William A. "Pat" Horsch, 81, of Slinger, died Sunday, Dec. 26, 1999, at Milwaukee Hospice of Wauwatosa.

He was born Oct. 13, 1918, in Hartford, to the late William and Della (Henn) Horsch, and attended Boys Tech of Milwaukee.

After his marriage to Lorraine A. Duehning on Feb. 17, 1940, in Dubuque, Iowa, the couple lived in Milwaukee.

He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He later was a firefighter in Milwaukee for over 34 years, retiring as captain in the early '70s. They moved to Slinger in 1975.

His wife passed away April 12, 1996.

Survivors include a daughter, Della (Robert Sr.) Van Laanen of Wauwatosa; three grandchildren, Jeffery (Rosie) Van Laanen of Germantown, Roberta (Daniel) Stadler of Menomonee Falls and Robert Jr. (Kalien) Van Laanen of West Allis; seven great-grandchildren, Corri, Christy, William, Kayla, Kasi, Jacob and Karlie; two sisters, Bea (John) Gorecki and Lorene Babush, both of Milwaukee; a brother, Owen of Stuart, Fla.; nieces; nephews; other relatives and friends.

He was a member of St. Peter's Catholic Church of Slinger, the VFW Post 3358 Zunker-Held of Slinger, Retired Professional Firefighters Association of Milwaukee and was very active in the Slinger Community serving on numerous boards.

Funeral services will be held Tuesday, Dec. 28, at 8 p.m. at The Phillip Funeral Home, Slinger. Father Robert J. Bales will officiate and interment will be in St. Peter's Cemetery Slinger, at 10 a.m. on Wednesday.

Visitation at the funeral home will be Tuesday from 4 to 8 p.m.