Val H. Palen

Valois “Val” Henry Palen, age 90, passed away peacefully in the presence of his loving family on Monday, March 1, 2021. Val was born to Matthew and Armella (Burg) Palen on January 8th, 1931, in Caledonia, Minnesota. He was the eldest of ten children raised on the family farm. He attended Loretto Catholic School in Caledonia.

As a young newly-wed, Val left Caledonia and opened his first business, The Silver Grill Diner in Chatfield, MN, in 1954. Soon after, he moved to La Crosse, WI and opened the Busy Bee Grill on West Avenue. In the early 1960s, Val opened the Surf Lounge and in the 1970’s the Macamba Club, becoming an innovative night club owner in the city. Over the next 40 years, Val dominated the nightclub scene in La Crosse with several different establishments, including Cheers, the Silver Bullet, and Mirage Sports Bar. Retirement took Val to Arizona, in the early 90s.

Val is survived by his wife, Dorothy “Dottie” (Meyer) Palen, daughters, Julie (Joe) Ablan, Lisa (Mike) Reinhart, Heather Palen and Michelle (Chris) Colombo, son, Michael (Mandy) Palen and step-daughters, Joy (Jeff) Karlson and Jill (Mark) Hoffman Norden, 13 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren. Val is also survived by six of his siblings, Vernon of Scottsdale, AZ, Corrita Jorgens, of La Crosse, Matthew, of Caledonia, MN, Joseph, of Caledonia, MN, Stephen, of Rochester, MN, Frederick, of Davenport, IA and numerous nieces and nephews.

Val was preceded in death by his two ex-wives, Charlyne (Mickel) and Terri (Schommer) and three of his siblings, Ralph, Barbara (Zetes) and Cyril.  He was also preceded in death by brother-in-law, Ron Bryant, Sr., and sister-in-law, Mary Jane (Mulvenna) Palen.

A family only visitation will be held on Saturday, March 13th, 11:30 AM, at Blessed Sacrament Church, 130 Losey Blvd South, in La Crosse. The funeral service will follow at 1:00 PM. Guests in attendance at the church are kindly asked to wear a mask and adhere to distancing guidelines. The service will be live-streamed on Schumacher-Kish’s Facebook page, click here for viewing from 12:55 pm. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Centra Care Health Monticello and Lewy Body Dementia Association .