Wallace “Wally” Garbisch
Wallace “Wally” Garbisch
Wallace (Wally) E. Garbisch, 87, of Granton, WI, died peacefully at Wells Nature View Assisted Living in Marshfield Feb. 7, 2025, with his loving wife of over 66 years, Patricia (Pat), by his side. Wally was born in Granton March 25, 1937, the son of Edward and Emma (Retta) Garbisch.
As a young man, Wally served in the National Guard for almost seven years. During that time, Wally met Pat, the love of his life, on a blind date, and they married Aug. 30, 1958. They purchased their farm on Granton Road in 1960, right across the road from where Wally’s parents, Edward and Emma, farmed and raised their three boys (Wallace, Orville, and Gary).
Wally and Pat farmed for almost 45 years and raised their family on the farm (Cindy, Lori, Cheryl and Mark). Wally not only milked cows and raised heifers on the farm but also raised pigs, chickens, ducks, bunnies and even had a horse for a while. He always had a loyal farm dog to herd the other animals and accompany him during his work on the farm, from the barn to the hay fields. In 1960, Wally also began driving bus for the Granton School District. During his 56 years of driving school bus, he drove at least 550,000 miles (accident free!) and drove a few families in the Granton area for three generations. Wally was surprised with a school-wide assembly to honor his retirement from bus driving in 2016.
Wally was very active in the Granton community, as he volunteered for many things, such as helping with concessions at the ballpark, FFA Alumni events and Sportsman’s Club events. He volunteered coaching over the years, too, mostly as a 4-H softball coach for the Romadka 4-H. For nearly a decade, Wally also coached his family in their participation in the annual Family Feud Softball Tournament at the Granton Ballpark. Wally enjoyed not only playing sports, but also enjoyed watching the Packers, Brewers, Bucks and Badgers; however, his favorite people to watch play were his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Wally enjoyed taking Pat to polka dances and dinner theater shows with their good friends, including Jerry and Lila Schmitz. At home, Wally enjoyed Pat’s cooking, playing cards, shaking dice and a lot of ice cream. Outdoors, Wally enjoyed his garden and spending time “Up North” at a cabin where he would spend a week each spring and fall fishing, mostly pan-fishing. He even gained the title “Caretaker” at the cabin, as he always had a hard time just relaxing and always had to be fixing something it seemed.
Wally is survived by his loving wife of 66 years Pat; children Cynthia King of La Crosse, Lori Gallagher of Marshfield and Mark Garbisch (Ruth) of Granton; son-in-law Tim Steinbach of Granton; grandchildren Nick Sach’s of Wisconsin Rapids, Amanda (Jeremy) Tabin of Wausau, Jamie (Dawn) Gallagher of Granton, Matthew (Tera) Steinbach of Stanley and David (Emily) Steinbach of Granton; and great-grandchildren Nicholas Jr. and Angelique (Nick), Abigail and Kelsey (Jamie and Dawn), Kaynen and Kroix (Matt and Tera), and Kate and Lexi (David and Emily); sister-in-law Sharon Garbisch; and many nieces and nephews.
Wally was preceded in death by his father, Edward; mother Emma; brothers Orville and Gary; daughter Cheryl Steinbach; father-in-law Wilford; mother-in-law Etta Martin; sisters-in-law Marian Kraus and Jeannie Garbisch; brothers-in-law Adolph Kraus and Jimmy and Vernal Martin; and many other extended family members and cherished friends.
The funeral service will be held at the United Church of Christ (UCC) in Neillsville at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12, with a burial and reception to follow. Visitation
opportunities include 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11, at Gesche Funeral Home and from 10 to 11 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12, at the United Church of Christ prior to the funeral service, both in Neillsville.
Online condolences may be made at www.geschefh.com.
Gesche Funeral Home and Cremation Service is assisting Wally’s family.