William F Kuchenbecker

William "Bill" Fred Kuchenbecker, age 83, of Neillsville, WI died on Wednesday, June 13, 2012 at St. Joseph's Hospital in Marshfield, WI.Bill was born on May 2, 1929 in Westboro, WI the son of Fred and Anna (Hodick) Kuchenbecker. He graduated from Westboro High school. Bill was united in marriage to Rita Zirngibl on May 26, 1951, together they raised 10 children. After training through General Motors as a mechanic he worked in Medford until 1955 when he became part owner of the Chevrolet Dealership in Greenwood, WI. After a fire destroyed it in 1962 he opened his own service station, Bill's Pure Service in Greenwood. He sold the business in 1969 and moved his family to Neillsville where he purchased Kuchenbecker Beer Distributing. He retired from the business in 1980, but continued to be very active with managing a laundry mat, shuttling kids to and from Sunburst and deliveries for the Shopper Paper.Throughout his life, Bill, was very active with various activities including the Greenwood Volunteer Fire Department, The Holy Name Society and St. Mary's Catholic Church in Greenwood. He was a 60 Year Member of the Knights of Columbus with a 4th Degree Status and served as their Financial Secretary for 10 years. He was an active member of St. Mary's Catholic Church and the Men's Club in Neillsville. Bill also found time to do those things he enjoyed most such as fishing, hunting, golfing and spending time with his family. Bill loved the outdoors and would grab a fishing pole or hunting buddies whenever he got the chance. He made many trips to the Boundary Waters of Northern Minnesota as well as other more local excursions like ice fishing on the Mississippi, deer hunting in Gliddon, rabbit and grouse hunting from a friendly farmer's woodlot. He was a one of a kind person with a profound curiosity for problem solving and was great at repairing almost anything. While he had a unique sense of humor he wasn't afraid to "tell you like it is." His strong work ethic, sense of responsibility, generous nature and dedication to family was well known to his friends and family who aspire to continue that tradition. Bill is survived by his wife, Rita, of Neillsville, 8 children and 30 grandchildren; Mary Kuchenbecker of Houston, TX, Mark (Lynn) Kuchenbecker of Rozenberg, TX (Richard, Stephanie, Christina, Diane, Carolyn, Charlie and Jacob), Kent (Veronica) Kuchenbecker of Winter Springs, FL (Jeremy and Joshua), James (Patricia) Kuchenbecker of Channahon, IL (Sarah, Mike and Jake), Robert Kuchenbecker (Pat Brost) of Winter, WI (Amber and Justin), William K. (Sheila) Kuchenbecker of Verona, WI (Brianna, Ross, Mason, Garett and Jader), Nancy (Loren) Foemmel of Waterloo, IA (Ashley, Paige, Jordan and Adam) and Karen (Elwin) Mehlbrech of Aurora, IL (Emily, Morgan, Bethany and Regan) a daughter-in-law, Karen Kuchenbecker of Neillsville (Adam, Jared and Megan). He is also survived by 2 sisters; Grace (Galen) Schlais and Violet Kuchenbecker both of Medford, WI and 2 step-sisters; Sharon (Robert) Shook of Westboro and Jean (Ronald) Brott of Milwaukee.He was preceded in death by his parents, a daughter, Carol in 1980 and a son, Michael in 2004, a step-sister, Dorothy Hebert and a step-brother, Emil Peltier.A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m., Monday, June 18th, 2012 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Neillsville. Rev. Varkey V. Joseph will officiate. Providing music will be St. Mary's Choir accompanied by Ronald Resong, organist. Visitation will be held from 9:30 a.m., to 11:00 a.m., Monday morning at the church. The morning will begin at 9:15 a.m. with a Knights of Columbus Rosary at St. Mary's Catholic Church. Interment will be in St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery.Serving as casket bearers will be Mark, Kent, James, Robert, William K. and Adam Kuchenbecker.Funeral Home:Gesche Funeral Home4 South Grand AvenueNeillsville, WIUS 54456