Joseph (Joe) E. Hershberger was born January 15, 1930 in Newton, Kansas to Joseph Allen and Anna (Umholtz) Hershberger. He married Mary (Wolf) Hershberger June 15, 1973. He was a member of the Hesston United Methodist Church for many years.
Joe served in the U.S. Army in Germany from 1951-1953 where he was known by those closest to him as “Frenchie”. In May of 1953, he began working at King Construction as a crane operator. He worked for King’s for 43 years until he retired in 1996.
He enjoyed gardening, hunting, fishing, and making lures. Joe continued making his fishing lures right up to the end. In 1997, Joe and Mary were part of the committee that created the Annual Fish Fry held at the Hesston Senior Center. For many years, Joe and his friends provided hundreds of pounds of fish each year for patrons to enjoy.
Joe is survived by his daughter Joye Turner of Florida, step-daughter Marilyn Wooderson of Newton, 12 grandchildren, several great-grandchildren, one great-great-grandchild.
He was preceded in death by his wife Mary, parents Allen and Anna, stepmother Ida, siblings Dick (Margaret), Kenneth (Joan), Carl (Nancy), Doris (Merle) Jones, Bonnie (Wilbur) Jantz, Alma (Marvin) Ewert, Virginia (Jerry) Davison, daughter Jaye Roberts, step-daughter Gwen Moore, and great-grandson Peyton Denes.
Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday, December 16, 2023 at Hesston United Methodist Church. Burial will follow at Eastlawn Cemetery. Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m., Friday, December 15, at Miller-Ott Funeral Home, Hesston, with family present from 6 to 8 p.m. Memorial contributions may be made to Hesston Area Senior Center in care of Miller-Ott Funeral Home, PO Box 32, Hesston, KS 67062.