John Fogel

John Lawrence Fogel, age 92, of Spring Hill, Kansas, passed away peacefully on June 20, 2016, at Villa St. Francis in Olathe. John was born June 15, 1924, in River Rouge, Michigan to Joseph Fogel and Suzanna (Kalakai) Fogel. Later in his life, he would love to talk about the days he, his brothers, and their friends spent along the banks of the Rouge River, fishing and swimming in the shadow of the Ford Motor plant. Although John lost his father while just a boy, John remembered and spoke of his father"s kindness to him and his brothers. After completing school, he served in the United States Navy. While in the Navy he graduated from the Hospital Corps School with a certification as a Hospital Apprentice, Second Class, and ultimately gained the rating of Pharmacist"s Mate. He loved his country and was proud of his years in the service. Upon returning home, he, along with his brothers, cared for his mother for many years after she suffered a severe stroke. He married Rose Catherine Schmid on November 14, 1959 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, in Kansas City, Missouri. Although they found each other and married later than most of their peers, John and Rose discovered true love and were dedicated partners. During their marriage, John worked in real estate in a number of positions in sales and as an appraiser. John and Rose enjoyed keeping up with John"s relatives in the Detroit area, and they were active in the lives of their nephews, the Rooney boys. The Fogels also enjoyed many activities together, including gardening, growing orchids, dancing, and volunteering to visit patients in hospitals. John was also creative and loved to work with wood. Shortly after they were married, his beloved Rose was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. As the years passed and the disease progressed, he was ever by her side and remained her primary caregiver until very shortly before her death in 1997. He was always loyal and constant in his love for her.After he lost Rose, he made it a point to continue reaching out to help and bring smiles to others. He continued to work with patients in hospitals, and for a time took a florist delivery job because he loved seeing the smiles of those who received flowers. He also worked with charities that helped provide food and clothing to those in need, especially children. John was active in his Catholic faith and was involved in many activities and with many groups at Queen of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Wea. He helped serve daily meals to the school children, was involved in Bible studies, the Knights of Columbus, the Mens" Club, Auxiliary Membership in the Legion of Mary, and he attended daily Mass. He was friends with many in the parish through these connections. A special connection was with the Lemke family. The Lemke girls were dear to him, and they adopted him as a grandfather. A special highlight for him was his trip to Germany and Hungary in 2010 when he was able to see Hungary, the country of his ancestors, and visit with some of his relatives. He continued to have a deep love of the outdoors, built large model planes, and was also known to build contraptions for no other reason than their silly appearance. In his later years, he spent hours with his dogs, and also enjoyed watching birds from his front porch. John suffered a stroke in 2013 and lived most of the last three years at Villa St. Francis. Even in his final days, the staff at Villa spoke of his kidding ways and his new-found memory of the Hungarian songs from his youth. John was preceded in death by his wife, Rose, his parents, Joseph and Suzanna, and his brothers Joseph, George, Lawrence, and Alex. To share your memories of John or leave a special message for his family, please click the Share Memories button above. The family suggests memorial gifts be given to Queen of the Holy Rosary Church (Wea) or Unbound (formerly Christian Foundation for Children and Aging) Queen of the Holy Rosary Wea Catholic Church 22779 Metcalf Bucyrus, KS Service: Saturday, June 25, 2016 at 10:00 AM Visitation: Friday, June 24, 2016 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM