Erwin H. Dressman, 77, formerly of Goodland, KS, died October 3, 2003, at Royal Terrace Nursing Home in Olathe, KS, from complications of a stroke.

He was born January 24, 1926, at Baileyville, KS, the son of Joseph and Helen Heiman Dressman. As a boy of the Great Depression era, he raised money trapping animals for fur, and helped on the family farm. He attended Sacred Heart School in Baileyville.

In August 1944, he entered the U.S. Army and was transferred to the Rhineland in January 1945. He was a machine gunner running nighttime sorties behind enemy lines in the forward advance on Germany and excelled at the .38 caliber. His unit came under fire on March 5 and sustained heavy casualties. Several American Indian comrades succeeded in retrieving him from the field and transported him back to safety. He spent the next six months in rehabilitation before returning to his hometown. He received the Purple Heart and his unit was awarded the Distinguished Unit Emblem for bravery.

Erwin met his future wife, Nancy Mealy, of Axtell, KS, at a holiday dance, when he teasingly hooked her with his cane as she strode past him on the dance floor. They were married on April 3, 1948, and the union produced 13 children. Erwin had a long career as a cattle buyer, pursuing that trade in western Kansas. He had a reputation of being able to guess the weight of any animal to within a few pounds just by looking at it. He moved to Olathe in October 2002.

Survivors are his wife, Nancy, Overland Park, KS; seven sons, Martin of Kansas City, MO, Terry of Overland Park, KS, Tim of Hutchinson, Jason of Longview, TX, Richard of Plano, TX, James of Granbury, TX, and Neal of St. Peters, MO; six daughters, Shana Handley of Overland Park, KS, and Sheila Sisk of Fairway, KS, Marian Lutters of Burlington, CO, Lisa House of Goodland, Janet Brown of Parker, CO and Muriel McCants of Escalon, CA; three brothers, Edwin of Frankfort, Dallas of Baileyville, KS and Lester of Topeka; a sister, Glenda Bruna of Hanover; 26 grandchildren; five step-grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, two sisters in infancy, and two brothers, Clarence and Alvin.

Mass of Christian burial will be 11 AM Friday, October 10, at Sacred Heart Church in Baileyville. Burial will be in the Sacred Heart Church cemetery, with military honor guard by the R.R. Hendricks Post #216 of the American Legion at Axtell. The rosary will be prayed at 7 PM Thursday at Lauer Funeral Home in Seneca.

The family requests that in memory of Erwin’s dedication to the cattle business, in lieu of sending flowers, please spend the money on a good steak for yourself.