Victor August Haase Sr., 95, of Hallettsville, passed away Friday October 24th, 2014.

Victor was born in Moulton, Texas on November 5, 1918. He was the first son of Wilhelm Carl and Alma (Krause) Haase. Victor was baptized at the Evangelical Lutheran Church, and later was confirmed there by Reverend Falkenberg whom he remembered quite fondly. He attended Evergreen School until 1932.

Victor's family moved to the Hallettsville area by 1933. There he picked cotton and corn by hand with siblings Tillie, Leona, Lillian, Wilhelm, August and Alma. He also plowed with mules and horses until their first tractor was purchased. As a very young man, Victor proudly served in Company 883 of the Civilian Conservation Corps in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1938 and 1939.

Staff Sergeant Victor A Haase served with the WWII 90th Infantry Division 357th Regiment from his induction in March 1942 until his honorable discharge in September 1945. He completed basic training at Camp Barkeley in Abilene, and later became a Rifleman Instructor at Camp Fannin near Tyler. Victor then deployed with D Company 58th Battalion to the European Theatre and served as an Automatic Rifleman from April 1944 to May 1945. He received several decorations and citations: Purple Heart with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 4 Bronze Stars, and Good Conduct Medal. The "Tough Ombres" had fought in several battles and campaigns including Normandy, Rhineland, Ardennes and Central Europe.

Victor married Margaret Galetka at St Peter Lutheran Church in Hallettsville on October 16, 1954. Their son Victor Charles Haase was born on December 9, 1955. Near the Haase homestead, Victor's own farmland included property of the old Thompson School where his 3 youngest siblings attended. Victor's family focused on sweet potato, peanut, corn and cotton crops as well as livestock and poultry. They supplied eggs to Weingarten Grocery Stores of Houston. Nieces and nephews from the city have wonderful memories with him riding the tractor, shucking corn, gathering eggs, chasing turkeys, feeding pigs, fishing in the tank and delivering hay to cattle in the back of his pick-up. "A highlight for us youngsters was when Uncle Victor sometimes took us to the wooded pasture for hunting with his hound dogs!"

In addition to farming, young Victor carpooled with his older sister Tillie to work at "Tex-Tan" the old Yoakum tannery. Later he worked as a carpenter on a construction crew building complete houses. Most recently, Victor resided at Stevens Nursing Home where his wife Margaret had been cared for previously. He continued to attend WWII themed events by Lavaca County Historical Society, and annual Veteran Appreciation Days at the KC Hall with his siblings.

Victor is preceded in death by his wife Margaret and his son "Victor Jr". He is survived by his brother August Haase of Hallettsville, and sister Alma Genzer of San Antonio. He is also survived by 4 generations of nieces and nephews from Hallettsville, San Antonio, Marion, Georgetown and Cypress, Texas.

Funeral Service: 11 am Friday, October 31, 2014, at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Hallettsville; with Visitation starting at 10 am. Officiant: Pastor Andy Taylor. Pallbearers: Tim Haase, Stefan Haase, Mike Alessi, Dustin Alessi, Larry Edwards, and Louis Genzer. Burial: Hallettsville City Cemetery. Memorial donations may be sent to: St Peter Lutheran Church, 100 N Promenade St, Hallettsville, TX 77964 or Hospice of South Texas, 306 N Texana St, Hallettsville, TX 77964.