Obit: Rabska, Howard J. #2 (1916 - 2007)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
Email: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Rabska, Baehr, Weber, Schwarting, Davies, Peterson, Jones, Kohn, Dodge

----Sources: Thorp Courier (Thorp, WI.) April 25, 2007

Rabska, Howard J. (27 Oct. 1916 - 19 April 2007)

Howard Rabska

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Howard J. Rabska, 90, of Owen died Thursday, April 19, 2007, at Clark County Health Care Center in Owen, Wis.

Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at St. John's Lutheran Church in Withee. Burial will be in Riverside Cemetery, Withee. The Rev. Tom Myhre will officiate. Pallbearers will be Greg Rabska, Mike Rabska, Chris Rabska, Gary Rabska, Ronald Rabska and Ken Petersen.

Visitation will be from 10 a.m. Tuesday until service time at the church. Maurina/Community Funeral Home is assisting the family.

Howard was born Oct. 27, 1916, to Richard and Emma (Baehr) Rabska. He married Esther Weber in 1939 and later divorced. He married Doris Schwarting, who preceded him in death in 1978, and then married Gladys Davies, who preceded him in death in 2001. Howard served in the U.S. Navy during World War II before receiving a medical discharge. He worked for Western Condensing Co. before going to Colorado, where he was self-employed in the coal mining business. He also hauled cedar post to ranchers in Wyoming. After returning to Wisconsin, he bought into the sand and gravel, excavating and logging business and logged off many acres of timber in Clark, Chippewa and Eau Claire counties. He hauled many loads of logs to Consolidated Paper Co. in Wisconsin Rapids, Weyerhauser in Marshfield and Nekoosa Paper Co. in Nekoosa. Howard loved the outdoors and spent most of his spare time hunting and fishing.

He is survived by three brothers, Roger (Shirley) Rabska of Oak Creek, Lester (Darlene) Rabska of Wisconsin Rapids and Herman (Dorothy) Rabska of Withee; a sister, Florence Petersen of Owen; a step-daughter, Shirley Jones of Oregon, Wis.; a step-son, Jimmy Davies of Union Grove; a step-sister, Beatrice Kohn of Madison; and two step-brothers, Zane Dodge of Hannibel, Ark., and Roy Dodge of Waukesha. He is survived by many nieces and nephews.

Memorials may be given in his name to St. John's Lutheran Church in Withee.