| Notes |
- FATHER JOSEPH DERKS SDS
Born July 14, 1911 - Died August 8, 1994
Father Joseph Derks (birth name: Theophilus "Teddy" Anthony) was born in 1911 in
Covington, Kentucky. His family moved to Kimberly, Wisconsin, just outside
Appleton, when he was very small. He attended Salvatorian Seminary in St. Nazianz
for high school and the first two years of college, after which he entered the
Society's Novitiate there in 1932. He made his profession of vows on September 8,
1933. He completed his studies for the priesthood at Catholic University in
Washington, DC, where he was ordained to the priesthood in the Shrine of the
Immaculate Conception on June 7, 1938. From 1939 to 1945, he was a teacher, Glee
Club director, and athletic director in the seminary in St. Nazianz. In 1945 he
was assigned as associate pastor of Mother of Good Counsel Parish in Milwaukee,
and in 1953, he became pastor. He remained in this assignment until his retirement
in 1983 - a total of thirty-eight years of ministry to the parish. In 1993, he
moved to Jordan Hall, after having lived several years in an apartment with another
Salvatorian priest. Diagnosed with cancer several months before his death, he moved
to St. Mary's Nursing Home, where he died on August 8, 1944. He was buried in the
community cemetery in St. Nazianz. A tall man with a stately demeanor, Fr. Joe is
remembered for his tremendous dedication to his parish. He never lost sight of his
call to serve, and to preach a gospel of love and forgiveness. He was a "hands-on"
priest who enjoyed being involved in every aspect of parish life, from celebrating
the sacraments to getting out and mowing the lawns. He was warm and outgoing, a
down-to-earth man who gave witness to what he preached.
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1911 - 1994 (83 years)
