Earl Raymond Kish, Jr.

Earl Raymond Kish, Jr., 85, of La Crosse, quietly passed away on the evening of Monday, April 16, 2018, at the Gundersen Health System of La Crosse.

He was born in La Crosse on May 2, 1932, to Earl and Mary (Lamparter) Kish, Sr. He graduated from La Crosse Central High School and then enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Earl served for 20 years including three years as a Naval Recruiter in Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. During his service, he served on several ships, including the U.S.S. Sturtevant which took him to several ports around the world including, Bermuda, Casablanca, Gibraltar, Cuba, Ireland, England, Panama and Pearl Harbor. He served during the Korean and Viet Nam Wars and retired as a Navy Chief Petty Officer.

After retirement from the Navy, Earl worked in maintenance at Bethany-St. Joseph in La Crosse where he met his wife, Margaret Whiteside. They married on May 6, 1977 and were married nearly 39 years before Marge passed away on April 15, 2016. Earl had resided in Barre Mills since 1970 before moving to La Crosse in 2012.

Earl is survived by his brother, Paul W. Kish of La Crosse; a sister-in-law, Aneta Kish (John Kish, deceased), and her children, Lynneta Kish and Timothy Kish; and additional nieces and nephews, Colleen (Gary) Gass, George Leidolf, Jr., Robert (Ann) Leidolf and James (Pat) Leidolf. He is further survived by Marge’s children, Dan (Kathryn) Whiteside of Cobden, Ill., Lars Whiteside of Cobden, Ill., Ann Bova of Springfield, Ill., and Linn (Dave) Crivelli of Scotts Valley, Cal.; and their families. In addition to his wife, Marge, Earl was preceded in death by his parents; younger brother, John; half-brother, James B. Kish, and his wife, Estelle; and half-sister, Francis Leidolf, and her husband, George Leidolf, Sr.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Friday, April 27 ^th , at Schumacher-Kish Funeral and Cremation Services, 200 West Ave. So., La Crosse. Rev. Dr. Richard A. Erickson will officiate. Military honors will follow immediately after the service at the funeral home. Family and friends may call from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service on Friday at the funeral home. Memorials may be directed to St. Jude Children's Hospital.

Earl’s family would like to thank the doctors, nurses and staff at Benedictine Manor, Hillview Health Care Center and Gundersen Health System for their wonderful care.