77. Joseph A.⁴ Phelps (Eva³ Todish, John², Martin¹) was born in Menominee, Menominee Cty, MI June 29, 1919. Joseph died October 24, 1980 in Menominee, Menominee Cty, MI, at 61 years of age. His body was interred October 28, 1980 in Riverside Cemetery, Menominee, MI.

He married Jane Mildred Reiswitz in Menominee, Menominee Cty, MI, June 8, 1940. Jane was born in Green Bay, Brown Cty, WI February 9, 1920. Jane was the daughter of Oscar Reiswitz and Clara Wittmeier. Jane died March 14, 1991 in Marinette, Marinette Cty, WI, at 71 years of age. Her body was interred March 18, 1991 in Riverside Cemetery, Menominee, MI. Marinette Eagle-Star March 15, 1991 Mrs. Jane Mildred Phelps Mrs. Jane Mildred Phelps, age 71, of 1200 36th Ave., Menominee, died Thursday, March 14, 1991 at Bay Area Medical Center. The former Jane Reiswitz was born Feb. 9, 1920 in Green Bay. She married Joseph Phelps June 8, 1940 in Menominee. He died October 24, 1980. Jane was a member of Resurrection Catholic church and worked for the Menominee Herald Leader for 25 years. She is survived by 1 daughter, Mrs. Pamela (Thomas) Queoff, of Wausau, Wis., 2 sons, Lawrence and Randy of Menominee, 1 grandson, Joseph, and 1 granddaughter, Angela, 2 sisters, Gertrude DeMeuse, of Oakland, Calif., Dorothy Weber, of Peshtigo, Elsie Peterson, of Marinette, 5 brothers, Eugene Reiswitz and Ben Reiswitz, both of Menominee, Roger and William Reiswitz, both of Marinette, and Jerry Reiswitz, of Oakland, Calif. She is also survived by 3 special friends, Arlend and Loretta Dellisse, and Germaine Phelps. One son, Ronald Joseph died in Vietnam, November 14, 1967. Friends may call at the Cadieu Funeral home Sunday from 4 to 8 p.m. A prayer service will be held at 6 p.m. Funeral services will be held on Monday at 11 a.m. at Resurrection church. Father Norman Clisch will officiate. Burial will be in Riverside Cemetery, Menominee. A memorial fund has be established. Those serving as pallbearers will be Lawrence, Randy and Wallace Phelps, Greg Albrecht, Arlend and James Dellisse. Marinette Eagle-Star October 25, 1980 Joseph Phelps Joseph Phelps, 61, of 1200 36th Ave., Menominee, was dead on arrival at Menominee County Lloyd Hospital Friday afternoon. He was born June 29, 1919, in Menominee and lived there all of his life. He was an employee of Giddings and Lewis Foundry. He married the former Jane Reisivitz in 1940 in Menominee. He was a member of Resurrection Church. Surviving besides his wife are two sons, Larry and Randy of Menominee; a daughter Pamela Leemon of Lakewood, Colo., a brother Wallace of Menominee; three sisters, Mrs. Francis Raygo of Marinette, Mrs. Joseph Schuster of Escanaba and Miss Germaine of Menominee and two grandchildren. A son, Ronald, was killed Nov. 14, 1967 in Vietnam. Friends may call at the Lemieux Funeral Home Monday from 4 to 9 p.m. Liturgical prayers will be held at 7:30 p.m. Final rites will be conducted Tuesday at 11 a.m. at the church. The Rev. Norman Clisch will officiate. Burial will be in Riverside Cemetery.

Joseph A. Phelps and Jane Mildred Reiswitz had the following children:

244 i. Larry⁵ Phelps (living status unknown).

245 ii. Randy Phelps (living status unknown).

246 iii. Pamela Phelps (living status unknown).

247 iv. Ronald Joseph Phelps was born January 13, 1947. Ronald died November 14, 1967 in Thua Thien, South Vietnam, at 20 years of age. Posted by CLAY MARSTON, Biographical Researcher http://www.thevirtualwall.org/search/search_index_asp.asp?whole_name=p helps%2C+ronald&simplesearch=1 At about 1040 hours on 14 November 1967,Captain Milton George Kelsey - Pilot,1st Lieutenant Thomas Anthony Carter - Co-Pilot, Corporal Ronald Joseph Phelps - Crew Chief, lifted off from VMO-3s mat at Phu Bai in BUNO 153757, designated SCARFACE 1 - 0. At 1145, they picked up Major General Bruno Arthur Hochmuth Commanding General, 3rd Marine Division, his military aide-de-camp Major Robert Andrew Crabtree, and liaison Major Nguyen Ngoc Chuong, to visit ARVN Brigadier General Ngo Quang Truong in Hue. The aircraft departed the hospital pad at Hue Citadel at 1145, enroute to Dong Ha and was chased by HMM-364 UH-34, piloted by Captain J. A. Chauncey. At 1150 the aircraft was flying northwest over Highway 1 at about 1500 feet. At YD 672266, Captain Chauncey saw the aircraft's nose yaw to the right twice and at the same instant the aft engine section exploded in an orange fireball. The fuselage separated from the rotor and the aircraft fell in pieces. The fuselage landed inverted in a flooded rice paddy; the tail cone a short distance away. A Sparrowhawk was immediately dispatched, as well as an aircraft recovery team from VMO-3. Burning fuel on the surface of the rice paddy hampered recovery, however, there was no evidence of explosion in the fuselage. The bodies were returned to Phu Bai and pronounced by Lieutenant John Parrish; all are believed to have been killed on impact. Immediately after the crash, and in the years since, a great many rumors circulated concerning the cause, ranging from enemy ground fire, to ARVN artillery fire, to United States friendly fire, and even sabotage. Major General Hochmuth was the first and only Marine Corps general officer to die in Vietnam, and there was a great deal of pressure to list his death as combat related. Moreover, this was VMO-3s largest loss of life in Vietnam and it was difficult to accept that these flyers could have died in anything but combat. In fact, the aircraft suffered a tail rotor gear box failure and the official findings on the incident, submitted by Brigadier General Robert Keller in November 1967, stated, " there is no evidence to indicate this mishap was caused either by hostile action or inadvertent friendly fire."

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