1948
Mike
2018
Mike Bahr
May 29, 1948 — January 8, 2018
Mike was one of the great builders of La Crosse. After high school he apprenticed as a carpenter for his father, Bernie, building numerous homes together in the La Crosse area, including the home he lived in with his wife for most of their adult lives. Mike continued his career as a carpenter eventually becoming a foreman and working for the last several decades as a construction superintendent. Over his career, he worked for numerous construction companies including Ebner, Gilster, TCI, Miron and Market & Johnson. During that time, he built some of the largest buildings in the area including the La Crosse County Courthouse and Jail, Murphy Library, Ace Hardware Distribution Center, schools in Onalaska and Rochester and projects at Fort McCoy.
Mike was also an active member of the Carpenters Local Union 1143 which he joined in 1970. He went on to serve as the 1143 President from 1990 until his retirement in 2011. He also served as a delegate to its council from 2001 to 2010, as local political director from 2001 to 2007, and as a convention local delegate in 2005.
Later in life, Mike began traveling with his wife, Holly, mostly to visit their son in either Chicago or New York City. The three of them also traveled together to other cities such as San Diego, Los Angeles, London and Paris. It didn’t matter what city Mike was visiting the first thing he would look for was new construction and in each city you would hear him say, “look at the size of those cranes, we need to go take a look at that.”
Mike was also an avid hunter enjoying deer hunting with family and friends. He especially enjoyed bear hunting in Canada and still has the stuffed bear to prove it. Mike also took up golfing in his retirement and although his swing was never pretty he became good enough to beat all of his brothers, except Bill.
Mike is survived by his son, Jeff and his partner, Hunter, of New York City; siblings, Bill (Kathy) Bahr of La Crosse, Vince (Ruthann) Bahr of Onalaska, Jon (Jane) Bahr of La Crosse, Sandy (Jeff) Mitchell of Iola, Wis., Julie (Steve) Kish of Onalaska, Lisa (Craig) Bartheld of Onalaska, and Joe (Amy) Bahr of La Crosse; and many nieces, nephews and other extended family members. In addition to his wife, Holly, he was preceded in death by his parents, and an infant sister, Diana.
A gathering for family and friends will be held from 3:00 until 5:00 p.m., Saturday, January 13th, at Schumacher-Kish Funeral and Cremation Services, 200 West Ave. So., La Crosse. Online guestbook is available at www.schumacher-kish.com.
Mike’s family would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Mary Bassing and the staff at Bethany Riverside for their excellent effort in his care. Also, special thanks to Mike’s sister, Julie, for her extraordinary contributions to his well-being over the past several years.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Mike Bahr, please visit our flower store.
Service Schedule
Past Services
Memorial Gathering
Saturday, January 13, 2018
3:00 - 5:00 pm
Schumacher-Kish Funeral and Cremation Services
Guestbook
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