Samuel Elisha Kaiser (Lieutenant Colonel U. S. Army Retired)

On January 7, 2023, Samuel Elisha Kaiser, passed away at home, surrounded by friends and loving family.

Samuel Elisha Kaiser was born, September 30, 1936 in Patoka Township, Crawford County, Indiana to Clarence Edward and Selma June Esarey Kaiser. Samuel attended French Lick High School, French Lick, Indiana and graduated from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana with a Bachelor of Science degree.

He was Commissioned in the Regular Army as a Second Lieutenant of Field Artillery in 1958, and later transferred to the Army Aviation Branch. He was a Master Army Aviator, both fixed wing and rotary wing rated. After many command assignments and tours of duty, Samuel retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1985, after 27 years of active military service. He retired again after 15 more years serving as a civilian contractor testing Army equipment at West Fort Hood, Texas.

In 1956, Samuel married his great love, Patricia Ann "Tracy" Wells, his partner in life for 66 years. After 28 family moves, Sam and Tracy settled in Belton, Texas in 1983.

Samuel was preceded in death by his parents; step-mother - Opal Kaiser; and one brother - Clarence James Kaiser.
 
He is survived by his wife Patricia Ann “Tracy” Kaiser, their three children: Jeffrey Lynn Kaiser (Anne Le Kaiser) of Mountain View, California; Valerie Dawn Kaiser Johnson (William Logan Johnson) of Smithfield, Virginia; and Karla Jayne Kaiser Lovelady (Carl Green) of Austin, Texas. 
They have nine grandchildren: Katrina Marie and Kimberly Anne Kaiser; Casey Logan, Taryn Shae, and Nathaniel Scott Johnson; and Daniel Patrick Lovelady (Dihong Jing-Jing Zhou) and Tracy Lea Lovelady Koenig (Kurt Orin Koenig); and Michelle Falconer and Tyler Falconer Green, and four great grandchildren: Evelyn Jilin and Alexander Jiqing Lovelady; and Collin Frijas and Nolan Frijas Koenig).  Also, one brother Philip Edward Kaiser (Joan Kaiser) and one step-sister Beverly Spears.

 Sam and Tracy are parishioners of Saint Luke's Catholic Church in Temple, Texas.

He is a member of the U. S. Army Otter and Caribou Association, the Quiet Birdmen, the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association, The Army Aviation Association of America, the Association of the United States Army, the American Legion, Post 133, Temple, TX, and the Sons of the American Revolution. Samuel's pursuit of his interest in genealogy and family history gave him great satisfaction as well as a wealth of family stories.

Visitation will be held 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM on January 11, 2023 at Dossman Funeral Home, 2525 N. Main St., Belton, Texas, followed by the Rosary at 6:00 PM. The funeral Mass will be held at 11:00 AM January 12 at the Saint Luke’s Catholic Church, 2007 Oakdale, Temple, Texas, with Father John Guzaldo presiding.

Graveside services will be held at Wickliffe Cemetery in Wickliffe, Indiana at 11:00 AM on Tuesday, January 17, 2023.  

Brosmer-Kemple Funeral Home, 9640 West State Road 56, French Lick, Indiana is in charge of arrangements.

In-lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Building Fund for St. Luke’s Catholic Church, of Temple, TX: SLparish.com (on the Give page), or to the Kaiser Scholarship of the Community Foundation of Crawford County: cf-cc.org. If donating to the scholarship, please email lfraime@cf-cc.org to direct your donation to the Kaiser Scholarship.