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George W. Bluhm, Louise K. Granger, Shirley J. McCoy,

George W. Bluhm

George Walter Bluhm, 94, of Tomah, died Monday, Nov. 9, 2009, at the Tomah Health Care Center. He was born July 2, 1915, to Ed and Anna (Quade) Bluhm in Milwaukee. He was baptized in Milwaukee. His father died when he was very young. His mother was then married to Gustave Bauman, also of Milwaukee.

Gust, as he was called, was transferred to Tomah. He worked for the Milwaukee Railroad. George attended St. Paul Ev. Lutheran School. He was confirmed when he was in eighth grade. He graduated from Tomah Senior High School. He worked at several different jobs. Some farm work, and truck driving for LaValle Valley Dairy. He helped put up ice in icehouses. On June 19, 1940, he was united in marriage to Evelyn Eunice Miller, the daughter of Albert and Ida Gerke Miller. He always said he was going to marry a farm girl, he says now he did the best. He started to work for the Milwaukee Road April 1, 1941, and retired July 1, 1975. He was laid off June 19, 1942; then he drove down and back daily to the Powder Plant east of Baraboo that was being built. He was a blacksmith helper. In April he went back to the railroad until his retirement. He held several different union jobs. He served as alderman for six years on the Tomah City Council and also as acting mayor for two months when Mayor E.J. McKean was on vacation.

George and Evelyn liked to travel; they started with a station wagon. They slept in the wagon many a night. They saw both oceans, Mexico and Canada. They also had several travel trailers. They camped a lot in northern Wisconsin. The last years of their camping they would go to Kewaunee and camp by the harbor. They had electricity and Evelyn had her sewing machine. She would sew while George was fishing. She could see all the boats and car ferries. George would go fishing on the pier and caught many king salmon, rainbow trout and brown trout. George also fished around Tomah. He would go fishing about 10:30 p.m. and come home about 2:30 a.m. He had very good hunting dogs for pheasant hunting.

He is survived by a sister-in-law, Arloine (Solberg) Bluhm of Owatonna, MN; nieces and nephews, Nancy (Robert) Chambers, Sherry (Tom) Wacek, and Stacey (Jim) Hanson, all of Owatonna, MN, and Lori Coon of Indianapolis, IN; many nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and great-nephews.

In addition to his wife, Evelyn, he was preceded in death by a brother, Edward Bluhm.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009, at 2 p.m. at St. Paul Ev. Lutheran Church, 525 Superior Ave., Tomah. Pastor Curt S. Backhaus will officiate. Burial will be in Oak Grove Cemetery, Tomah.

Relatives and friends are invited to call on Saturday at the church from 1 p.m. until the time of the service. The Sonnenburg Family Fuenral Home, Tomah, is assisting the family with the arrangements.

Louise K. Granger

Louise K. Granger, 92, of Oakdale, died Monday, Nov. 9, 2009, at Tomah Memorial Hospital. She was born Dec. 12, 1916, to Paul and Ida (Greibl) Kummrow on her grandparents’ farm in Renwick, Iowa. At a young age, Louise’s family moved to a farm in Minnesota. She took confirmation classes at the old St. Peter’s Lutheran Church and at the age of 12 was confirmed into the Christian faith. She graduated high school in 1935.

Corn picking was a big event on the family farm. Young men came from other states to help with the corn picking. This is when Louise met Gerald Granger from Mauston, WI. They were united in marriage on July 15, 1938, at St. Peter’s Church in Ceylon, MN, by the Rev. F.S. Bredow. They farmed in the Wilton area until their retirement and then moved to Oakdale. He preceded her in death on July 1, 1991.

She taught Sunday school at the St. Paul Lutheran Church in Wilton. She also was a member of the Luther League. She was a faithful and devoted member of the Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Tomah. She helped her son Duane run the Granger Camp Ground for many years. Louise enjoyed cooking, baking and spending time in the kitchen, playing the piano and organ. She especially enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She is survived by two sons, Duane (Ruby) of Oakdale and Robert (Pamela) of Rathdrum, ID; five grandchildren, Dennis (Mary) Granger, Jody (John) Kiel and Gary (Debbie) Granger, all of Oakdale, Tim (Brandi) Granger of Post Falls, ID, and Shannon Granger of Rathdrum, ID; eight great-grandchildren, Jackie and Jordan Kiel, David, Erika, Jacob, Emma, Sophie and Sam Granger; a sister, Laura Huskamp of Fenton, IA, nieces, nephews other relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Gerald; an infant son; a daughter, Marilyn Robles; a son-in-law, Frank Robles; a brother-in-law, Robert Huskamp; a sister, Helen; two brothers, Hilbert and Donald, and a great-granddaughter, Molly.

Funeral services will be held Friday, Nov. 13, at 11 a.m. at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 310 W. Elizabeth St., Tomah. Pastor William L. Rice and Pastor David Dahl will officiate. Burial will be in the Oakdale Cemetery.

Relatives and friends are invited to call today (Thursday) from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the Sonnenburg Family Funeral Home, 801 E. Monowau St., Tomah, and at the church on Friday from 10 a.m. until the time of the service.

Shirley J. McCoy

Shirley Jean McCoy, age 80, of Tomah, WI, passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009. She was born Jan. 13, 1929, to Louie and Mathilda (Gehrke) Behrens in Tunnel City.

Shirley was united in marriage to Stuart C. McCoy Oct. 16, 1948, in Sparta. Together, they farmed in Ridgeville for many years where they raised five children. Shirley also worked for and retired from the Department of the Army at Fort McCoy. When Shirley wasn’t at work, she enjoyed playing word and card games with her family, doing crossword puzzles, and traveling. She was particularly passionate about playing duplicate bridge. Shirley was an ardent Brett Favre, Packer and Badger fan. Her family loved anything that she cooked for them. Her chocolate birthday “ring” cakes were especially appreciated. Shirley loved engaging in political discussions. Being so well-read, she could debate with the best of them. One of her favorite sayings was “Waste Not, Want Not”. She was concerned about the environment, recycled everything, and was a wind energy proponent. Shirley’s faith was an important part of her life. She was a longtime member of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church at Ridgeville.

She is survived by her children, Merilyn (Tom) Moses of Roswell, GA, Claire (Jim Stoops) McCoy of Bloomington, MN, Stuart (Holly) McCoy Jr. of Riverside, RI, Kevin (Jenny) McCoy of Tomah, and Julie McCoy of Platteville; eight grandchildren, Katie and Jean Moses, Ryan and Andrew McCoy, Lawrence David Sturgill III, Molly (Dustin) Powell, Emily McCoy and Luke McCoy; and a great grandchild, Kayla; nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Louie and Mathilda; her husband, Stuart; a granddaughter, Amy Sturgill; and two sisters, Vila Wallace and Luella Habelman.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009, at 11 a.m. at the Torkelson Funeral Home. Pastor William Rice will officiate. Burial will follow in the Mount Vernon Cemetery, Tomah. Family and friends are invited for visitation on Friday, Nov. 13, from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. at the Torkelson Funeral Home in Tomah. Family and friends are also invited for visitation on Saturday from 10 a.m. until the time of service at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to: Compassionate Friends, Platteville Chapter, c/o Bonnie Vaassen, 1170 Westhill Ave., Platteville, WI 53818, or The Arbor Day Foundation n WWW.arborday.org.

The Torkelson Funeral Home of Tomah is assisting the family with arrangements.

Online condolences are available at www.torkelsonfuneralhome.com.