Joseph and Dianne (Wirth) Vass, BiographyPorter County biographical sketches . . . .
Transcribed biography of Joseph and Dianne (Wirth) Vass
JOSEPH VASS AND DIANNE (WIRTH) VASS
In September 1959, Joseph and Dianne (Wirth) Vass moved to their first home in Portage, Indiana. They were former residents of Gary, Indiana.
After previous experience at U. S. Steel and Midwest Steel, Joe was in the first group of men to begin working at Bethlehem Steel in October of 1964. Nine weeks later, Joe rolled the first plate on the 160" Plate Mill at the new Burns Harbor plant. At that time at the age of 25, Joe is believed to be the youngest roller in the world.
During 1965 Joe and Dianne built a bi-level home and moved to Old Porter Road in Portage. In November of 1968, Joe and Dianne joined Joe's brother and his wife, Michael and Delphine Vass, and purchased the Pioneer Apartments at Chicago and Franklin Sts. in Valparaiso. One year later, Joe and Dianne left Portage and took up residence in Valparaiso at the Pioneer Apartments.
Joe and Dianne have four children.
David, 16, is a junior at Valparaiso High School. David, who is employed by Jade East Restaurant, enjoys playing basketball.
Joni, 13, attends St. Paul's eighth grade. Joni plays the guitar. She also enjoys volleyball, basketball, and track.
Janine, 11, is in 6th grade at St. Pauls. "Jeannie" belongs to St. Paul's Girl Scouts.
Dan, 9, is a 3rd grader at St. Paul's. Dan dreams of the day he can have his own motorcycle and a house full of cats.
The Vass family are members of St. Paul Parish.
Joe is a board member and past president of the Bethlehem Credit Union. He belongs to the K of C and bowls with the Bethlehem Friday night men's league.
Dianne is a board member of St. Paul Oasis Club, a member of Church-women United and Welcome Wagon Alumni. She enjoys bowling in the Tuesday afternoon ladies league and playing bridge. Dianne is a member of the volunteer secretarial staff at St. Paul's School.
The whole family enjoys their summer residence on Flint Lake, where they have become enthusiastic boaters and fishermen.
Source: American Revolution Bicentennial Committee of Porter County. 1976. A Biographical History of Porter County, Indiana. Valparaiso, Indiana: American Revolution Bicentennial Committee of Porter County, Inc. 180 p.
Page(s) in Source: 170
This biography has been transcribed exactly as it was originally published in the source. Please note that we do not provide photocopies or digital scans of biographies appearing on this website.
Biography transcribed by Steven R. Shook