U.S. Navy veteran; any day was a good day for a Sunday drive
Published June 18, 2020
EXETER, N.H. — Joseph G. Jesso, 79, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family at Exeter Hospital in Exeter, N.H. on May 4, 2020.
Born in Denver, Colorado, he was the son of the late Ethel (Fravel) Jesso and the late Joseph Francis Jesso. He was raised on a family ranch in Orton Flat, about 40 miles northwest of Ft. Pierre, South Dakota, by his uncle Clifford Fravel and his wife Phyllis Fravel. Joe rode his horse or walked to the one-room schoolhouse through eighth grade before moving to Rapid City to attend high school. Joe enlisted in the United States Navy in December 1957 at the age of 17 and left South Dakota. He was ultimately stationed on the USS Aeolus at the U.S. Naval Submarine Yard in Portsmouth, N.H. Joe met his bride-to-be, Carol Wedge, and they were married six months later.
Joe is survived by his wife of 60 years and the love of his life and best friend, Carol (Wedge) Jesso; daughters, Jo-Ann Jesso-Freeman of Derry, N.H.; Jan (Jesso) Herlihy of Atkinson, N.H.; Jacqueline (Jesso) Batchelder and her husband Herb Jr. of North Reading, Mass.; and Jerri (Jesso) Johnston and Scott Vezina of Plaistow, N.H. He is also survived by 13 grandchildren: Jessica Bent, Joseph Freeman, James Herlihy, Jonathan Herlihy, Ryan Carrigan, Joseph Lovell, Morgan Carrigan, Brian Freeman, Amy Freeman, Nicole Johnston, Samantha Carrigan, Victoria Johnston and Richard Johnston; four great-grandchildren, Savannah Freeman, Sadie Bent, Hunter Herlihy and Paisley Lovell; his brothers, Robert Jesso of Rapid City, South Dakota and Ken Lange of Box Elder, South Dakota; his Aunt Phyllis Fravel of Orton Flat, South Dakota; and several cousins, nieces and nephews.
When Joe left the Navy, he went to work for his father-in-law, Charlie Wedge, in the oil business and driving a school bus in North Reading, Mass. Charlie sold the oil business and Joe went with the business to work for Country Gas Service (Eastern Propane) in Danvers, Mass. and in Rochester, N.H. where he worked for more than 30 years before going to work for Palmer Gas in Atkinson, N.H., where he worked for over 10 years as their safety officer and where he retired from in 2015.
Joe was a U.S. Navy veteran as well as a member of the Masons. He was also a member of the Hampstead, N.H. recreation department where he and Carol planned numerous trips for the Hampstead senior citizens. He and Carol enjoyed traveling as often as they could, seeing all parts of the country, and taking several cruises over the years to Hawaii, Alaska and several to the Caribbean; his favorite being Alaska. He and Carol enjoyed long rides all over the place, enjoying the sights and sounds of New England. Any day was a good day for a Sunday drive.
Joe was a devoted husband and father. He taught his girls many things growing up, from using tools and how to fix things, to painting. He was always very involved and always supported his daughters’ sports and activities as they grew up, and as his grandchildren became active, he was always there watching them play sports or whatever activities they were involved in. He was a “super fan.”
Joe will always be known and remembered for his kind heart, and caring and compassionate ways. He was always polite and kind to anyone he met and everyone who knew him would tell you he was a true gentleman. He was truly interested in what people had to say and had a way of immediately making people feel comfortable. He was well known for giving great hugs and having a strong, firm handshake.
He had many stories to tell of growing up on the prairie of South Dakota and of his time in the Navy. Joe has said that he “wishes every child had the opportunity to live and work on a ranch or farm for at least one year of their life.” Growing up out on the Great Plains played a significant part in the values that Joe lived his life by. He had many wonderful and funny sayings or “Papa-isms” as his grandchildren would call them. He would make everyone laugh when he would say one. Joe was a wealth of knowledge and his stories will be greatly missed.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be a private burial at Riverside Cemetery in North Reading, Mass. at a date to be determined. A Celebration of Life will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. at Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street in North Reading on Wednesday, September 2 which would have been Joe’s 80th birthday. We hope everyone who knew and loved Joe will help celebrate the beautiful, full and blessed life he lived. To leave an online message of condolence, please visit: www.CroswellFuneralHome.com.
