Chosen Families #27: The War Letters of Keith E. Prosch - RETURNED
Hello everyone! Welcome back to the Chosen Families Project.
On this episode I focus on a lot of 31 letters I purchased recently online. They were all addressed to a Keith E. Prosch between 1945-1946. Although they were not written by him, a few were written by his father, Roy Raymond Prosch, and brother Thane Prosch. I then set on the challenge to find a relative to return the collection too. I was lucky enough to find one of his children where the letters have gone home too!
Keith E. Prosch
Here is the story of Keith E. Prosch and his family from Kansas.
Keith was born in 1927 to parents Roy Raymond Prosch (b. 10 July 1890 in Sheffer, Kansas) and Opal E. Wheat (b. 22 March 1901 in Girard, Kansas). His brother, Thane E., was born the year after. The couple had gotten married on the 27 March 1925 in Great Bend, Kansas. Prior to their marriage, Roy had served as a Corporal in the Army during WWI between 9 Sep 1918- 29 March 1919. He had registered on 5 June 1918. Multiple newspaper articles from 1918 accounts for Roy Prosch’s time in the army.
The La Crosse Chieftain | 03 Apr 1919, Thu · Page 8
The La Crosse Chieftain | 26 Sep 1918, Thu · Page 8
The La Crosse Chieftain | 12 Sep 1918, Thu · Page 1
The La Crosse Chieftain | 13 Mar 1919, Thu · Page 8
McCracken Enterprise | 19 Jul 1918, Fri · Page 1
By 1940, the Roy R. Prosch and Opal had resided with their sons in Conkling, Pawnee, Kansas. Keith had enlisted in the Army Air Corps in March 1944 and served as a teletype operator during WWII, where he earned the Victory Medal for his service; he had reached the rank of Corporal.
Focusing on the letters themselves, there were 31 letters written to Keith in total. They have all been digitized and sent from the relative. The postmark dates of these letters range from 26 Dec 1945 to 2 Dec 1946. A large majority of these letters were written as communications from other members of the military, likely Keith’s friends.
A few of the letters that I will focus on however, where written by his father Roy R. Prosch, his mother Opal, and his brother Thane (going by the initials T.P and drawing a teepee symbol).
Letter From Father R.R Prosch:
Letters From Brother Thane “T.P” Prosch:
Another letter I wanted to highlight was from post marked 26 Dec 1946 from Scott Field, Illinois written by Pvt. Charles D. Scott (ASN: 1816486?) which includes a photograph of Charles D. Scott and two other unidentified servicemen out in the back of their living quarters which I have included down below.
Soon after these letters were written, however, tragedy had struck the Prosch family . On 5 April 1947, Keith’s brother, Thane Prosch, alongside two others from Fort Hays State College, Noel Wallace (22), and Frankie Summers (18) had drowned on the Meade County lake after their fishing boat had capsized. I have included articles about the incident down below. Thane was only 18 years old.
The Herald-Democrat | 24 Apr 1947, Thu · Page 1
Council Grove Republican | 08 Apr 1947, Tue · Page 1
The Wichita Eagle | 06 Apr 1947, Sun · Page 1
Thane E. Prosch was buried following his death in Dudley Township Cemetery located in Satanta, Haskell County, Kansas, USA.
Following his time in the military, in 1952 he had first married Nola Rayhill in Washington. During their marriage, they had 5 children in seven years, including daughters Debbie, Rebecca, Barbara, Delaine, and son Roy. He had worked for the railroad before discovering his lifelong career in medical technology. He trained at Deaconess Hospital in Spokane, Washington, having graduated in 1958. His career in medical technology had taken him to Sterling, Colorado, then Los Alamos, New Mexico. In 1972, he had remarried to his second wife, Audrey, finally settling in Arizona.
His father, Roy R. Prosch, passed away on 26 June 1988 at the age of 90. His wife, Keith’s mother, Opal, had passed away on the 20 Jan 2005 at the age of 103. The couple was buried alongside their son Thane in Dudley Township Cemetery. I have included both of their obituaries below.
OPAL E. PROSCH
SATANTA -- Opal E. Prosch, 103, died Thursday, Jan. 20, 2005, at Satanta Long Term Care Unit.
She was born March 22, 1901, to William S. and May Bell (Boatman) Wheat in Girard.
She married Roy Raymond Prosch May 27, 1925, in Great Bend. He died June 26, 1988.
She graduated from LaCrosse High School in 1920 and continued her education going to Fort Hays College in Hays.
She was a school teacher, bookkeeper and administrator of the Satanta District Hospital for several years.
She was a member of the United Methodist Church in Satanta.
She was a lifetime member of the Eastern Star of Rush Center. She was also a member of the Satanta Hospital Auxiliary, Happy Agers and Afternoon Circle, all of Satanta.
Survivors include one son, Keith E. Prosch and wife Audrey, Prescott, Ariz.; five grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; and many friends.
She was also preceded in death by her parents, one son, Thane Prosch, two brothers, C.J. Wheat and Ralph Wheat, one sister, Irene Williasm, and one great-grandson.
Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the United Methodist Church in Satanta with the Rev. Jeff Miller presiding.
Burial will be in the Dudley Township Cemetery in Satanta.
Friends may sign the registrar from 2 to 8 p.m. today and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday at the funeral home.
Memorials are suggested to the Happy Agers Site of Satanta and may be left at the Shopping Stop True Value in Satanta or mailed to Haskell County Funeral Home, Box 607, Sublette, KS 67877
The Wichita Eagle | 28 Jun 1988, Tue · Page 16
Keith E. Prosch would pass away 19 May 2016 at the age of 88, surrounded by his children and family.
His obituary described him intimately noting:
“Keith was a multi-faceted man with diverse interests and talents. Primarily he was an outdoorsman. He loved to camp, fish (catch and release, unless to prepare a meal for his wife!), hike, and camp. One of his frequent favorite adventures was to hike the Grand Canyon, rim-to-rim, in the full moonlight. He loved mariachi music and Beethoven. He was an avid Diamondbacks fan and loved watching baseball games. Keith was a talented cook; he loved his Hatch green chiles and any other hot pod he could get his hands on; but he toned it down when he cooked for his Aud, and any other audience. He was a gifted gardener with a particular passion and skill handling cactus. His unending thirst for knowledge kept him up on all current events; he loved to read and was particularly interested in NASA and the universe.”
I am so happy to celebrate the stories of the Prosch family and preserve their legacies of service for their country.
All of these letters have been returned to his daughter, and it brings me such joy to reunite them with her and Keith’s loved ones.
If you have any questions or comments, or need assistance in returning photographs or documents, either comment down below or contact me at thechosenfamiliesproject@gmail.com
Remember that you are loved and always welcome here.
