Service of Remembrance for John J. Steinbach, 85, lifelong Hettinger, ND resident and area farmer, will be Saturday, January 13, 2007 at 10:30 a.m. at the Hettinger Lutheran Church. Rev. Kathleen Dettmann will officiate and burial with full military honors will follow at the Hettinger Cemetery. Visitations will be from 1:00 to 8:00 p.m. Friday, Jan. 12 at the Evanson Jensen Funeral Home in Hettinger and one hour prior to the funeral service at the church on Saturday morning.


JOHN J. STEINBACH was born in Hettinger, ND on January 28, 1921 to Albert and Leah (Dennis) Steinbach. He grew up in Hettinger, attended school and graduated from Hettinger High School. After graduating, John and a couple of his high school buddies hopped a freight train and went out west. He went to work for a contractor that was building military bases and when they finished, the head of the company wanted John to go with them to Hawaii. He decided to join the US Navy instead.


On Sept. 24, 1942, he was enlisted into the Navy in Portland, OR. While in the Navy he traveled completely around the world twice. In that time he was in five major theaters and fought in the Pacific, the Suez and the Mediterranean. John served on six ships, one of which was the S.S. Lumber Lady, which was a vessel made entirely of wood. He received a letter of commendation for bravery from the chief of Naval Personnel in July of 1943. John also received the European-African M.E. Area Campaign Medal, the American Area Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Area Campaign Medal, a Good Conduct Medal and the World War II Victory Medal. John was honorably discharged from the Navy on Dec. 25, 1945.


After he was discharged from the service, John worked at the Hub City Iron Works in Aberdeen, SD before moving back to the family farm. When he returned home, he worked with his brother, Richard and his father, Albert.


On January 13, 1949, John married Agnes Tenold at Hettinger, ND. To this marriage, five children were born, Debbie, David, Susan, Judy and Betty Jo. The family was raised in the same home John was raised in. In 1979 John and Richard retired from farming and John pursued his hobby of collecting rocks and truly enjoyed collecting petrified wood, fossils and also spent many hours displaying his collections. John also enjoyed fishing, scrap-booking, history, collecting antiques and reading.


John J. Steinbach passed away suddenly at his home in Hettinger on Sunday morning, January 7, 2007.


Grateful for having shared his life are his wife, Agnes, of Hettinger; their children, Debbie (Alan) Lysne, of Leadville, CO, David (Carla) Steinbach, of Dickinson, ND, Susan (Steve) Krause, of Fountain Hills, AZ, Judy (Kurt) Ketelsen, of Box Elder, SD, Betty Jo (Danny) Engraf, of Hettinger; brothers, Albert Steinbach, of Detroit, MI and Calvin "Kelly" Steinbach, of Hettinger and a sister, Ann Wieland, of Hettinger; 12 grandchildren and numerous nieces, nephews, friends and neighbors. Preceding John in death were his parents, one brother, Richard and two grandchildren, Cassy Ketelsen and Tyler Steinbach.


Funeral arrangements entrusted to the Evanson Jensen Funeral Home in Hettinger, ND.