Gary A. Benrud

With great sadness the family of Gary Alan Benrud announce his passing on Wednesday, March 12, 2025 at the age of 83.  He leaves behind devoted wife Mary (Wiesen) of 59 years, loving father of Lynn (Mark) Kolb and Vicki (Bill) Niehus, proud grandfather of Zachary and Joshua Kolb.  Preceded in death by his mother and father, Fay and Waldo, brother Darrell, and in-laws, Robert and Ruth Wiesen.  Mary was by his side when he passed.

Born on November 18, 1941 in La Crosse, Wisconsin, he grew up in the small community of Onalaska where he was a proud graduate of Onalaska High School.  Extended family gatherings were a big part of his younger years which lead to a tradition he continued throughout his whole life.  After high school he enlisted in the Navy.  In 1961 he moved to Milwaukee where he worked as a meat cutter at Kohl’s Food Stores where he met the love of his life, Mary, who worked in the bakery.  They married in 1965 and raised their family in Germantown.  He worked his way up to become the Meat and Seafood Supervisor of 25 stores.  After 41 years at Kohl’s he retired, but continued to work in the retail food industry.

Gary had a love and passion for his daughters and grandsons.  He was proud of all of them, loved spending time with them and attending their events.  He enjoyed staying active, meeting people and attending social events where he would find someone to have a conversation with.  From a young age he was interested in animals where he enjoyed caring for his uncle’s horses and most recently spending time with Vicki and Bill’s dogs.  Many of his interests were football, golf, trap shooting, tennis, movies, dining out and travel.  Family vacations were a priority and planned yearly.  Gary and Mary were able to travel to all 50 states and 33 countries.  They made many friends along the way.

A visitation will be held on Saturday, March 22, 2025  from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM at Galilee Lutheran Church, N24 W26430 Crestview Drive, Pewaukee, Wisconsin.  A memorial service will be held at 12:00 PM immediately following the visitation.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society or to Galilee Lutheran Church.