Carl Dresselhaus

CARL DRESSELHAUS

Davenport

Carl W. Dresselhaus, 97, of Davenport, died Saturday, April 5, 2014, at Select Specialty Hospital, Davenport. Services, in celebration of his life, will be 10:30 a.m. Friday, April 11, at St. John's United Methodist Church, 14th and Brady Streets, Davenport, with the Rev. Anne Lippincott officiating. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Weerts Funeral Home, Kimberly at Jersey Ridge Road, Davenport. Burial will be in Oakdale Memorial Gardens, Davenport.

Memorials may be made to St. John's United Methodist Church, where Carl was a longtime member, or to the Nursing Scholarship Fund at Ridgecrest Village.

Mr. Dresselhaus was born in 1917 in New Albin, Iowa, to Frederick and Eliza Dresselhaus. Following his graduation from New Albin High School in 1934, he spent a year in the Civilian Conservation Corp in McGregor. In 1939, he entered Waukon Junior College. He served with the United States Army Air Corps from 1942 to 1945 as a radio operator and gunner on a B-24 in Italy, flying missions over northern Italy and southern Germany. While in training as an aviation cadet in World War II, he participated in service sports teams as a pitcher and played with professionals, including Joe DiMaggio.

On June 20, 1952, Carl married a Coe College music graduate, Irma Kubik, at St. Paul's United Meth-odist Church in Cedar Rapids. Carl graduated with his B.A. from Iowa State Teachers College (known today as University of Northern Iowa), where he played baseball as a left-handed pitcher for three years. He then graduated from the University of Iowa with his M.A. and where he continued with his postgraduate studies.

From 1947 to 1954, he was a teacher, coach and superintendent in New Albin; from 1954 to 1960, he served as elementary principal in Sioux City; and from 1960 to 1982, with the Davenport Community School District as Madison Elementary School principal, personnel director, director of elementary education and area administrative director. One year, as personnel director in the late '60s, he hired over 250 teachers in the Davenport school district.

In addition to his church membership, he served as a past chairman of its administrative board, as Sunday school superintendent, trustee, usher captain and chairman of ed-ucation commission. He also was a member of the Davenport Rotary Club; Davenport Elks; Hamilton Masonic Lodge, Bettendorf; Scottish Rite, Davenport; Davenport Hi Twelve; Varsity Club; Quad-City Plus 60; Davenport Area Retired School Personnel Association (president); American Legion Post 26, Davenport; Veterans of Foreign War (national member); American Association of School Administrators; Association for School and Curric-ulum Development; Iowa State Elementary Principals; and National Education Association (life member).

Carl Dresselhaus was a true gentleman with a kind word for all. Always patient, thoughtful, courteous and kind, but above all, Carl was a man of great integrity and conviction.

He will be truly missed by his loving family, friends and many acquaintances. All who ever met Carl thought highly of him. He worked hard throughout his life and was an example of how to live well.

He is leaving this earth having positively impacted many people in many ways. As a man of faith and devotion, Carl's family is very proud of his life legacy which will serve as a testament and guide to future generations. Most importantly, as a Christian, Carl Dresselhaus has made God proud in how he lived, assisted others and cherished the wonderful gift of life for 97 years.

Survivors include his loving wife, Irma, with whom he spent much time and effort in raising their family: sons, Paul W. (Cindi) of St. Petersburg, Fla., and John C. (Ann) Dresselhaus of Bettendorf; daughter, Ann Dresselhaus of Cedar Rapids; and grandchildren, Amy Berg, Lisa and David of St. Petersburg and Andrew and Matthew of Bettendorf; and great-grandchildren, Rilynn and Vaughn Berg of St. Petersburg.

Ann is a University of Iowa graduate with a physics and genetics emphasis. She resides in Cedar Rapids, pursing her life passion in genetics by developing a new award winning working dog breed known as Alaskan Noble Companion Dogs.

Paul, an Augustana College graduate and attorney, married Cindi, also an Augustana graduate. Together they have three children, Amy, Lisa and David, and two grandchildren, Rilyn and Vaughn. Paul resides in South Florida as an executive director in the wealth management and investment services business.

John is an Iowa State graduate in mechanical engineering, with an MBA from Drake University in Des Moines. He married Ann Rogers, a University of Northern Iowa graduate, in 1994. Together they live with their two children, Andrew and Matthew, in Bettendorf. John is an owner in several Iowa businesses: US Adventure RV, Copyworks, Team Investments LLC and Pinnacle Development LLC.

Carl Dresselhaus was preceded in death by his brothers, Richard (Whitehall, Wis.), Ray (Pueblo, Colo.) and Les (New Albin); and sisters, Mildred Mundt (San Jose, Calif.) and Esther Dee (New Albin).

The Dresselhaus family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude for the compassionate professional care provided by both Select Specialty Hospital and Ridgecrest Village staff during these last months of Carl's life.

Memories and condolences may be shared with the Dresselhaus family by visiting Carl's obituary at www.WeertsFH.com.