It Happened in Crawford County: Job brings Kahle couple to Bucyrus

Bill Kahle is a son of Ignatius Henry “Nish” Kahle and Betty Koechley Kahle. His grandmother lived in Bucyrus and met Bill’s grandfather when he worked on the railroad between Columbus and Toledo.

Bill’s great-grandmother was a member of the Haala family and Bill’s dad, Ignatius, worked in Bucyrus for the Colonial Finance Company in late 1930s before moving to Bellevue to work for the Union Bank. Bill’s dad was killed in an auto accident in 1952 outside of Clyde, leaving his pregnant wife and children, Robert, Bill, Larry and Roger. They continued to living in Bellevue where Betty raised them.

Bill started school at Bellevue at Immaculate Conception School and graduated from Bellevue High School in 1965.

He laughed, and said “I wasn’t sports inclined, definitely not musical, not the best student, but I have wonderful memories of school.”

He began working, but was drafted into the Army at Ft. Benning, Georgia, and then sent to Kaiserslautern, Germany, near France. He was an infantry field radio mechanic for 18 months until he was discharged from active duty, fulfilling his two-year commitment.

Bill returned to work with the National Cash Register Company, but a few years later, in 1973, there was a big layoff that included Bill. He enrolled in Terra Tech College at Fremont studying industrial electricity. Working up the ladder, he began at Pfizer as a Class A Electrician in Gibsonburg, leaving there to work at Uniroyal in Port Clinton as a Class A maintenance electrician.

He was working at Chrysler Corp in Sandusky as a maintenance electrician when he got a call in 1979 from the Ohio Power Company in Bucyrus. Bill worked from its office on Rensselaer Street, next to the Telegraph Forum, for 28 years, mostly in customer service, retiring in 2007. He just missed working the blizzard of '78, but he was sent to help with the Hurricane Sandy disaster in Long Island, New York, accessing what the lineman needed to repair.

Starting a life with a 'Sandusky girl'

Bill met his wife Nan Jesberger, a daughter of Arthur and Martha, when he was living in Bellevue. She is a "Sandusky girl" and worked at a hospital there. Nan went to St. Mary’s Catholic School in Sandusky, enjoyed learning and playing in the band. She graduated in 1968 and entered the Notre Dame convent, but left before she took her final vows.

Next, Nan started working at Providence Hospital there, and while visiting her good friend at Bellevue, she met Bill Kahle. They married at St. Mary’s in Sandusky, but they lived in Bellevue and she continued to work in the hospital. The three children were born there, but when Bill took the job at Ohio Power in Bucyrus, they moved.

One of Bill’s interests was bicycling, saying he was “fortunate” to ride his bike every day to work no matter the weather. When Ohio Power was located on Rensselaer Street until they moved to Quaker Road, it was a seven-mile bike round trip and he never suffered a fall.

He enjoys the sport of shooting, mostly rifle and some pistol, and has competed at Camp Perry during the national matches. He likes kayaking, just a few feet from the alligators, especially when they live in Florida for the winter.

Nan likes to crochet and enjoys walking. She worked for Attorney Helen Kendrick, Dr. Bowersock, Dr. Johnson, the Holy Trinity Office and was also their school librarian.

They are members of Holy Trinity Catholic Church where he has served on the Church Council and is also a Grand Knight with the Knights of Columbus.

Quite the cook, he is

Readers can "peek" into Bill’s fun personality with the food he shared for the Lenten potluck suppers at Holy Trinity. One week it was “Cannibal Soup,” saying he got the meat out of the hospital dumpster, served in a dish with some broth. It certainly stimulated conversations. Another week was “Starchy Tuber Soup” − just three large, unpeeled potatoes in hot brine − and another week it was his version of “Three Bean Salad” with only three beans in a large bowl.

During the Chamber of Commerce 2015 Cemetery Walk at Holy Trinity, Bill, along with Jeff Reser, cooked bratwurst at the gravesite of the Hoelzel brothers, honoring them for their famous bratwurst.

Bill also is a member of Kiwanis, president for one year and heavily involved in the Big Flush at the Bratwurst Festival. He was "dunked" more than once.

Bill and Nan have three children: Patrick, who was killed in a skiing accident in 2002; Beth Ann (Chris) Miskell, office manager at Columbus Fleet Maintenance; and Jennifer (Shawn) Vance, a stay-at-home mom and a former school teacher. They have six grandchildren.

Bill says his life has been very good, he is thankful his children could grow up in Bucyrus, and for all the involvements and activities his family enjoyed here.

Go online for more of Mary Fox’s stories and photos on bucyrustelegraphforum.com. If you are interested in sharing a story, write Mary Fox, 931 Marion Road, Bucyrus, OH 44820 or email littlefoxfactory@columbus.rr.com.

This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Ohio Power brings Bill and Nan Kahle to Bucyrus in 1979