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Russ Pollnow Obituary
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, May 12, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Paul's Ev. Lutheran Church, 311 14th Avenue South, Wisconsin Rapids. The Rev. Martin Baur and Rev. James Douglas will officiate. Friends may call from 4:00-8:00 p.m. on Friday, May 11, at Taylor, Vollert, & Jennings Funeral Home, 2201 Chestnut Street, Wisconsin Rapids, and Saturday at the church from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the service.
Russ was born in Neenah, Wisconsin, on February 6, 1952, to Milton and Enice (Metzig) Pollnow. He attended Trinity Lutheran Grade School and graduated from Neenah High School in 1970. In 1974, Russ graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a BS degree in Radio, TV, Film. He was employed by the Hartford Financial Services Group in Hartford, Connecticut, as an IT technician for over 36 years retiring on February 29, 2012.
Russ lived in Connecticut for 30 years. He and his first wife, Cassandra (Lewonczyk) Pollnow were blessed with two children, Jessica and Corey. While in Connecticut, Russ was very active in many ministries at Messiah Ev. Lutheran Church of South Windsor. He moved back to Wisconsin in 2005 to marry Linda (Caflisch)Ebeling. He was a member of St. Paul's Ev. Lutheran Church of Wisconsin Rapids. While at St. Paul's he helped support the computers and was a member of the technology team for Sunday worship services.
Russ enjoyed being outdoors working in the yard, hiking, boating, and biking. He was a fan of the Packers, Badgers, and auto racing. He especially delighted in being "Papa" to his young grandsons, Brody and Bryce.
Russ is survived by his wife, Linda; daughter, Jessica Pollnow, South Windsor, CT; son, Corey Pollnow, Manchester, CT; step-son, Eric (Lisa) Ebeling, Salt Lake City, UT; step-daughter, Melissa (Ryan) Kurz, Baraboo, WI; grandsons, Brody and Bryce Kurz; his parents, Milton and Enice Pollnow , Neenah, WI; brother, Jan (Georgia) Pollnow, West End, NC; sister, Jill Kimball, Poulsbo, WA; brother-in-laws, Neil Caflisch and Roger (Beverly) Caflisch, Baraboo, WI. He is further survived by many other relatives and friends.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be designated to: St. Paul's Ev. Lutheran Church, 311 14th Avenue South, Wisconsin Rapids; UW Cancer Center Riverview, 410 Dewey Street, Wisconsin Rapids; or Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, 1500 Rosecrans Avenue, Suite 200, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266.
The family would like to express their gratitude to the staffs at UW Cancer Center Riverview, Riverview Hospital Med/Surg floor, and Aspirus Hospice for the loving care they showed to Russ during his illness. We will always be grateful.
Following Russ' example as a Christian witness "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith." Hebrews 12:2a
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Russ Pollnow
Martha Heisel
May 20, 2012
To Russ Pollnow's Family:
My thoughts and prayers are with you in your loss. I remember meeting Russ when I was in college at the UW-Madison, as he was a high school friend of a girl I met as a freshman in the dorm (and she's still one of my best friends after over 40 years of knowing each other!) It sounds like Russ left a legacy of faith and service to others, which is a wonderful tribute! May God comfort all of you in your loss.
Sincerely,
Martha (Risberg) Heisel
Betty Bradley
May 15, 2012
To The Pollnows ...You were a neighbor of ours in the '60,s in Neenah, WI ..... Russ and our son, Randy Bradley, played Monopoly many times as well as a little golf in the backyard. I am very saddened by the loss of Russ Pollnow, and have many nice memories of Russ and his family, wonderful neighbors. Betty Bradley
Kevin Marek
May 12, 2012
I was shocked and saddened to here of Russ passing away. I worked with him at the Hartford for 13 years. I left the Hartford two years ago and I missed working with him he taught me so much out of over 30,000 plus employees at the hartford I enjoyed working with him the best, he also was alway's upbeat, positive person ,would troubleshoot problems in deepth and fix things that other's would give up on, I worked with him on many levels in person and remotely when he moved back to Wisconsin. My found memories where when we tagged teamed together on Customer problems when my last years at the hartford was working at the help desk he very much cared about the customer's and he alway's came through providing top class customer service. He is someone I would want to be in a fox hole with solving problems, he was best at what he did and I truly miss him for everything he gave and supported me with. Im blown away that he left us so early. My condolences to the family.
Tyrol
May 11, 2012
To are good friend Jess and her family~
Our thoughts And prayers are with you all. We are so sorry for your loss.
Erin and Jeff Tyrol
May 11, 2012
Dear Linda,
We are so sorry that Russ is no longer with us, but he is at peace. Now he is with God where you will one day rejoin him. Know that you are in our prayers.
