John Fessler
| Date and Place of Birth: | February 21, 1915 Harrisburg, PA |
| Date and Place of Death: | June 10,1944 Amfreville, Normandy, France |
| Baseball Experience: | Minor League |
| Position: | Shortstop |
| Rank: | Staff Sergeant |
| Military Unit: | Service Company, 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division US Army |
| Area Served: | European Theater of Operations |
John H. Fessler, son of Leo and Florence Fessler, was born on
February 21, 1915 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Pine Grove, Pennsylvania. He
signed with the Centreville Colts of the Class D Eastern Shore League –
a Phillies farm team – in 1938. After a slow start he was released in
June and immediately signed by the Easton Cubs of the same league. Fessler, who played shortstop and second base, appeared in 25 games and
batted .180 with one home run.
Fessler was out of organized baseball in 1939, but returned in 1940 to
play in the Class D Mountain State League with the Huntington Aces and
the Bluefield Blue-Grays. In 70 games he batted .243 and drove in 25
runs.
In 1941, Fessler played 116 games at shortstop with the Goldsboro
Goldbugs of the Class D Coastal Plain League and batted .279 with 43
RBIs and league high 37 stolen bases. He also led the Goldbugs in games
played and runs scored (88), while leading the league with 481 at-bats.
Fessler entered military service on April 21, 1942 and served with the
507th Parachute Infantry Regiment. He was an outstanding member of the
regiment’s basketball team.
On June 6, 1944, Staff Sergeant Fessler parachuted into Normandy and
landed close to the Merderet River. He was killed in action just four
days later at Amfreville, on June 10, 1944.
In November 1948, Fessler's body was returned to Pine Grove and finally
laid to rest at Saint Johns Lutheran Cemetery.
|
Year |
Team |
League |
Class |
G |
AB |
R |
H |
2B |
3B |
HR |
RBI |
AVG |
| 1938 |
Centreville/ Easton |
Eastern Shore | D | 25 | 89 | 11 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 8 | .180 |
| 1939 | Did Not Play | |||||||||||
| 1940 |
Huntington/ Bluefield |
Mountain State | D | 70 | 263 | 41 | 64 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 25 | .243 |
| 1941 | Goldsboro | Coastal Plain | D | 116 | 481 | 88 | 134 | 21 | 6 | 2 | 43 | .279 |
John Fessler's grave at Saint Johns Lutheran Cemetery in Pine Grove, Pennsylvania
Thanks to Astrid van Erp for help with information for this biography.
Date Added January 29, 2012 Updated August 2, 2017
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