John J. Hoeke
July 9, 1928 - Dec. 23, 2006
MILBANK, S.D. -- John J. Hoeke, 78, of Milbank, S.D., formerly of Willmar, died Saturday at the Milbank Area Hospital-Avera Health.
The service will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at Central United Methodist Church in Milbank. Burial will be at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis.
Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. today at Mundwiler Funeral Home in Milbank and for one hour prior to the service at the church. Military honors will be presented by American Legion Birch-Miller Post 9 and the Grant County VFW Post 3486.
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He was born July 9, 1928, in Roberts County, S.D., to John E. and Ostie (Cooper) Hoeke. He grew up in Milbank and graduated from Milbank High School in 1946. He joined the U.S. Army and attended South Dakota State University in Brookings. He was activated and served in Alaska during the Korean Crisis until 1952. He served in the military for 35 years.
He married Vi Perna on June 2, 1951, in Wadena. He graduated from South Dakota State University in 1954 as a civil engineer. He worked in Roseau, Bemidji, St. Paul and then Willmar, where he was a state aid engineer for 20 years. He worked for the Minnesota Highway Department for 37 years. He retired in 1991 and moved to Revillo, S.D. He moved to Milbank, S.D., in 1998.
He was a charter member of the Willmar Optimist Club, was a member of the National and Minnesota Society of Professional Engineers, the Minnesota Surveyors and Engineers Society, was vice president of the PTA, a member of the AFSCME Union, Council 6. He was a member of the American Legion Birch-Miller Post 9, and a member of Central United Methodist Church in Milbank.
He is survived by his wife; children: Vikki (and Gary) Linder of Brooklyn Center, Vonne (and George) Mathers of Brooklyn Park, John Hoeke of South Shore, S.D., Jack Hoeke (and Ann Christenson) of Milbank, S.D.; 12 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and two siblings: Bruce (and Darlene) Hoeke of Backus and JoAnn Hoeke of Milbank, S.D.
He was preceded in death by five brothers and one sister.
