Rueben Koll

Rueben was born on the family farm near Coon Valley, Wis., to Ole and Clara (Kjos) Koll. He married the former Doris Lenser on April 10, 1948, at St. Peters Ev. Lutheran Church in Chaseburg, Wis. Together, they farmed for a short time before moving to La Crosse where Rueben worked at the Saltzer Seed Company for a short time. He then went to work at the Trane Company in 1951, where he worked as a welder until his retirement in 1986.

In his free time, Rueben enjoyed going to auctions and rummage sales with Doris. He always had a story to share and was seldom seen without one of his signature cowboy hats.

He is survived by his wife, Doris; his daughter, Linda (Ralph) Ghelf of DeSoto, Wis.; his grandchildren and their families, Jennifer Ghelf and her special friend, Dean Lange, and Deans children, Aubree and Gavin all of Des Moines, Iowa, Heather Ghelf of La Crosse, Amber DeCesare and her husband, Steve, of Chicago, Nicole Hanson and her husband, Kevin, and their son, Kyle, of Stoddard, Adam Ghelf and his wife, Megan, of Minneapolis, and Benjamin Ghelf and his fianc, Amy Schwartzhoff, of Waverly, Iowa; a sister, Ruth Smith of Aurora, Colo.; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; his sisters, Mabel Kemper and Alma Holter; his brothers, Odell, Setles, Morris, Bennet, and Harvey Koll; and a brother-in-law, Donald Lenser.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, December 7th, at 11:00 a.m., at First Ev. Lutheran Church in La Crosse. Pastor Richard Pamperin will officiate. Burial will follow in Mormon Coulee Memorial Park. Friends may call at the church on Friday from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service.



The family would like to thank the staff of Gundersen Lutheran Home Hospice and the Hillview Healthcare Center for their wonderful care. Also, special thanks to neighbors, Linnae and Herman, for all their help.