Heinz Jockisch

Heinz Paul Jockisch of Tooele, Utah, passed away on June 16, 2020, at the age of 93. He was an incredible husband, father and Opa. Born January 13, 1927, in Patschkau Germany. Music was always a part of his life. He loved to sing and yodel and his mother taught him how to play the harmonica. Without being able to read a note he played his collection of harmonicas, the piano and organ and loved everyone to sing along in German or English. He once played all night at a wedding when the band didn't show up.
After WW II, he searched to find his family and his childhood sweetheart Selma Goerlich. They celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on May 28, 2020. He then helped rebuild the Jockisch family business which is still thriving today.
In 1952, Heinz and Selma, with their oldest daughter, immigrated to America. They settled in St. Louis, Missouri and were influential in starting the German Cultural Society, where their children learned to love their German heritage and performed traditional German dances. He was so proud of the day he became an American citizen. He remained a St. Louis Cardinal baseball fan for life. Family was everything in his life and weekends were spent playing games and enjoying nature, with fishing being one of his greatest past times. The many car trips are happy memories of singing a medley of songs from Germany and America.
While in St. Louis, he started his career in topography at the Granite City Army Depot which brought our family to Tooele, Utah in August 1970. Here he discovered the fun of being a rock hound and served as president of the Tooele Gem and Mineral Society many times. He was a member of the Elks Lodge and was very active at Saint Marguerite Parish. His German heritage made him the expert bratwurst cook at annual German booths. Heinz was also a proud head "Gusher" at masses and with his limitless energy, bingo was never quite the same when he helped.
Upon retirement, they started on their next adventure with the Heinz Rex Fur Ranch, perfecting his rabbits to "Grand Champion" award winning levels. This led to using his skills to make beautiful fur items, including his famous "woolys" and custom Alpine style bird houses to sell at craft shows throughout the USA. He was also an avid gardener and was so proud of his showplace yard. One of his favorite things to do was pick flowers and bring a bouquet to his wife Selma. Their love of travel included trips to Hawaii, Germany, the Panama Canal, Alaska and all around his beautiful country of America.
Heinz is survived by his wife Selma, his daughters; Brigitte Wisely, Christa (Wicha) Mike, Margaret (Bill) Palmer, Ingrid (Juan) Sanchez, and son George (Tammie) Jockisch. Grandchildren; Stephanie, Stephen, Nicole, Amy, Josef, Jason, William III, Katherine, Michael, Paul, Amanda, Monique, Felicia, Andreas, 16 great-grandchild and 9 great-great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Alzheimers Association. Due to the risk of Covid 19, services are for family only. Virtual services can be streamed by going to the following link https://my.gather.app/family/heinz-jockisch. The service will be streamed on Monday, June 22, 2020 at 11:00 am.