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Joe(Jr.) was born on November 19, 1926 in St. Francis Hospital, Peoria, IL. On June 5, 1948 he married Gladys Moody in Joliet, IL.
Joe served in the Navy during WW2. He learned the Bakery business from his Dad, and when his Dad was ready to retire he took over the management of the family buisness.
"The only family house for Charles J. Sr. and Dora (Trockur) Trefzger --
parents of John/Joe/Tom/Mary -- was
at 408 E. McClure Avenue in Peoria. They bought the house when they got
married, in about 1921, raised all 4 kids there, and both lived there
until they died."*
" When the four (my Dad and his siblings) were growing up they
all took piano lessons, (Dad took for 9 years), I think from a Miss Button who came to the
McClure house. Could have her name wrong. They had a dog, I think
named Pal, but that could be wrong too. Sorry to be so weak on the
details."*
"Dad started out at Columbia grade school on Bootz avenue in Peoria.
Then there must have been a redistricting, probably as the part of town
north of Columbia was growing, and starting with grade 6 he went to Glen
Oak School on Frye Avenue, where he and Tom and Mary all finished 8th
grade. [John may have gone only to Columbia; you may have that info.
already.] Don't know whether and how long Tom or Mary may have gone to
Columbia, but all finished at Glen Oak, which I think is actually closer
to the McClure house than Columbia is. Then all four of them graduated
from E.N. Woodruff High School on Perry Street; all but John went there
all 4 years. Dad graduated in
1944 and went right into the navy when he was still 17 (November
birthday). Tom would have graduated from Woodruff 1947, Mary I think in
1950 but not sure. Interestingly, Joe's kids (Sharon and Beth and I)
and Tom's (sons Thomas Edward Jr. and Timothy) also all went to
Woodruff."*
"When dad was in high school he worked one summer as a lifeguard at the
Peoria Country Club."*
"At Woodruff dad was big time athlete; standout as both quarterback of
football team and second baseman on baseball team. Also was in
wrestling for a year or two, but football (2 years) and baseball (4 years) were big time
with him. He was an outstanding hitter; am thinking he led conference in
batting average his senior year. But don't quote me on that. He also
liked to hunt with his dad; when he came back from the navy they went to
South Dakota on a fall hunting trip. At least one time my grandfather
went to Woodruff and told the principal he had to get dad out of class
to help with matters at the family business, and they went hunting. I
think the statute of limitations has run out, so we can tell that. He
and Charles J. Sr. also built a small cabin on some rural, wooded land
near Deer Creek, IL ("the farm") that was used for family get-togethers
from the 1940s until shortly before grandpa died. "
"Tom was into football and track in high school. He was in the army
during the Korean War era, but was stationed in Germany. Obviously I
don't have as much detail on his activities. I think he was a pretty
good student, top 10 of his class."*
"Dad, on the other hand, would be the first to tell you he did not apply
himself to academics. He's remarkably intelligent, in my view, with a
tremendous wit -- interviewed by Woodruff newspaper once, he cited as
his favorite school subject "lunch." When he was in South Pacific on a
US Navy (Auxillary Oil & Gas) tanker during WWII, he would send letters that had people at
home laughing uproariously. He did basic training at Great Lakes, north
of Chicago on Lake Michigan, and also did some training at Gulfport,
Mississippi. He spent active duty time in the Philippines, and in the
Caroline and Mariana islands. While traveling home after war ended he
got very ill on a troop train, and they took him to a civilian hospital
at Cut Bank, Montana, where apparently the people were very kind to him.
Dad was in the service for 22 months. Married
our mom in June 1948."*
"They often took summer vacation trips to Minnesota, and a favorite place
to stay was McClintick's resort. Not sure on the spelling."*
"Their next door neighbors to the west were two unmarried sisters (one
widowed) and their mother, all of whom drank and used foul language --
to the delight of the kids."*
"With having the bakery, which was truly a ton of work (thus the next
generation all said no thanks), I don't think dad or Tom either one had
typical kinds of hobbies during their working years. Dad is a member of
Peoria Heights VFW Post (not sure he does a lot there), and he gets
together once a week for lunch with three of his Woodruff football
friends. (They always go to the Penguin Tap in Peoria Heights, the
story of how they've been friends for so long and still eat together
regularly actually made the Peoria newspaper.) His faithful adherence
of late to a highly restricted diet (medical issues) and exercise
regimen has been truly inspiring."*
by 'Butch' Joseph William Trefzger
Joe died on July 11,2015 after about 5 years on dialysis.
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