Advertisement Hilda O. Angell
ONALASKA - Hilda O. Angell, 94, of Onalaska died Sunday, Jan. 17, 2010, at Onalaska Care Center.
She was born Nov. 26, 1915, in Richland Center, Wis., to Herman and Edith (Hilleshiem) Engendorf. She married George V. Angell on Oct. 28, 1945. Hilda worked in the dietary department at University Hospital in Madison for over 37 years.
She and her husband enjoyed camping, car races at Angell Park Speedway and following the Wisconsin Badgers team sporting events. After retirement, they moved to Babbitt, Minn., in 1987.
Throughout the years, she maintained contact with her many friends and family by faithfully corresponding through letters.
Following the death of her husband of 62 years in 2008, she moved to Onalaska Care Center so she could be closer to her family. While a resident of the care center, Hilda enjoyed playing bingo and attending church services. She loved her new friends at Onalaska Care Center.
Hilda is survived by many nieces and nephews.
In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents; three brothers, Walter, Clyde and Otto Engendorf; and four sisters, Marie McNamer, Lucille Engendorf, Helen Burke and Ethelyn Kretschmann.
Memorial services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Fossum Funeral Home, Onalaska. She will be buried at a later date beside her husband in Argo Cemetery in Babbitt.
Harlan K. Ruskell
ONALASKA - Harlan K. Ruskell, 97, of Onalaska died Monday, Jan. 18, 2010, at Onalaska Care Center.
He was born in Rockham, S.D., Oct. 21, 1912, to Fred and Laura (Kilpatrick) Ruskell. He graduated from high school in Lakefield, Minn., then moved to Wisconsin. He graduated from Platteville State Teachers College, Platteville, Wis., in 1939, with a degree in agriculture education and taught high school agriculture for three years prior to serving as an officer in the Army during World War II.
Harlan married Dorothy Schell on Oct. 27, 1945, in Norwalk.
He attended graduate school at UW-Madison and served as a 4-H agent in Iowa and Dunn counties before moving to Norwalk, where he taught veterans farm training and farmed. He served on Norwalk school board and was president of Norwalk Creamery.
In 1965, they moved to Onalaska, where Harlan worked as a right-of-way agent for State Department of Transportation until retirement in 1978. He also was an assessor for the towns of Shelby and Holland.
But life wasn’t all about work. Harlan gave back by volunteering, kept in touch with the earth by gardening, maintained his health with exercise, challenged himself intellectually by reading and was always ready for a social outing.
Harlan is survived by his wife; daughter and son-in-law, Diane and David Schumacher of Onalaska; two granddaughters, McKenna (Steve) Pfeiffer of Hudson, Wis., and Nicole (Leo) D’Amico of Italy; sisters, Doris Thoreson of Lakefield, Minn., Dorothy Miller of Sherburn, Minn., and Marian Olson of Hawaii; sister-in-law, Betty Ruskell of Jackson, Minn.; nieces and nephews; and son’s fiancée Jaye Marcorelle of Los Gatos, Calif.
He was preceded in death by his son, Mark; his parents; three brothers, Homer, Robert and Warren; and sister, Helen.
Memorial services will be at 11 a.m. Friday at First Congregational Church, 2503 Main St., La Crosse. The Rev. Ted Dewald will officiate. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until the time of services Friday at the church. Interment will be in Wanderers Rest Cemetery, Norwalk, at a later date. Memorials are preferred and may be directed to First Congregational Church, Norwalk United Methodist Church or The Salvation Army. Fossum Funeral Home of Onalaska is assisting with arrangements.
Harlan was a gentle man who loved his family deeply. He always had a smile to share, an ear to lend and a kind word about everyone. The family wishes to thank the staff at Onalaska Care Center for their wonderful care and friendship.
Jeremy “Jerm” Kohls
WEST SALEM — Jeremy “Jerm” Kohls, 37, of West Salem passed away unexpectedly Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010, at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center.
