Joseph John Kaluza, 89, of Beaumont, died Tuesday, December 15, 2009, at Christus Hospital St. Elizabeth.

Born August 29, 1920 in West, Texas, Joseph was the oldest of four children. His sister, Rosie, died when she was two years old. “Jody” was a World War II Navy Seabee who saw action in North Africa. He married Angeline Holub of Houston and they remained married for sixty-eight years. Because Kaluza means “mud puddle” in Czech, and Holub means “pigeons”, his father used to joke that the Holubs (pigeons) couldn’t do without the Kaluzas (mud puddles!) This became a family joke. Jody retired from Texas Gulf Sulphur in 1975 and he then worked for Palmer Barge Lines before retiring again.

A member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, his final request was for his grandson to play Taps at his funeral. His grandson, Joe Kaluza , son of  Michael and Cheryl Kaluza, will fulfill that request

Besides his wife, he leaves his four children and their spouses, Pat Wakefield, Kathy and Guy Morris, Suzy and Bill Loveless, and Mike and Cheryl Kaluza; ten  grandchildren, Laura Howe, Lisa Carson, Amy Moses, Jamie Loveless, Kyle Loveless, Joe Kaluza, Andrew Kaluza, Guy Morris, Drew Morris, and Kirk Morris; and nine great-grandchildren.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be 2:00 p.m., Friday, December 18, 2009, at St. Anne Catholic Church with interment to follow at Forest Lawn Memorial Park under the direction of Broussard’s, 2000 McFaddin, Beaumont. A Christian Vigil will be held at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, December 17, 2009, at the mortuary.

Memorial contributions may be made to ARC of Beaumont, 855 South 8th Street, Beaumont, Texas 77705; or Catholic Union of Texas, P.O. Box 297 LaGrange, Texas 78945.