Harvey J. "Duke" Kessler

Harvey Junior “Duke” Kessler passed away May 22, 2025 in Westminster, Colorado. He was born March 1, 1929 on the Kessler farm in Okaton, South Dakota. He was the fifth of seven children of Harvey Lowell Kessler and Nellie Eva (Cox) Kessler. The Kessler family was extremely close, fiercely loyal and valued the hard work that farming in the early 20th century demanded. Duke was defined by his innate abilities to work with anyone, make friends, and complete all things to the highest standard. He always had a project to work on. Even as a young boy this showed as he plowed space near the dam on the family farm and raised his own produce just to have his own garden. 

Duke attended school through eighth grade at the Kessler School close to the farm, and later attended high school, staying in the dormitories available at Okaton School, Murdo High School, and New Underwood High School from which he graduated in 1947. He worked many jobs, including road construction and delivering fuel from Sinclair, Wyoming to the Dakotas. His big project was to purchase his own cattle so he could start his own farm. 

The Korean War intervened in 1950, when Duke was drafted into the United States Army and assigned to the 45th Infantry Division when it was federalized and brought to full strength for the war. He completed basic training and infantry school at Fort Polk, Louisiana and was assigned to the heavy weapons platoon, Company H, 1st Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment as a heavy machine gunner. In April 1951 the regiment was sent from Fort Polk to Hokkaido, Japan, aboard the USNS Marine Lynx. They transited the Panama Canal, which was a source of amazement for the many country boys in the unit.They suffered through a historic Pacific storm with 30 foot waves towering over their ship for several days, as Duke vividly described. After training in Japan, the regiment ultimately landed in Inchon, Korea in December 1951. Duke and his fellow soldiers replaced the 1st Cavalry Division on the front lines on Christmas Day. They were in combat with the Chinese Red Army, suffering through large artillery and infantry attacks in the miserable winter of the Korean mountains. They sometimes endured as many as 14,000 rounds of artillery in a night and were briefly overrun by the Chinese during a particularly heavy infantry attack, which Duke survived despite a Chinese tank crushing his gun emplacement. At one point, his company went 43 days without a shower. True to the Kessler family ethic, he sent his pay home to support his parents. He returned to the US on the Marine Lynx, landing in San Francisco where he was given $30 in travel funds to find his way back home to South Dakota. As with many of his fellow veterans, Duke never discussed these times until much later in life, and only in small increments. 

Duke took advantage of the GI Bill and enrolled at Black Hills State Teachers’ College (now Black Hills State University) in 1953. Not one to sit still, and being tall and very strong, he paid his living expenses by working as a Spearfish police officer. Duke was very proud that he was able to use his personality instead of force to handle police interactions. As always, he made many close friends and was a popular figure on campus, becoming president of the Phi Sigma Epsilon fraternity. He graduated in 1957 with an Education degree and minors in mathematics and physical science. It was while he was at BHTC that he met his future wife, Janet Dorine Aho from Arpan, South Dakota. Janet was the Phi Sigma Epsilon sweetheart, and captured his heart with her lively personality, intelligence, work ethic and platinum blonde hair. They were married on June 2, 1957 in Spearfish, South Dakota. 

After their wedding, the couple moved to Mountain Home, Idaho where Janet taught music at the nearby SAC base, and Duke taught mathematics at Mountain Home High School and trigonometry at the SAC base to B-36 navigators who were learning stellar navigation. Looking for new opportunities and to start a family, the Duke and Janet moved to Casper, Wyoming, where they would reside for the next 44 years. Janet taught music and then English at Dean Morgan Junior High School while Duke taught mathematics at East Junior High School. Both took summer courses, and Duke studied mathematics at Montana State University and the University of Wyoming on a National Science Foundation fellowship. He received a Master’s degree in School Administration from the University of Wyoming in 1976. 

During the many years the Kesslers spent in Casper, they loved to attend big band performances and dances with their large friend group of Casper teachers, and hosted innumerable dinner parties, barbecues and happy hours. After living in town, Duke built a new home on five acres in Vista West I, where he planted hundreds of trees and shrubs and a full acre garden. He later added beehives to support pollination of the garden and for honey production. During this time, Duke joined the Masons, even advancing to become a senior member of the Korein Shrine. 

