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He worked briefly at the glass plant below Cabot, at Armco (for one day!), and he also worked at the railroad dispatch office in Cabot. At some point he was working for only 50 cents an hour! He and Mom at one time operated the small grocery store in Cabot, where folks could come in for a cup of coffee, etc. As the depression descended, work was scattered so that the year Bev was born, 1929, Daddy worked only 3 months during the entire year. Her recollection is that Daddy was good with figures, but never found employment using his ability. Instead, he eventually was hired by Schenley Distilleries below Freeport as a painter and he worked there until he retired.

He was a lifelong member of the Cabot Methodist Episcopal Church. He was very pleased to be able to become a member of the Mason Lodge and reguarly attended their meetings in Tarentum. He was always interested in politics, voting in every election, and at one point ran for the office of Register & Recorder in Butler County. Unfortunately he was not supported by enough people (Mom was embarrassed by his decision, too) and he lost the election.

He was very good at keeping the lawn mowed, using a push mower, and was a diligent gardener. He grew potatoes, corn, tomatoes, beans, onions ... and at times we even had some pigs in the back sheds. Mostly though, the only animals we had were chickens which we raised for the eggs and later, for food.

Daddy loved to drive, although he was a terror behind the wheel since he was too busy looking at everything around him! We often drove on a Sunday afternoon to visit relatives. He liked the Studebaker cars and drove them for a number of years. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1976 with a lovely family dinner at the Horn of Plenty restaurant in Butler on Saturday evening, followed by a Sunday afternoon reception at home for friends and relatives. We had a lovely weekend, and had family photos taken by Carl Huffman. This would be the last time the entire family would be together before he passed away. Daddy was losing a considerable amount of weight, but he sure did enjoy the parties. He visited us in the spring of 1977 ... We knew that he was not feeling at all well but we were still surprised to hear that he went into the hospital in Butler just a few days after he and Mom flew home. He was never to go home again, for he died 25 May 1977 just the day before their 51st wedding anniversary.

References

Last data update: Dec 10, 2025

1900 United States Census document, Winfield Township, Butler County, PA; Enumeration date: June 15th, 1900, page 7, lines 87-98 Citation post date: 2009-07-04

1910 United States Census Document, Winfield Township, Butler County, PA; Enumeration date: May 2, 1910, page 8, lines 26-35 Citation post date: 2009-07-08

Find A Grave internet website for grave markers, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/87783367/kenneth_w-hesselgesser Citation post date: 2025-12-10

Personal genealogical research information and notes provided by James E. Sutton III, Citation post date: 2006-06-09

Personal genealogical research information and notes provided by Nancy Lee (Hesselgesser) Sutton, Citation post date: 2006-06-09