Keith L. Vesling
Obituary
Keith L. Vesling, 77, of Grafton, beloved father, brother and friend, died Wednesday, November 26, 2008 at EMH Regional Medical Center, while surrounded by loved ones, after a two year battle with cancer. Keith was born February, 18, 1931 to Clarence and Hazel Vesling of Stoneham, Pennsylvania.
He attended Mead Township Schools and graduated from Warren High School in 1949. He then attended Penn State University on football and baseball scholarships, where he graduated in 1954 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in education. While at Penn State, he played three years of varsity football and baseball. He was captain of the baseball team and led Penn State to the College World Series where he was the winning pitcher verses Texas in 1952. Keith was a member of Beta Theta Pi, The Lion’s Paw, The Letterman’s Club, and The Varsity Club Alumni Association.
In August 1954, Keith entered the United States Army. He then married his childhood sweetheart, Jeanane Dickerson, and they moved to Hawaii where they lived for two years while continuing his military service. After leaving Hawaii in 1956, Keith and his family moved to the Elyria/Lorain area. He began his career at U.S. Steel (Lorain National Tube Company) in Lorain, in the student engineer program. In the next 39 years, he spent the majority of his career in the coke plant, where he eventually became superintendent in 1976. In 1985 he took a voluntary retirement, but remained active as a consultant until 1993.
Keith was very active in co-owning and operating the Vesling Oil Leases, which was formed in 1963 with his siblings in Stoneham, Pennsylvania. He was currently president of B&V Development, a member of the Lakewood Rod and Gun Club Auxiliary of Lakewood, New York, and the Eagles Auxiliary of Warren, Pennsylvania.
In recognition of his numerous athletic accomplishments, Keith was inducted into the Lorain Sports Hall of Fame in 1988, along with his fellow baseball players from the 1957 National Championship Lorain National Tube baseball team. He was also inducted into the Warren County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 2001. Keith was a member of the LaPorte United Methodist Church in Elyria.
Keith is survived by his sons, Douglas Vesling of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin and his wife, Deborah and their children, Troy, Adam and Kyle, David Vesling of Lake Jackson, Texas and his wife, Deborah and their children, Ethan and Ava, Donald Vesling of Valparaiso, Indiana and his wife, Stacy and their children, Drew and Olivia; daughter, Pamela Vesling Gerbec of Grafton and her husband, Mark and their children, Brittany and Brett; brothers, Gerald Vesling (B.J.) of Pittsford, New York, Dean Vesling (Marilyn) of Tucson, Arizona; sister, Marilyn Onest (Gene) of Erie, Pennsylvania; and brother-in-law, Dr. George Babcock (Laura) of Cincinnati.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 50 years, Jeanane Vesling, who passed away March 22, 2005; and parents, Clarence and Hazel Vesling.
A memorial service will be held in 2009 at Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery, Rittman, where he and his wife will be inurned.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Keith L. Vesling Memorial Fund, c/o First Merit Bank of Grafton, 432 N. Main St., Grafton, OH 44044.
The family would like to express their gratitude to the staff at the Ireland Cancer Treatment Center, the V.A. Hospital of Lorain and Cleveland and the staff of EMH Regional Medical Center. A special thanks to all family and friends, in particular, Barb Reed, who cared for Keith in his time of need.
Dicken Funeral Home and Cremation Service, Elyria, is in charge of arrangements.
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Filed by Obituary December 2nd, 2008 in Obituaries. Popularity: 1% |
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