Warren "Bud" Engelhart

Warren “BUD” Engelhart died peacefully Monday, January 15 at the VA Hospital in Tomah, WI at the age of 97. He was born on July 8, 1926 to Fred and Tena (Halverson) Engelhart in Spring Grove, MN. He was baptized and confirmed in the Houston Lutheran Church. Growing up on the 160 acre family farm with his 4 brothers and 5 sisters in Black Hammer, MN, he and his siblings faced many hardships with the early passing of their father. Plowing the fields was usually done with a 4 horse team and (with luck), sometimes with the use of a tractor. Having to make repairs on farm equipment out of necessity gave Bud an early exposure to mechanical things which would serve him well in later in life. To help make ends meet, he was hired out to work in the fields on other farms. With WWII in progress, he enlisted in the US Army at the age of 18. During basic training he earned the Expert Rifleman rating. Following basic training, he went on to become a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne and joined the 325th Glider Infantry. Bud saw service in central Europe and Rhineland earning 2 bronze stars and a Combat Badge, ending up at the end of the war in Berlin. Returning home from the war, he went to work for Allis Chalmers. In 1957 Bud began his 33 year career with the LaCrosse Tribune. Starting out as a route truck driver, Bud saw continued responsibilities come his way. His ability to work well with others, find solutions to problems and the ability to keep all things mechanical running smoothly brought him to the position of Circulation Manager. Many of his employees were of the high school and college age. His ability to mentor these young men about not just work, but work ethic and responsibility led many to comment years later that he was an incredibly positive influence on their life. On June 16th 1951 Bud married Marlene Kastenschmidt. Together they had 3 sons, Scott, Jay and Todd. In raising his sons, he was always involved, whether coaching a little league team, helping fix a kids first car, teaching them about hunting (there will be more about that), or teaching faith in God and values like honesty and hard work. He was always there. They later divorced. Throughout his life, Bud was in love with the outdoors. He was a prolific pheasant and grouse hunter, starting with the familiar fields of Minnesota and then discovering the more plentiful pheasant population of Iowa. Bud believed that successful bird hunting was dependent on a well-trained dog. To that end, he was devoted to carefully training his Brittany, Lab and Shorthair dogs over the years. The memories made hunting with partners, Russ and Jack in Iowa and with his son Todd at Fort McCoy were priceless. Bud was a life long Chicago Cubs fan. He followed every player, every game all of the time. He stuck with them thru thick and thin, (mainly thin) and was rewarded when they finally won the pennant in 2016. Prayers answered. On June 11, 1983 he married Doris Smith and became a stepfather to 3 adult children, Dan, Judy & Ann. Bud is survived by his sister Gloria Kanis, his sons, Scott (Lori) of Holmen, Jay (Barb) of LaCrosse, Todd (Melissa) of LaCrosse, stepchildren, Dan (Linda) of LaCrescent, Judy (Karl) Luebke of Sheboygan, Ann (Patrick) Bloomfield of Maple Grove, MN. 10 grandchildren, Wyatt and Jesse Engelhart, Ryan Hall, Lindsey Webinger, Adam Smith, Kendra Kooistra, Sarah Hizon, Joseph Luebke, Cindy Bloomfield Garstea, Kerry Bloomfield and many great grandchildren, nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents Fred and Tena Engelhart, siblings, Ferd (Violet), Lowell, Bernie, Gerald (Marian), Verna (Arne) Arneson, Lois Rogers, Murial Benson, Fern (Lawrence) Trulson. Funeral Services will be held on January 22nd at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in LaCrescent, MN. Visitation will be 9 to 11 am with the service to follow. The family would like to thank the members of “Team Bud” for their support in helping us to allow Dad to stay in his home till the end. From Alice & Carol from Neighbors in Action to Jane from International Quality Care and also his wonderful neighbors, Al, Mike & Bill and the weekly visits from Jessica & Tilly. We also appreciate the kindness and respect that he received in his final days at the Tomah VA.