August J. Metzenheim; Retired Printer

August J. Metzenheim, a longtime Ventura County resident and retired printer, died Saturday at 80.

Metzenheim spent his youth in his hometown of Milwaukee, Wis., where he was born Jan. 28, 1915.

As a young boy in Wisconsin, Metzenheim was known for his beautiful singing voice, said his daughter Jo Ann Parnell. He often sang as a soloist in the boys’ choir of his church, and he went on to sing ballads on live radio out of Chicago when he was in his early 20s.

In 1933, Metzenheim began courting Luella Irene Hansen, walking miles in the snow to visit her, Parnell said. The couple married that year and started raising their family.

Metzenheim ran a candy and popcorn store until deciding to become an apprentice at a small family owned print shop in the early 1940s.

At the recommendation of a doctor, he moved his family west in 1950 in search of warmer weather to ease back and leg pain. After a brief stint in Arizona, the family moved to Pasadena, where Metzenheim found work as a printer.

He later moved to Arcadia and began working for Avery Label Co., where he was a press operator.

After retiring in 1976, he moved with his wife to Newbury Park, a community the couple considered safer and less crowded.

In their retirement years, the couple bought a motor home and drove throughout the United States. They also traveled to Italy and Hawaii.

In their spare time, they enjoyed antique shopping and furnished their home with their finds. Metzenheim also enjoyed woodworking and made a hobby out of carving carousel horses for family members.

The couple had been married for 60 years when Luella Irene died in 1993. In 1990, on their 57th anniversary, the couple was remarried at the Ventura County Fair.

Metzenheim is survived by two daughters, Jo Ann Parnell of North Hollywood and Judith Parnell of Los Angeles; a son, Richard of Kernville, Calif.; seven grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Private services will be held under the direction of Pierce Brothers-Griffin Mortuary in Thousand Oaks.

Ventura County obituaries are published free of charge as a public service to readers. Obituaries are based on information provided by mortuaries.