Duke and Janet had two children, Kelly and Lisa, who he loved dearly and of whom he was very proud. He spent time with his family camping, and took Kelly on many fishing and hunting trips, including a float plane fishing trip to Saskatchewan. He and Kelly travelled to hunting dog trials with Duke’s black labradors, Sootie and Jill. Lisa and Duke worked hand in hand every year moving irrigation pipes, pruning trees, gardening, and canning thousands of jars of tomatoes, pickles, beans and applesauce. Duke was a huge fan of the Casper Troopers Drum Corps, following them closely when Lisa was a member, including a trip to the DCI World Championships in Montreal, Canada. 

While teaching at East, Duke became involved with the Natrona County Education Association. He used his talent for negotiation and leadership when he was nominated to the negotiating committee that obtained a new contract with the Natrona County School District, after what had been a contentious time between the teachers and the school district. His activity with NCEA drew the attention of the Wyoming Education Association, who hired him as their Field Representative in 1970. He travelled around the state, assessing school districts, representing teachers in dealings with their school districts and the State of Wyoming, and educating local leaders on how the state tax structures affected their students. 

After he received his Master’s Degree, Duke became the WEA UNISERV Director. In this role he represented the WEA at the Wyoming Legislature and in Washington DC. He developed close relationships, both professional and personal, with legislators throughout the state. Duke never gave up on anyone, and worked tirelessly to find common ground with everyone he met, including Wyoming governors, US congressmen and senators, and local Wyoming legislators. He mastered the legislative process enabling him to accomplish his most treasured professional achievement where he led the WEA lobbying efforts and negotiations for several bills that added teachers in the Wyoming State Retirement System. This legislation also allowed the Retirement System to invest in securities other than treasury bills. Those innovations allowed thousands of teachers in Wyoming to retire without fear of poverty, and vastly increased the retirement benefits for all State retirees. 

Duke and Janet retired in 1990, at which time he took up restoring a 1953 Buick Super, playing the piano and researching family trees, which he continued until the end of his life. The Kesslers travelled to Europe and Hawaii, drove to Alaska, and toured the US with their many Casper friends. They spent winters in Mesa, AZ finally relocating there in 2002. Many of their friends from Black Hills State and Casper teaching community were also in Mesa, where the Kesslers happily hosted many dinner parties. Duke was also an accomplished cook which came in handy when entertaining family and friends. He treasured visits with his grandchildren, Nathan and Addison. He spent hours doing activities with them, like trips to see burrowing owls, visiting the Wurlitzer organ at Organ Stop Pizza, making ice cream, baking cinnamon rolls or just playing in the pool. 

The Kesslers moved to Colorado in 2019 to be close to Lisa’s family, living in Broomfield and Thornton. 

For those who knew Duke, this obituary is woefully incomplete. He served on many committees and boards, including Chairman of Blue Cross Blue Shield for two terms. It is impossible to recount the number of grilled steaks, trips, parties, lively political debates and conversations, jokes, dinners, bottles of wine and scotch, home baked bread, camping and bird watching outings, and innumerable other activities that he shared with all of you. 

Duke truly loved his friends, and adored his family. He spoke to Lisa and Kelly and all of his siblings several times a week for decades. He avidly followed his grandchildren’s activities and achievements. 

He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Lowell (Dorothy) of Sturgis SD, brother Glenn (Hazel) of Buffalo WY and sister Lorraine Waitman of Spearfish SD. 

He is survived by his wife, Janet of Broomfield CO, brother Larry (Wanda) of Grand Island NE, brother Loyal (Inge) of Red Lodge MT, sister Esther (Art) Arp of Spearfish SD, son Kelly of Casper WY, daughter Lisa (Thoro Constantinides) Kessler of Thornton CO, grandchildren Nathan and Addison Constantinides and several cousins and other extended family. We all miss him dearly.

Funeral Services are scheduled at 11:00 am on Friday, June 20, 2025 at Newcomer Casper Chapel with interment following at Oregon Trail State Veterans Cemetery.

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