Theodore Hoerstman (Courtesy Iowa Department of Public Safety)
Theodore Anthony “Ted” Hoerstman, a 45-year-old disabled adult, was reported missing to the Dubuque Police Department in Dubuque, Iowa, on December 6, 1982.
Dubuque in Dubuque CountyHoerstman, initially listed on the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s Missing Person Information Clearinghouse, was removed from the site in 2011 and he is now presumed deceased. Date of date is listed as the same day he went missing.
At the time of his disappearance, Hoerstman was 45 years old, 5-foot-9, weighed 175 pounds and had brown hair, brown eyes and a mustache.
Identifying characteristics included a one-inch appendectomy scar and a scar on his right calf. He had the name “Sharon” tattooed on his lower right arm.
Theodore Hoerstman was born on April 22, 1937, the son of Anthony and Anne (Didesch) Hoerstman. He married Sharon M. Shaw on May 30, 1963, in Dubuque. The couple had two daughters, Vickie and Toni.
Courtesy photo Egelhof, Siegert & Casper Funeral HomesAfter her husband’s disappearance, Sharon went to work for the Dubuque Packing Company, where she was employed for the next 27 years. Sharon passed away on November 5, 2010, at the Stonehill Care Center.
In addition to his wife, Hoerstman was survived by daughters, Vickie L. Huff of Dubuque, and Toni A. (Rich) Davis of Iowa City; a brother, William Hoerstman; a sister-in-law, Wanda L. Schaller of Dubuque; a brother-in-law, Reece N. (Ann) Shaw of Dubuque; and many nieces and nephews.
Theodore Hoerstman has a gravestone in Dubuque Memorial Gardens in Dubuque. It also lists his date of death as December 6, 1982.
If you have any information concerning Theodore Hoerstman’s disappearance or death, please contact the Dubuque Police Department at 563-589-4410.
I did a little research on Ancestry, and found four different family trees, two of them show a date of birth of April 22, 1938 and two of them with April 22, 1937. I found that his father married his mother on June 17, 1937, according to the Iowa State Department f Health record which was signed by the pastor of St, Mary’s Church, in Dubuque. A 1940 Census record shows him as being 2, when it was enumerated on May 13, 1940.
Also, he served in the U.S. Air Force sometime around 1959. Also his father Anthony Hubert Hoerstman died on October 19, 1981. His mother passd away a few years earlier. Also, Theodore had a brother William Patrick Hoerstman, who was born in 1945. He died in 2017. Their was a reference to him on a Family Tree, but no name was mentioned.
So, I wonder if he was still grieving his father’s death. One Family Tree pisting showed a number of pictures. None of them had his brother in them. It could have been the age difference. He would have been sx years older.
I think the authorities need to verify his date of birth. But, then he considered deceased, so why would the Dubuque Police Department make the effort. It would be interesting to find out what his disability was.
I wonder what his relationship was with his younger brother. I found it interesting that his brother was not mentioned in any time lines listed on the four family trees that were posted on Ancestry.
Maybe, I might call NamUs and pass it along to them about the age situation.
It does not explain how he was dsabled. Also no information, on the details of his disappearance. When, Where, Why, Who, and How, of his disappearance. This is the basics of police work. I assume the police department know this.