Herbert Tieszen's Obituary
On a sunny, yet frosty Easter Sunday, April 8, 1917 in Marion, South Dakota, a tiny farming community, Herb Tieszen was born. His father left the family when Herb was still young, leaving Herb the responsibility of providing for his mother, brother and three sisters, milking the cows, tending to the farm duties, then off to school only to return to work the farm until dark.As he reached his teen years, the Depression hit. His family, like many others, were devastated, losing their farm and suffering through the maladies of the Dust Bowl. They moved into town, just scraping by while he worked tirelessly at the creamery. Even though times were tough, he stayed in school, played on the high school basketball team, earned his athletic letter, and received his high school diploma. Then, there were Saturday nights in Mitchell—where he danced to Glen Miller’s band with Ellen as his dance partner, the love of his life and wife for 65 years until her death.By now WWII broke out. He heard about work in San Diego. He left the farm life forever, getting a job at General Dynamics — first working on the assembly line, then to machinist, finally, to supervisor— where he worked until his retirement. Having never seen the ocean, Herb and Ellen were instantly enamored with Sunset Cliffs where they bought a home, raised a family—Jackie and Jerry—- and lived out their lives enjoying each other. In his retirement years, Herb became a master woodworker while Ellen, a master baker, supplied him with lots of cookies and pies for the shop.
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