to attend sporting events, concerts, or just for fun. He was an avid fan of the group, U2, and attended several of their concerts. He would grin from ear to ear during these events. Joe loved life, and greeted each day with a smile. He loved stopping to visit with old friends, and was quick to make new friends from all walks of life. He enjoyed the friendship of his neighbors, of all ages, in and around the cul de sac in which he and Jill live. Joe was very proud of his daughter, who began attending the University of Minnesota this past fall. As he grew up, he and his friends used nicknames frequently, and so his daughter also had many nicknames; his latest one for her was “Duck” or “Ducky”.
Joe and his Uncle Ray Wetzstein purchased the H & R Block business and operated that over the last 5 years. Over this past summer, Joe also joined in partnership with Jason Fridrich, Pat Giese, and his Uncle Ray Wetzstein, to start the Pizza Ranch restaurant in Dickinson. He loved to visit with all the different workers, customers, and clients at these businesses.
Joe was preceded in death by his father, Joseph Henry Wetzstein in 1964, his grandmothers, Anna Glaser and Elizabeth Wetzstein, and grandfathers, Michael Schaefer and Joseph K. Wetzstein.
He is survived by his wife, Jill and daughter Ariana of Dickinson; mother Diane Sailer of Williston; sister Dana Scholz (Brian) of Lefor; sister Melissa (Kevin) Corcoran of Williston; and brother Mike (Allyson) Sailer of Reno, Nev.; and eight nieces and nephews, Brandon & Joshua Scholz, Destin, Cole, Dakota & Hunter Corcoran, and Addison & Zachary Sailer; and many aunts, uncles, cousins, and the family Dalmatian, Molly
