Hugh "Tony" Anthony Duesterhaus

Hugh Anthony “Tony” Duesterhaus, 80, of Lake Ivie, Texas, passed away peacefully surrounded by his wife and children at his home on Tuesday, July 5, 2022.

Born on June 19, 1942, to Emma Kuehler Duesterhaus and Alois August Duesterhaus at home in Rhineland, Tx.  Known as “Tony” his entire life, he was the fifth child born out of ten siblings.  At age 8, Tony moved from Rhineland to Pep, Texas where he then graduated from Pep High School in 1960.  While in Pep, he was employed by local farmers until joining the Army National Guard in 1964.  Afterwards, he began working for Bell Dairy while living in Morton, Texas.  While on his dairy route he met the supervisor from Deltex Candy, who then hired him.  He moved to Muleshoe, Texas and later Cash, Oklahoma in support of his job with Deltex Candy.   In 1970, after his father’s passing, he moved back to Pep to help his mother with the family’s farming operation.  In 1975, along with farming, he also began working for the American Cotton Grower’s denim mill in Littlefield, Texas.  In May of 1981, he began working for Southwestern Public Service at Plant X, the power plant in Earth, Texas.  For the following 20 years, he worked in power plants in Amarillo, Hobbs, Lubbock, and Tolk Station in Muleshoe before retiring from Xcel Energy in May 2007. On November 12, 1983, he married Sharon Bartels Dierschke, and together their blended family included 2 daughters, Bonnie and Sheila and 2 sons, Byron and Keith.  On Christmas Eve 1988, their family became complete with the birth of their son, Layne.

Tony was a charter member of St. Philip’s Knights of Columbus Council #5537 in Pep and also served on the Pep School Board. Even though Tony never went to college, he was a self-taught engineer of sorts.  He always found a way to do a job in a different manner, usually making it easier.  He never threw anything away because he knew there would be another use for it sometime in the future, and sure enough, he would create some useful gadget.  His favorite saying was “well, that’s no problem”, because he knew how to fix anything.

He was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) in October of 2020.

ALS took his beautiful singing voice, but he still whistled.

ALS took his arms, but we remember his warm embrace.

ALS took his breathing, but he still blew out 1 of his 80 candles on June 19.

ALS took his legs, but he still danced with his wife in his electric scooter.

ALS took his feet, but not the firm foundation of his faith and family.

Tony is preceded in death by his father in 1970, by his mother in 2008, his sister, Emma Jane Fetsch in 2014, sister Ruth Brown in 2016, brother Ernest in 2016, sister Teresa Valdez in 2017, and brother Al William in 2021.  Surviving are sisters Annette Brown of Rhineland, Texas, Sharon Pettit of Durango, Colorado; Rose Ball of Nazareth, Texas, and Gail Day of Lubbock, Texas.

He is survived by his wife, Sharon, children Keith Duesterhaus and wife Tara of Cypress, Texas, Byron Duesterhaus and wife Amy of Midland, Texas; Layne Duesterhaus of Santa Fe, New Mexico; daughters Bonnie Shrader and husband David of Rowena, Texas, and Sheila Lewicki and husband Rob of Dallas, Texas.  Tony is also survived by his 13 grandchildren including Kolin Duesterhaus, Jaren Speck, Colson and Sophia Anagnostou, Cheyenne Paul, Allie and Austin Battles, Adalyn Smith, Jack, Benjamin and Anna Lewicki, and Zachary and Gabriella Shrader.  He will be fondly remembered by his 8 great-grandchildren including Jaelyn and Kenzie Speck, Kasin, Jaxon, Kohen, Leighton, and Zoey Duesterhaus, and Riley Paul.

A visitation for Tony will be held on Thursday, July 7, 2022, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm at the chapel at Lange Funeral Home. His Mass of Christian Burial will follow on Friday, July 8, 2022, at 11:00 am at St. Boniface Catholic Church in Olfen, Texas with Father Ariel Lagunilla celebrating.  Interment will follow at St. Boniface Catholic Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Pregnancy Help Center of San Angelo, Texas.

The family wishes to thank the staff at Ballinger Home Health and Hospice for their incredible love and care they provided to Tony, especially Yvonne Medina and Kitty Morrison.