Harold Kosel

Harold Frank Kosel, 96, passed away peacefully in San Angelo, Texas on September 4, 2023 with family by his side.  He had been living with dementia for several years.  Harold was born on August 20, 1927 in Barclay, Texas to Edward A. Kosel and Emilie Voltin; he was the oldest of 4 children.

Harold married the love of his life, Jane Hoelscher, at the Church of the Visitation in Westphalia, Texas on June 1, 1954.   They met at a church dance and continued polka dancing throughout their years together.  From 1989 thru 2019 they were very active members of the Polka Lovers Klub of America.

Harold served in the Navy from 1946-1948 where he trained as an Electronic Technician and was then assigned to the U.S.S. Yosemite.  Upon leaving the Navy, he obtained an Electrical Engineering degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1955.  After graduation, he worked at Allis-Chalmers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Houston, TX; Kordite Co. in Tyler, TX ; and finally at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.  He worked at NASA from 1965 until his retirement in 1992; his work supported the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz and Space Shuttle programs.  He very much enjoyed this work.

Harold liked to spend his free time working on cars, stock market investing, keeping up with polka band schedules, polka dancing, and enjoying time with family.

Harold is survived by:

·       His 5 children:  James Kosel and his wife Cynthia, John Kosel and his wife Happy, Thomas Kosel, Linda Murphy and her husband Kevin, and Ted Kosel and his wife Jennifer.

·       His 7 grandchildren:  C.J., Brady, Hayley, Wesley, Robin, Kyle, and Spencer.  His great-grandchild Bennett Grace.

·       His sister Carolyn Hartman and brother Ray Kosel.

Harold was proceeded in death by his parents, his sister Helena who lived for a short period of time, and his wife Jane.  They were married 65 years.

Harold’s funeral will take place on Tuesday September 19th at the Church of the Visitation in Westphalia, Texas.  A rosary is scheduled for 10am, a family presentation for 10:45am, the funeral mass for 11 am, and final prayers and military presentation at the nearby cemetery pavilion at 12:15. Lunch will follow.