He was born in Willmar, Minn., Aug. 22, 1972, to Charles and Linda Kohls. He was a graduate of Holmen High School in 1990, and was voted class clown. He started to work at Empire Screen Printing after graduation and continued to work there until the time of his death. Jeremy loved to hunt and was a motorcycle fanatic. He always saw the humorous side of life.
He was married to Jessica Cole, and they were later divorced.
Jeremy is survived by his daughter, Abigail, the light of his life; his fiancé, Tricia Lastofka and son, Ian; his mother, Linda Kohls and fiancé, Scott Jungen; father, Charles Kohls; brother, Tracy Kohls; and special nephew, Noah; aunts, uncles and many close friends, especially Bob Armstrong and Kevin Mason.
He was preceded in death by his grandparents.
Funeral services will be held at 8 p.m. Thursday at Blaschke & Schneider Funeral Home, 1501 West Ave. S., La Crosse. Vicar Lauren Carlson of English Lutheran Church will officiate.
Friends and family may call from 4:30 p.m. until the time of services Thursday at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorials are requested for a trust fund for his daughter, Abby.
Joe F. Nesbitt
HOLMEN — Joe F. Nesbitt, 74, of Holmen died Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010, at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse. He was born Feb. 27, 1935, in Wynona, Okla., to Neil Nesbitt and Mildred (Neighty) Nesbitt. Joe served in the U.S. Navy from 1955 to 1961. On Aug. 1, 1959, he was united in marriage to Mary Saldana. Joe worked at M&I Drilling in Greybull, Wyo., for 37 years. He retired in 1997. In 1998, Joe and Mary moved to La Crosse to be close to their daughter and son-in-law and their grandchildren. Joe enjoyed fishing, hunting and camping in the Big Horn Mountains. He was a great cook and loved to cook for his family.
Joe is survived by his wife, Mary of Holmen; a daughter, Debbie (Rainey) Walters of La Crosse; two special granddaughters, Lynsey Good and Megan Walters, both of La Crosse; a brother, Bill Nesbitt of Greybull; a sister, Margaret (Bud) Eckardt of Worland, Wyo.; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his son, Kelly; father, Neil; his mother and stepfather, Mildred and Pitt Berry; a brother, Bobby Nesbitt; a sister, Patricia Walton; and a half-brother, Pitt Berry Jr.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Onalaska. The Rev. Patrick Umberger will officiate. Following cremation, Joe will be buried in Wyoming at a later date. Friends may call from 10 a.m. until the time of services Wednesday at the church. Fossum Funeral Home of Onalaska is assisting with the arrangements.
James “Jimmy” A. Devine
ANCHORAGE, Alaska/ HOLMEN — James “Jimmy” A. Devine, 52, of Anchorage and Holmen passed away Dec. 29, 2009, in Anchorage.
Jimmy was born April 26, 1957, in Roswell, N.M., to Richard and Arliss (Allendorf) Devine.
After living in Japan, Okinawa, New Jersey and Puerto Rico, where Jimmy excelled in baseball and was sought after by Puerto Rican teams to play winter ball, the family settled in Holmen, where Jimmy graduated from Holmen High school in 1975. In 1980, he moved to Alaska where he would work several jobs before working on North Slope (Prudhoe Bay) for many years. He loved Alaska, the last frontier. He loved to hunt and fish. He was a hard worker and a generous and gentle soul liked by anyone who met him.
He is survived by two brothers, Tom (Mary Jane) Devine of Bloomington, Minn., and Doug (Mary) Devine of Holmen.; a nephew, Travis Devine, and a niece, Trisha Devine, both of Bloomington; nieces, Casey (Ruben) Anderson of Holmen, and Lindsay (Jeron) Moe of La Crosse; and a great-niece, Lola Moe.
He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers, Robert and Ronald.
A memorial service will be announced at a later date.
