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Earl Bonsack Obituary
Earl L. Bonsack
LA CROSSE - Earl L. Bonsack, 89, of La Crosse, WI died on Monday, April 1,2024 peacefully with his family by his side.
Earl L. Bonsack was born February 23,1935 in Sparta, WI to Lloyd and Lina Bonsack. Earl was the youngest of 6 children. He was raised on the family farm near Bangor, WI. Earl had a great work ethic at a young age and quit school after 8th grade to work on the farm. Earl met the love of his life, Elaine, at a local dance hall and they were married on January 14, 1956 in Sparta, WI. They lived in Milwaukee, WI during the early years of their marriage and eventually moved to La Crosse, WI which became home for the rest of their lives. Earl worked for Elaine's family at Anderson Moving where he learned first- hand about the trucking business. In 1963 they bought their first semi truck. One truck and one man began hauling beer from G. Heileman Brewing Co. That was the start of Earl L. Bonsack Trucking and over 60 years later with a few more trucks and a few more drivers, still proudly working with City Brewing Co. and many other companies in the area.
Earl and his wife shared the dream of a family-owned business, which has grown to become a three generation company. "Driving Nice since 1963" and "Living the Dream" became their favorite slogans. They looked to their Catholic Faith from early in their lives / marriage and attributed their success to their faith.
Earl had few hobbies during his lifetime because he always worked. He did love to travel and would take the entire family on many cruises throughout the years. He also enjoyed his trips to casinos and was usually pretty lucky. It put a smile on his face when teaching the grandchildren to split or double down.
Earl is survived by three children: Jean (Randy) Hubert of Onalaska, WI, Jane Schein of Anchorage, Alaska, and Jeff (Kelly) Bonsack of La Crosse; seven grandchildren; two step-grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. Also one sister, Lina Parr of Kansas and many nieces and nephews.
Earl was preceded in death by his wife, Elaine; his parents; two brothers; and two sisters.
The family would like to extend a special thank you to the staff at Mayo Hospice for their wonderful care of Earl during the last few weeks.
In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorials be directed to St. James the Less Catholic Church or The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
There will be a Mass of Christian Burial for Earl at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, April 12, at St. James the Less Catholic Church in La Crosse. Visitation will be from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the service. Burial will follow at the Burns Cemetery in Bangor, WI.
Please leave a memory of Earl and sign his online guestbook at www.blaschkeschneider.com
Discover me, oh my God, the nothingness of this world, the greatness of heaven, shortness of time, and the length of eternity.
Memories and Condolences
for Earl Bonsack
Sponsored by Blaschke & Schneider Funeral Home.
2 Entries
Geoffrey Alford
April 13, 2024
About two years ago, I was having dinner at the Flipside grill on George St. With about 10 of my former colleagues at Mayo Health System in La Crosse. I was surprised by a tap on my shoulder and turned around and saw it was Earl and Elaine Bonsack. I knew them just well enough to have casual conversations occasionally as we were coming or going from Mass at St. James. Earl handed me some money and said he and Elaine wanted to buy me and my wife's dinner! It caught me completely by surprise and they said it was " a thank you for all that I did for the church " . I didn´t know what to say. Here was someone that I hardly knew offering to pay for my meal on behalf of the church . It told me immediately just how much their faith meant them! It was just a tiny example of their great generosity and support for St. James . Later that evening, after discussing it with my wife I decided what I would do to show my appreciation for their kindness. I made sure to catch them leaving Mass the following Saturday evening ( they almost always attended the Saturday vigil Mass and sat in the same pew on the north side of the church. I flagged them down as they were just about to pull away in their meticulously clean pickup truck! Elaine rolled down her window and Earl leaned towards me from the drivers seat as I approached. They both were smiling as if they knew what I was about to do. I handed an envelope addressed to both of them with a thank you card and the money they had given me the previous Saturday evening. Before I could say a word, Earl chuckled a bit and said " I suppose there´s about a thousand dollars in that envelope"! I replied that I didn´t want to offend them in any way , I wouldn´t feel right about accepting it for the volunteer work I did for the church. I told them how much their kindness meant to me and knowing that they appreciated my efforts. I was proud to be one of the servers at Elaine´s funeral, and the lector at Earl´s yesterday. I will never forget the generosity and kindness they showed me !
Constance Carlson
April 13, 2024
May God bless you and your family in this time of sorrow.
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