Louis Michael “June” Reising, 90, of Corydon, died Friday, November 2, 2018, at the Norton Hosparus Inpatient Care Center in Louisville. He was born May 24, 1928, in Corydon, to the late Albert and Myrtle Flock Reising. At age 19, Louis signed up with the Army Airborne in 1947.
He liked the Army and made it his career. He said he got three meals a day and he didn’t have to catch, kill, grow or cook himself, and he found the work, even jumping out of airplanes, much easier than working on the farm. As a paratrooper of the 11th Airborne Division in the 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment, he served in the Korean War.
In 1950 he parachuted behind enemy lines well north of Pyongyang which is now North Korea’s capital city. The mission was a success and one of the medals he earned included the Purple Heart with three oak leaf clusters. In 1954, while stationed at Camp Wood Army Base in Kumamoto, he met and married his wife, Ikuko “Bonnie” Yamanaka.
Louis and Bonnie lived the Army life for more than twenty years. His three children were born in three different places: Sendai Japan, Fort Riley Kansas and Heidelberg Germany. In 1967 Louis served in the Vietnam War as a Platoon Sergeant.
Towards the end of his 2nd tour of duty, a bomb fell close to him, filling his body with shrapnel and hurting his back badly. The injury could not be overcome and Sergeant First Class Louis Michael Reising retired after 23 years of service. One of the medals awarded to him included the Army Commendation medal with two Oak Leaf clusters for his Vietnam service.
Louis retired to the family farm and continued farming and raising cattle. He was active in programs for Vets and volunteered to drive vets to their doctor appointments at the VA Hospital in Louisville. He served for many years in the 21 gun salute funeral services for veterans.
He was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church, the American Legion, and the V.F.W. Post 2950 all in Corydon, and the Disabled American Veterans. Besides his parents, he was preceded in death by his son, Frank A. Reising; his granddaughter, Marie A. Cagle; his brothers, Charles, Frank and Thomas Reising; and his sisters, Myrtle Bill, Treasy Dodds Siefert, Annis Cline, Matilda Cotner, Ethel Hayden and Jean Ingle. Survivors include his wife of 64 years, Bonnie Reising; his daughters, Linda Watanabe (Alan) and Joan Touchette (Albert); his grandchildren, Louis Touchette, Adam Reising, Willie Watanabe and Keenan Hale; and his great grandson, Logan Cagle.
Funeral services will be at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, November 6, 2018, at Beanblossom-Cesar Funeral Home in Corydon. Donnie Whitlow will officiate. Burial will be in St. Joseph Cemetery in Corydon.
Visitation will be from 2:00 – 8:00 p.m. Monday and after 9:00 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home. The family requests that expressions of sympathy be made to Hosparus Health of Southern Indiana. Pallbearers will be Gordon, Kerry and Donald Ingle, Timmy Priddy, Pete Hardsaw and Gerald Lowe.
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