Joseph Frank Woerner

Joseph Frank Woerner was born in the Bronx, New York, October 2, 1921 to Joseph and Katherine Stegner Woerner. He passed away peacefully May 12, 2013 at the age of 91. His childhood days were spent growing up in and around Lincoln Street, in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was during his high school years that he became very interested in mining, which led to him choosing to attend college at Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado. Completing his first year there he realized his mother, who was a widow, could not afford his schooling there and began searching for gold throughout the west. Joe was a born inventor and during his search for gold, he invented a dry placer mining device.

Joe married Virginia Rita Pittarelli, of Brooklyn, New York, on February 15th, 1942. For a short while, he worked for the telephone company as a draftsman until he enlisted in the Army Air Corp as World War II was heating up. He trained as a B-24 pilot and eventually made his way to Halesworth, England in 1944 to the 846th Squadron; 489th Bomb Group; 95th Combat Wing; 2nd Air Division; 8th Air Force where he joined up with his crew. July 16th 1944, Joe and his crew flew their first completed bombing mission. They named their B-24, Callipygia. Joe additionally had 1” thick windows installed around the cockpit and ¼” steel plate on both sides of the cockpit. He was convinced this extra protection helped save their lives during their 44 missions. (The Diary of Joe Woerner, Pilot, 846th Bomb Group, was donated to the 489th Bomb Group Museum in May 2009) He was honorably discharged from the Army Air Corp at Ellington Air Force Base, Houston, Texas in 1945.

He learned about patent drafting at an airplane manufacturing plant, and upon resigning from that position, he purchased a small camping trailer and with wife, Virginia, and their two sons, headed west. They got as far as Houston in 1947 and put down roots. He worked for Harris County as a surveyor until he opened his office as a patent draftsman on July 1, 1949, the day his third son was born. His clients included a wide range of the most prestigious law firms in the country, as well as, companies like Schlumberger, Tenneco, Exxon, Cameron Iron Works, and many more. 95% of his business was involved in the process of patenting oil field related equipment. He even patented some of his own inventions.

Joe was always very responsible toward his family, which ended up being four sons. They all attended Catholic schools in Houston. Trips throughout the country were a major part of his sons’ education. He and Virginia made numerous ocean cruises and trips to various countries throughout the world. They also attended the 489th Bomb Group Reunions in various areas of the USA, as well as Halesworth, England.

He ‘retired’ in 1983 and moved to the Lake Travis area of Austin. His patent drafting work was in such demand that for the first 10 years of his “retirement” the major Houston law firms flew him back and forth between Houston and Austin and kept him busy in the patent drafting business. He spent his remaining time in retirement sculpting, (and even wrote a book, “Make Lightweight Molds & Castings”); traveling, buying and selling stocks; mastering the computer, and was an avid reader.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Virginia; and his sister, Dorothy Peyman.

Joe is survived by his four sons; Clifford and wife Gail of Austin; Steven and wife Rosemary of Jasper, Indiana: David and wife Alma of Austin; Robert and wife Delores, of Round Rock: fourteen grandchildren and fifteen great-grandchildren.

There will be a visitation from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 15, 2013. Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 16, 2013 at the Mausoleum Chapel of Cook-Walden/Capital Parks Cemetery. Entombment will follow at the mausoleum.

Memorials in Joe Woerner’s name can be made to Hospice Austin.