A memorial service for Wilbert Fritz Loesch, 82, a Gardnerville resident for the past 24 years, will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday at Calvary Chapel of Carson Valley in Gardnerville.
Mr. Loesch died Sept. 16, 2001, at Carson-Tahoe Hospital. He was born Aug. 20, 1919, in Chicago to Fred and Grace Wodrich Loesch.
Before moving to Gardnerville, he lived at South Lake Tahoe.
Mr. Loesch and his wife owned Loesch's Bakery at South Lake Tahoe for 11 years. Regular customers included Emmett Kelly, Liberace, the Air Force Thunderbirds, Vicki Carr and Sammy Davis Jr.
He also did baking for Sharkey's Serbian Christmas celebrations. He was a personal baker for General "Hap" Arnold, Western Flying Training Command in Santa Ana, Calif. He flew under the Golden Gate Bridge with an unnamed colonel. While working during the 1950s in Menlo Park, Calif., he baked for Shirley Temple Black.
He served for four years in the Army Air Corps during World War II.
He was preceded in death by his sister Lenore Logan and daughter Carol Layne.
Among his survivors are his wife Darlene of Gardnerville; daughters Cheryl Loesch of Seattle, Wash., and Mary Riley of Gardnerville; sons Steven Loesch of Sparks and Wilbert Allen of Friendship, Wis.; grandchildren Timothy of Sparks, Sarah of Gardnerville and Rebecca of Reno and great-grandson Colby James of Sparks.
Cremation will be at FitzHenry's Crematory.
Memorial contributions may be made to Calvary Chapel of the Carson Valley, 1516 Hwy. 395, Gardnerville 89410 or the American Cancer Society, 712 Mill St., Reno 89502.
FitzHenry's Carson Valley Funeral Home, Gardnerville is in charge of arrangements.
