County of ball field: St Charles County
Location of ball field: Josephville Rd., Josephville
"Roy Joseph Wilmes passed away on February 4, 2015 at the age of 85. He was the beloved husband of Dorothy Wilmes nee Orf of Wentzville, Missouri; He is survived by his two daughters: Annette (Larry) Roettger of Josephville, MO & Nancy (Dan) Rolwes of Foristell, MO; brother, Gene (Geri) Wilmes of Josephville, MO; sister, Agnes Schipper of Josephville, MO; sister-in-law, Barb Wilmes of Josephville, MO; five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents: Joseph F. Wilmes, Jr. & Aurea M. Wilmes nee Orf; brothers: Robert & Charles Wilmes and brother-in-law, Charles Schipper. Mr. Wilmes was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Josephville. He loved baseball along with other sports. He was one of the first individuals to be inducted into the St. Charles County Baseball Hall of Fame. Roy enjoyed watching his children and grandchildren play sports. One of Roy's greatest joys was his family, he cherished being with them and valued supporting them. Roy was also a member of the local #417. He will be dearly missed by all who knew him." ~ Pittman Funeral Home
Charlie E. Wilmes passed away on November 1, 2014 at the age of 83. He was the beloved husband of Barb Wilmes nee Puff of Wentzville, Missouri; He is survived by his two sons: Steven C. (Terry) Wilmes of Wentzville, MO & Eric M. (Missy) Wilmes of Wentzville, MO; three daughters: Cheri A. (Brian) Norton of Wentzville, MO, Vicki L. (Ron) Davidson of Wentzville, MO & Susan K. (Chris) Silber of Lake Bluff, IL; two brothers: Roy J. (Dorothy) Wilmes of Wentzville, MO & Eugene (Geri) Wilmes of Wentzville, MO; sister, Agnes (Charles) Schipper of Wentzville, MO; 15 grandchildren & 4 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents: Joseph E. Wilmes & Aurea M. Wilmes nee Orf and brother, Robert Wilmes. Mr. Wilmes was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Josephville and the Wentzville American Legion. He was the proud owner of Wilmes Drywall Company. Charlie was inducted into the St. Charles County & St. Louis County Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame. He also served on the St. Charles County Hall of Fame Board. He was an avid hunter, fisher, golfer & card player. Above all Charlie was a great husband, father & grandfather and he cherished his time with all of them. He will be dearly missed by all who knew him." ~ Pittman Funeral Home
"In 1948, Alphonse (Barney) Wilmes and his brother Alois Wilmes, together with Alois Orf, prepared a ballfield off of Wilmes Rd. in the town of Josephville which became the first Josephville baseball diamond. A few years later, the ballpark was moved just up the road to Fritz Tochtrop's property.
"In 1951, Edwin Rothermich sold acerage to the Josephville Athletic Association with the stipulation that the ground would be used for a ballpark for use by the Mens Missouri Baseball Association. The East Missouri Baseball Association was well known for many years throughout St. Charles, Warren, and Lincoln counties. There was a man named Claude Taylor who was a scout for the St. Louis Cardinals and he sent many ball players from Josephville to try out for the Cardinals, but none made the team. Unfortunately, the Josephville ball team left the EMBA in the 1980's.
"In 1971, the Khoury League was brought to Josephville, and the area children began playing ball on the field. The Khoury League was later disbanded and now the children play in conjunction with other towns in the area through the OCAC.
"For many area residents, this ballpark is where many summer nights were spent with our friends while enjoying the game of baseball. The Josephville Athletic Association continues to do its best to make sure memories continue to be made at the Josephville Ballpark for all area children and make improvements to the park so it can remain a staple of our community that we can all be proud of." ~ By: Donald Wilmes for Josephville Athletic Association