Fort Morgan Times Fort Morgan, Colorado 03-04-02 Francis Albert Jesse, 81, of Akron died Tuesday at the Colorado Plains Medical Center in Fort Morgan. Jesse was born south of Akron on April 11, 1920, to Earl and Anna (Schultz) Jesse. He attended a country grade school and graduated from Akron High School. On Dec. 3, 1941, Jesse entered the U.S. Army Infantry and trained at Fort Bliss, Texas, and for 13 weeks at Camp Roberts, Calif. He was shipped overseas to the Asiatic-Pacific, Seward, Alaska, and the Aleutian Islands. He returned to the U.S. on March 23, 1944, and was honorably discharged at Camp Hood, Texas, on Oct. 20, 1945, as an expert rifleman instructor with a rank of staff sergeant. Medals earned were the American Defense, Good Conduct, Asiatic-Pacific Theater Service with a Bronze Battle Star and three Overseas Service Bars. After his discharge Jesse returned to Akron and resumed farming on the family farm. He married Billie Waldvogle on Sept. 25, 1946, in St. Francis, Kan., in a double wedding ceremony with Derwin Schultz and Helen Bricker. Jesse worked in Denver at the Armour Meat Packing Plant until the fall of 1948. The Jesses moved back to Akron to farm on his wife's parents' farm, the William Waldvogle farm. He went to work for the Washington County school system as a school bus foreman for 14 years and then worked for Washington County grading roads until 1987 when he retired. Jesse served as a member of the Sampson School District No. 50 school board, the High Prairie school board and the Washington County school board for a total of 20 years. He was an active member of the American Legion Alva N. Graves Post No. 66 for 57 years of which he served as adjutant for 18 years and was a past commander and also a past commander of District No. 3. He was a 50-year member of the Akron VFW Post No. 8064 which he served as commander three different terms. He was also a member of the Akron Elks Lodge No. 2579 for 20 years and the AARP. He enjoyed many activities with the family, and he loved baseball, football, fishing and gardening. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by four brothers: Ralph, Everett, Howard and Edward; one sister: Ethel, and one daughter, Sandra Louise. He is survived by his wife, Billie; two daughters: Linda Reed of Aviano, Italy, and Darlene Christian of La Grange, Ga.; one sister, Esther Wegener of Denver; five grandchildren; three great-grandsons and three great-granddaughters. Memorial donations in Jesse's memory may be made to the Akron Senior and Community Center. Funeral services were conducted Saturday at 11 a.m. from the Akron United Methodist Church with Rev. Ramon Robledo officiating. Interment followed in the Akron Cemetery with military rites performed by the Akron Veterans Posts and the Otis VFW Post No. 3961. Brenner Funeral Home of Akron was in charge of the arrangements.