Col. John Konrad Kern, (Ret), 92, of Paris, TX, passed away Sunday, Aug. 16, 2015, at Heritage House of Paris. John, the eldest son of Jesse & Opha Kern, was born Nov. 17, 1922, in Richlands, VA.
John was named after his two grandfathers as a tribute to his birth on the same day as his maternal grandfather, John Redmond Hightower.
He graduated from Kirkwood High School (Kirkwood, MO) in June 1939. His studies at Washington University (St. Louis, MO) were interrupted by war service in his senior year. He returned after the war to earn a Bachelor's of Arts degree in June 1947 and a Master of Arts degree in geography in June 1948,
He married Nancy Shirley Baber on Oct. 17, 1948, in Kansas, IL.
John served in the U. S. Army on active duty from March 17, 1943 to May 18, 1946, in combat in Germany with the 17th Airborne Division. He began as an infantry private and ended his reserve career as a colonel in military intelligence.
John had nine other careers – in the fields of geography, national intelligence, writing and public relations, computer systems, environmental management, archaeology, humanistic psychology, and electronic warfare – before retiring in 1988.
He was preceded in death by a son, William Baber Kern and three sisters, Valeta Wisuri, Eileen Collins and Etolia Long.
Survivors include two sons, John Michael Kern & wife Melissa Pickford of Pacific Grove, CA and Geoff Kern & wife Karen of Paris, grandchildren, Maia Ventura, Alex Kern, Bliss Kern, Shannon Kern and Stephanie Kern, two brothers, Robert Kern & wife Marcia of Kirkwood, MO and Donald Kern & wife Shirley of Ashfield, NC, one sister, Eloise Dycus of Tulsa, OK along with numerous nieces & nephews.
Following cremation, inurnment will be made in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, MO.
John was named after his two grandfathers as a tribute to his birth on the same day as his maternal grandfather, John Redmond Hightower.
He graduated from Kirkwood High School (Kirkwood, MO) in June 1939. His studies at Washington University (St. Louis, MO) were interrupted by war service in his senior year. He returned after the war to earn a Bachelor's of Arts degree in June 1947 and a Master of Arts degree in geography in June 1948,
He married Nancy Shirley Baber on Oct. 17, 1948, in Kansas, IL.
John served in the U. S. Army on active duty from March 17, 1943 to May 18, 1946, in combat in Germany with the 17th Airborne Division. He began as an infantry private and ended his reserve career as a colonel in military intelligence.
John had nine other careers – in the fields of geography, national intelligence, writing and public relations, computer systems, environmental management, archaeology, humanistic psychology, and electronic warfare – before retiring in 1988.
He was preceded in death by a son, William Baber Kern and three sisters, Valeta Wisuri, Eileen Collins and Etolia Long.
Survivors include two sons, John Michael Kern & wife Melissa Pickford of Pacific Grove, CA and Geoff Kern & wife Karen of Paris, grandchildren, Maia Ventura, Alex Kern, Bliss Kern, Shannon Kern and Stephanie Kern, two brothers, Robert Kern & wife Marcia of Kirkwood, MO and Donald Kern & wife Shirley of Ashfield, NC, one sister, Eloise Dycus of Tulsa, OK along with numerous nieces & nephews.
Following cremation, inurnment will be made in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, MO.
Col. John Konrad Kern, (Ret), 92, of Paris, TX, passed away Sunday, Aug. 16, 2015, at Heritage House of Paris. John, the eldest son of Jesse & Opha Kern, was born Nov. 17, 1922, in Richlands, VA.
John was named after his two grandfathers as a tribute to his birth on the same day as his maternal grandfather, John Redmond Hightower.
He graduated from Kirkwood High School (Kirkwood, MO) in June 1939. His studies at Washington University (St. Louis, MO) were interrupted by war service in his senior year. He returned after the war to earn a Bachelor's of Arts degree in June 1947 and a Master of Arts degree in geography in June 1948,
He married Nancy Shirley Baber on Oct. 17, 1948, in Kansas, IL.
John served in the U. S. Army on active duty from March 17, 1943 to May 18, 1946, in combat in Germany with the 17th Airborne Division. He began as an infantry private and ended his reserve career as a colonel in military intelligence.
John had nine other careers – in the fields of geography, national intelligence, writing and public relations, computer systems, environmental management, archaeology, humanistic psychology, and electronic warfare – before retiring in 1988.
He was preceded in death by a son, William Baber Kern and three sisters, Valeta Wisuri, Eileen Collins and Etolia Long.
Survivors include two sons, John Michael Kern & wife Melissa Pickford of Pacific Grove, CA and Geoff Kern & wife Karen of Paris, grandchildren, Maia Ventura, Alex Kern, Bliss Kern, Shannon Kern and Stephanie Kern, two brothers, Robert Kern & wife Marcia of Kirkwood, MO and Donald Kern & wife Shirley of Ashfield, NC, one sister, Eloise Dycus of Tulsa, OK along with numerous nieces & nephews.
Following cremation, inurnment will be made in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, MO.
John was named after his two grandfathers as a tribute to his birth on the same day as his maternal grandfather, John Redmond Hightower.
He graduated from Kirkwood High School (Kirkwood, MO) in June 1939. His studies at Washington University (St. Louis, MO) were interrupted by war service in his senior year. He returned after the war to earn a Bachelor's of Arts degree in June 1947 and a Master of Arts degree in geography in June 1948,
He married Nancy Shirley Baber on Oct. 17, 1948, in Kansas, IL.
John served in the U. S. Army on active duty from March 17, 1943 to May 18, 1946, in combat in Germany with the 17th Airborne Division. He began as an infantry private and ended his reserve career as a colonel in military intelligence.
John had nine other careers – in the fields of geography, national intelligence, writing and public relations, computer systems, environmental management, archaeology, humanistic psychology, and electronic warfare – before retiring in 1988.
He was preceded in death by a son, William Baber Kern and three sisters, Valeta Wisuri, Eileen Collins and Etolia Long.
Survivors include two sons, John Michael Kern & wife Melissa Pickford of Pacific Grove, CA and Geoff Kern & wife Karen of Paris, grandchildren, Maia Ventura, Alex Kern, Bliss Kern, Shannon Kern and Stephanie Kern, two brothers, Robert Kern & wife Marcia of Kirkwood, MO and Donald Kern & wife Shirley of Ashfield, NC, one sister, Eloise Dycus of Tulsa, OK along with numerous nieces & nephews.
Following cremation, inurnment will be made in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, MO.
Inscription
Colonel US Army
WWII Bronze Star Medal
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Family Members
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Records on Ancestry
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1930 United States Federal Census
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U.S., Newspapers.com™ Marriage Index, 1800s-2020
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U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
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Springfield, Missouri, U.S., St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Employee Cards, 1940-1980
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U.S., Cemetery and Funeral Home Collection, 1847-Current
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