James Wilbert Drescher

ROCHESTER - James W. Drescher, 83, died on Monday, September 1, 2014 at Golden Living Center in St. Charles, MN. Jim was born on December 11, 1930 on a dairy farm in Lynn Township east of Neillsville, WI.He attended grade school in Riplinger, WI and attended 2 years of high school in Unity, WI.Jim graduated from Shawano High School in 1948.After high school, he worked on his fathers farm and later worked for Edison Wood Products in New London, WI.Following two years of active duty in the United States Marine Corps, he attended North Central College in Naperville, IL.He graduated in 1957 with a Bachelor of Science Degree, majoring in Engineering and Physics. Jim married Fay E. Meyer from Elk Mound, WI on June 30, 1956.After college, Jim worked for IBM for 34 years before retiring in 1991.He was a Certified Lay Speaker in the United Methodist Church from 1992 to 2009.Jim served on the Board of Trustees for six years and was the chairman for 4 years.He chaired the Administrative Board for 12 years and also served on the finance committee, was a lay member to the MN Annual Conference, and was a church school teacher for several years. Jim is survived by his wife of 58 years, Fay, of Rochester; a daughter, Elaine Drescher, of Rochester; a son, Carl Drescher, of Farmington, MN; two brothers, Samuel (Dorothy) Drescher, of Sheboygan, WI, and Wallace (Lois) Drescher, of Greenville, WI; and a sister, Dorothy Houle, of Waukesha, WI. Jim is preceded in death by his parents, Ezra and Emma (Schultz) Drescher; a brother, Daniel Drescher; a brother-in-law, Tim Houle; and a sister-in-law, Violet (Franske) Drescher. A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 A.M on Thursday, September 4, 2014 at Evangel United Methodist Church, 2645 N. Broadway Ave in Rochester, with Rev. Jeff Utecht officiating.Visitation will be an hour prior to the service at the church.Burial will take place at SE MN Veterans Cemetery in Preston, MN at a later date. Memorials can be directed to Gideons International, Evangel United Methodist Church, or a charity of your choice.