Barbara Kolter

Barbara M. Kolter, 78, passed away peacefully on February 21, 2026, at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin, after a brief hospitalization. In her final days, she was surrounded with love by her family and visited by many dear friends.

Barb’s passing comes shortly after the unexpected loss of her beloved husband, Mark Kolter Jr., whom she deeply loved. Their bond and shared life remained a source of strength and comfort to her until the very end.

Born on December 2, 1947, in La Crosse, Wisconsin, to Roy “Happy” Franklin and Juniata Gentzkow Franklin, Barb was proud of her deep family roots in Minnesota and Wisconsin. She grew up on Redfield Street in La Crosse, attended Holy Trinity Grade School and Aquinas High School, and although she spent most of her adult life in Winona, she carried her love for La Crosse throughout her life.

Barb lived a full and eventful life centered on family, friendship, faith, and travel. She worked many years in the restaurant and hospitality industry, including the Hot Fish Shop, Zachs, Finn & Sawyers, and the Hillside Fish House, where she made many lifelong friends among both staff and customers. The restaurant community became an extended family to her, and she took pride in hard work, hospitality, and the relationships she built over the years.

In 1979, she met Mark Kolter Jr., and together they shared 45 years filled with travel, laughter, snowbird winters in Florida, and countless memories with family and friends. Whether exploring the country by car, enjoying morning walks along the beach, or gathering loved ones for holidays and celebrations, Barb cherished the life they built together and the years they shared.

Barb was an avid reader, a lover of history, and someone who appreciated lively conversation and strong opinions. In recent years, she found great joy in researching her family ancestry and writing her memoirs. She ended those writings with the words, “I like to think of myself as an optimist and believe that life is what you make of it.” Those who knew her would agree - she made her life full.

She is survived by her daughter, Lora Martinson; her son, Andrew Meyer (Nicole); her stepson, Mark Kolter III (Candy); and her stepdaughter, Kymberlee Pichler (Norman). She was a proud grandmother to nine grandchildren and was also blessed with fourteen great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister Bonnie and her brother, Bob (Nora), along with many extended family members and dear friends. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Mark Kolter Jr., and her parents.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Friday, February 27, 2026, at 11:00am at the Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka in Winona, MN. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church on Friday. Interment will be at Mormon Coulee Memorial Park in La Crosse.

The funeral service will be live streamed. To watch the service, click here, or paste the following link into your browser:

https://together.oneroomstreaming.com/UNBT3T