Patrick J. Callahan

Patrick J. Callahan, 74 of La Crosse, passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by his loved ones on Saturday June 13th. He was born in La Crosse on April 21, 1941 at St. Francis Hospital to Eulalia C. Zimmer and Harry B. Callahan. Pat is survived by his wife, Teresa C. Callahan, and by four sons: Christopher and Kevin (Amy) of La Crosse; Sean of San Diego, CA; and Brian (Kelley) of Stephens City, VA. He is also survived by two granddaughters and a grandson.

Pat graduated from Blessed Sacrament School in 1955 and from Aquinas High School in 1959. He attended St. Mary’s College of Winona, MN and graduated cum laude in 1963 with a degree in English literature. Pat then earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in British Literature at the University of Nebraska, graduating in 1968.

Pat taught English at the University of Notre Dame from 1968 until 1974. He published several dozen of his poems in a number of different magazines as a young man. He then left academics and took a position as a publications editor with the U.S. Forest Service in Madison, WI. In
1979, he transferred to Bozeman, MT, where he worked on the Gallatin National Forest until
1985, writing environmental impact statements. During his years in Montana, Pat enjoyed hunting, fishing, wilderness hiking, and jeeping on the National Forest. Pat shared all of these adventures with his inseparable companion, and wife, Teresa. Pat was an enthusiastic amateur photographer specializing in nature photography.

In 1985 he returned to La Crosse to take care of his ailing mother and took a position with the U.S. Army at Ft. McCoy, where he worked as a curriculum designer at an Army school until his retirement in April of 2003. Pat was always very proud of the 17 years he spent working for the Army.

Pat was a genial sort of man who always had a ready smile and a joke. He loved guests, entertaining and engaging dinner conversation. He also loved animals, especially his cat “Little Terrorist”. As a person Pat was something of a dreamer who loved fantasy novels and loved to attend the movies. Pat was something of a dilettante, of whom the old adage can truly be said­­ “jack of all trades, but master of none.”

Earlier in his life, Pat was very involved in rose gardening and also discussing his latest reads with his sons. Pat was an avid reader and took pride in his library. Some high moments in Pat’s life included his trips around the world in retirement. He travelled to China, the British Isles and continental Europe. As a British Literature Ph. D he took great pleasure in seeing the sights and locations of many of the authors he had studied. He was a frequent visitor to Brazil and Mexico. Domestically his many excursions included Alaska, Florida, Badlands, Graceland and the Mid­Atlantic region.

Memorial services will be held on Thursday, June 18, 2015 at 1:00 PM at the Schumacher-Kish Funeral & Cremation Services of La Crosse. Pastor James Cummings will officiate. Committal service will follow in the Catholic Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home on Wednesday from 5:00 – 7:00 PM and again on Thursday from 12:30 PM until the time of services.