John P. Hess, Sr.

Lt. Col John P. Hess, Sr.To his United States Air Force comrades, he was Lt. Col Hess. To snook sport fishermen, he was the competition. To his wife and 11 children and stepchildren, he was John or Dad. And to his 24 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren, he was just Grumps and Uncle John to numerous nieces and nephews.
Lt. Col. John P. Hess, Sr. was born in Clarion Pennsylvania and came to Fort Pierce 44 years ago coming from West Palm Beach, Florida. His house on North Hutchinson Island, where he lived with his wife Arlene, was Christmas central every year for the entire extended family.John proudly wore his uniform serving his country in England and France during World War II. He remained in the Air Force Reserve and returned to active duty for both the Berlin Wall and the Cuban Missile Crisis.John owned and operated Springer’s Furniture along with Ron Childress and his late daughter Kathy Springer and was an active member of St. Anastasia Catholic Church.A man who liked a good challenge and who could figure out how just about anything worked, John was the go-to man for fix-it jobs and was a skilled Snook fisherman, which he caught, cleaned and cooked.
He was a friend and helper to all who knew him, whether it was to be bailed out of jail or to cosign a loan. No matter what age or gender, he always knew the right thing to say and the right advice to give.Survivors include his wife, Arlene Hess of Ft. Pierce, FL; daughters, Mary (John) Hodgkins of Fair Hope, AL; Lauren (Mark) Green of Ft. Pierce, FL; Leilani (Bob) Chandler-Norton of Ft. Pierce, FL; Kristin Tetsworth of Stuart, FL; and Lisa (David) Parkulo of Beckley, WVA; sons, John (Linda) Hess, Jr. of Boynton Beach, FL, William (Diane) Tetsworth of Jacksonville, FL, Kevin (Fiona) Tetsworth of Brisbane, Australia, Mark (Laurie) Tetsworth of Richmond, VA and Virgil (Jill) Tetsworth of Greensboro, NC; sister, Barbara Hess of Fair Hope, AL; 24 grandchildren; 8 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Kathy Springer and sister, Toni Hess.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Treasure Coast Hospice, 2500 Virginia Ave, Ft. Pierce, FL 34981. (Please designate, “Building Fund” on check and envelope); or to St. Anastasia Catholic Church, 407 S. 33rd Street, Ft. Pierce, FL 34947.Services: Visitation will be held on Monday, July 16, 2007 from 5-7 PM with a prayer service at 6:00 PM at Haisley Funeral Home in Ft. Pierce. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Tuesday, July 17, 2007 at 11:30 AM at St. Anastasia Catholic Church.