Jack R. Moeller, age 94,
Of Kansas City, MO, formerly of Rochester, MI and New Bremen, OH died on Sunday, May 3, 2020 at a hospital in Kansas City, KS after a brief illness. He was born on July 28, 1925 in New Bremen, the son of the late Raymond W. “Caddy” and Alfrieda M. (Vornholt) Moeller. On June 13, 1949, he married Hilda E. Roben on the campus of Oberlin College, and she died on January 2, 2016. Surviving are his children, Susan Moeller of Kansas City, MO, and Kurt (Judi) Moeller of Ellington, CT, and his three grandchildren: Katie (Blake) Billmyre, John Moeller and wife Celine Croft, and Chloe (Dan) Kardos; a brother and sister in-law, James (Pat) Moeller, and a sister in-law Ruth Moeller, all of New Bremen and also several nieces and nephews. Along with his parents and wife, Jack was preceded in death by his siblings and in-laws: Tom Moeller, Pauline (Vernon) Dunham, Louise (Charles) Hay, and Verneda Moeller.
Jack was a 1943 graduate of New Bremen High School. After graduation, he was drafted in September, to fight in WWII. He served as a Staff Sergeant in the United States Army, serving in a support unit to General Patton’s unit until his return home in 1946. After the war, he went on to further his education at Oberlin College, graduating in 1949, and later graduating from Princeton University with his Ph.D. in 1955. Following his graduation from Princeton, he took a fellowship in Germany. He spent most of his career teaching at Oakland University in Rochester Hills, MI. He was a German Professor and the department chair from 1964 until his retirement in 1993. It was in this time that he was also involved in writing many German language textbooks for use in high school and college classes. Jack loved to write, and it was his real passion in life. Outside of writing, Jack was an accomplished pianist, he had an appreciation for the arts, and he also loved to play Bridge.
Jack will be inurned next to this wife, Hilda, at the Grand Lake National Cemetery in Holly, MI at a later date. Gilberg-Hartwig Funeral Home is assisting the family locally, and condolences to the family can be left online at www.gilberghartwigfh.com