Chinmay Kommuru
May 10, 2012
Although I didn't know Russ personally, I heard about the passing through my best friend and Russ' son, Corey. My deepest condolences to both of Russ' families. From speaking to Corey, Russ' christian spirit and great attitude towards life always showed. Russ should be proud to be a parent of two humble and awesome kids. Rest in peace.
Dave & Cookie Dennstedt
May 10, 2012
THE Chex-Mix!!! I never liked it before receiving Russ's! This video is a wonderful tribute to him and all of you who miss him now SO much. What a blessing to have shared many wonderful memories that in time will be cherished treasures for each of you.
May God be your strength each and every one of these days ahead. You are in our prayers.
Cori Wrobel
May 9, 2012
So deeply sorry to hear about Russ's passing. I met Russ through our mutual employer, The Hartford. Russ always had a smile on his face, a cheerful word, and a positive attitude that made it impossible to continue having a bad day. Always willing to go the extra step to get the problem resolved right the first time. A truly gentle soul who has left us far, far too soon. Rest peacefully, my friend.
Lori & Doug Masin
May 9, 2012
Mr and Mrs Pollnow and family, take comfort that Russ was a good christian man and you will be together again in eternity. This life is but a blink of the eye in comparison to the life everlasting you will have with your family in heaven. You WILL be together again and it will be better than ever because Jesus will be there too. Those of us left behind have some work left to do here before we are called home. Be true to your faith and listen to the still small voice of God to learn the direction to turn while you struggle with your earthly sorrow. Focus your thoughts on your work here spreading the wonderful news of Jesus Christ and furthering the Heavenly Father's kingdom so others one day can meet your son Russ and enjoy that heavenly eternity we already know of and hope for.
Jean Parsons
May 9, 2012
I was deeply saddened to read of Russ's passing in the Hartford Courant last night. I knew Russ from The Hartford beginning back when he worked and lived in CT. One day, he was assigned to solve my computer problem and showed up at my desk. It just happened to be "show your NCAA spirit" day at work and I was wearing a Wisconsin Badger sweatshirt. Of course, that piqued Russ's interest. To make a long story short, in discussing, we found out each other was from Wisconsin. To make the story even more interesting, I am from Wisconsin Rapids and we talked about his (then) upcoming relocation. Needless to say, after Russ's relocation, whenever the IT Help Desk assigned Russ to fix my newest computer problem, we spent lots of time talking about Wis Rapids while he was working on the problem in the background. He could solve computer problems others had given up on. Russ was the best -- as a co-worker and a great guy!! He will surely be missed!! My condolences to his family.
May 8, 2012
Russ and I both attended Trinity in Neenah and went on to NHS.(I was a year older) Haven't seen him for decades, but remember him as a young man for which I had much respect. I was so excited to hear of the Christian life he lead, and I know we'll be catching up in heaven! Gail (Douglas) Potratz - New London, WI
Dave Nobbe
May 7, 2012
Russ was a true friend for over 40 years and set a wonderful example of what faith and friensdhip are all about. Our deepest sympathies go out to his family.
Jeffrey Lowd
May 6, 2012
I was shocked and saddened to hear of Russ' passing. It had been many years since we last spoke. I will always have many fond memories of many times spent doing projects at the house and many trips to stafford speedway and to dover. Rest in peace old friend. My deepest condolences to his family on your loss. He was a great man and a good friend.
May 6, 2012
Take care my friend, I retain many happy memories of our days together at The Hartford. My condolences to all members of your family.
Jerry Murphy, West Simsbury Ct
Herb & Carol Jackson
May 6, 2012
Our thoughts and prayers are with you in your time of grief. May your memories bring you comfort.
Tammy Paul
May 6, 2012
We will all miss Russ. You are in our prayers. May you find comfort knowing that Russ is with Jesus now, rejoicing! We love you!
Tammy
Kay and Todd Ferkey
May 5, 2012
So sorry for your loss Linda..Russ was a great guy and Todd and I enjoyed our visit with him at River view..He knew where he was headed..what a blessing to have JESUS!! May you feel HIS loving arms of comfort around you...knowing Russ is healed and in HIS presence...
Sue
May 5, 2012
I am very sorry for your loss. May God comfort you and bring you peace during this difficult time.
Paul Lariviere
May 4, 2012
I always saw Russ as a deep thinker. Nothing was superficial with him. When he worked in Hartford, he was a person who would give you his right arm. We often discussed faith as well as work and our kids because they were going through some similar stages in life. My prayers will be for his family that God in His infinite mercy will help them to bridge the gap that has come before them with Russ' passing. My condolences to the family.
Yvonne and David Pagels
May 3, 2012
Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this difficult time. May you feel God's presence and know He is with you every moment. Be still and Know I AM GOD, I AM COMFORT, I AM PEACE. You have our deepest sympathy.
Linda, if there is anything you need, please call.
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