Ruth Adeline Hole

Ruth Adeline Hole, 86, of La Crosse, passed away on Monday, December 28, 2015, at the Bethany-Riverside Nursing Facility.
She was born in La Crosse on January 23, 1929, to Clement J. and Esther I. (Putsch) McKillip. She attended La Crosse schools and was a 1947 graduate of La Crosse Central High School. Following graduation, Ruth worked at the Auto Lite plant in La Crosse until her marriage to Louis E. Calogero in 1952. They moved to Fond du Lac where they lived for several years before coming back to La Crosse. They had two daughters, Elaine and Christine. She and Louis later divorced.
After her children reached school age, Ruth began a long career in sales at Johnson’s Children’s Shop and then at Doerflinger’s Department Store. She then took a managerial position at Desmond’s Formal Wear for a short time before retiring
Later in life, Ruth met and married the love of her life, Larry Hole. Ruth and Larry loved spending time in their garden and loved canning what they harvested. They were always in the kitchen, cooking up a meal for their family. They also loved traveling around the country together. She and Larry also served as transport deputies for the La Crosse County Sherriff’s Department following Larry’s retirement from the department. She had been a member of Bethel Lutheran Church in La Crosse and was active in the Shriner’s Auxiliary and the Lutheran Hospital Auxiliary for many years.
Ruth was deeply devoted to her family and adored her grandchildren and great grandchildren and loved every moment she could spend with them. Ruth was an important part of her grandchildren’s’ lives, instilling in them a love of growing their own food, cooking, fishing and of course cards and gambling. Trips up north to the cabin, sleepovers and lazy summer afternoons spent on the back porch will be memories her family will treasure forever.
Ruth is survived by her daughters, Elaine Marcou of La Crosse and Christine Calogero-Lovelace and her husband, Craig Lovelace, of Stoddard, Wis.; four grandchildren, Nicholas Marcou and his wife, Kellie, of Onalaska, Jacqueline Marcou and her husband, Joe Doperalski of La Crosse, Joseph Marcou of La Crosse, and Michael Marcou and his partner, Mike Adank, of New York City; four great grandchildren, Adeline, Elouise, Sam and Griffin; special family members, Nadine Hole and her family and Dan and Kathy Hole and their family; and numerous nieces and nephews and other family members. She was preceded in death by her husband, Larry, and her siblings, Carol McCann, Richard McKillip, and Joyce Davidson.
Ruth’s family would like to express their gratitude to the staff at Bethany Riverside who took such good care of her the past six years. They loved her like a family member and this will never be forgotten.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 am, Saturday, January 2, 2016, in the Faith and Life Center at Bethany-Riverside. Rev. Lisa Shank will officiate. Family and friends may call from 10:00 am until the time of service on Saturday at the center. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Shriner’s Hospitals for Children, 2900 N. Rocky Point Dr., Tampa, FL 33607 or at shrinershospitals.org.