RACINE - LeRoy Russell Hess Jr., 88, passed away on Monday, July 27, 2015 at his residence surrounded by his family. He was a lifelong resident of Racine, born on December 10, 1926, the son of the late LeRoy and Marianne (nee: Christensen) Hess Sr. Roy left Horlick High School at the age of 17 and enlisted in the United States Marine Corp and served in the Pacific during World War II. He then attended the Racine Extension, where he met and fell in love with his wife of 64 years, Diana Vaughan. They both graduated from UW Madison on June 15, 1951 and were married in Racine the following day; then drove to Quantico the next day, where he re-enlisted. He fought on the front lines during the Korean Conflict, where he was awarded two bronze stars. When he returned home he was commissioned to start up the Marine Reserves in Milwaukee, where he served as Captain for ten years. Roy worked at Western Publishing for many years as a Market Research Analyst, until his retirement in 1989. He loved to go duck and pheasant hunting with his two close friends, Fred Yocco and Joe Scholz and his dog Mike. We enjoyed many great Thanksgiving dinners through their efforts. We also enjoyed listening to him play the ukulele, and the ‘Boogie Woogie' on the piano. LeRoy was a member of American Legion Post, VFW and Kappa Chi Phi. He was also a member of Pheasants Forever and Ducks Unlimited. Roy will be remembered as a very strong, responsible, caring and loving husband, father, brother, son and friend. He will be dearly missed and we were all blessed to have him with us so long. He is survived by his much beloved wife, Diana and their children: Heather (David) Saxton of Lomira, Kimberly Hess of Racine and LeRoy 'Roy' (Nancy) Hess III of Cornville, AZ; five grandchildren, Amy (Jeff) Stelk, Tim Saxton, Jessica (Alex) Nelson, Gunnar Hess and Meghan (Jason) Keller; 11 great grandchildren, brother and sisters- in-law, David (Marlene) Hess of Menomonie Falls, Margie Hess of Lockport, IL. He is further survived by nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Roy was preceded in death by brothers, Robert Hess and Terry Hess. Funeral services will be held at Sturino Funeral Home on Monday, August 3, 2015 at 2 p.m. Roy will be laid to rest in Mound Cemetery with full military honors. There will be a visitation at the funeral on Monday from 1:30 p.m. until time of service at 2 p.m. For those wishing to remember Roy in a special way may direct memorials to the Salvation Army, 1901 Washington Ave. Racine, WI 53405 or the , 620 S 76th St. Ste 160, Milwaukee, WI 53214. Sturino Funeral Home 3014 Northwestern Ave. Racine, WI 53404 262-632-4479 www.sturinofuneralhome.com