Obit: Podbelsek, Charles S. (1931 - 2013)
Contact:
stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Podbelsek, Imig, Litwiller, Dravis, Blaha
----Source:
Marshfield News Herald (Marshfield, WI) 21 Jun 2013
Podbelsek, Charles S.
(6 DEC 1931 - 18 JUN 2013)
Charles Stuart Podbelsek, age 81, of Spencer,
died unexpectedly Tuesday, June 18, 2013 in the Town of Unity. A memorial
service will be held 11:00 AM Tuesday, June 25, 2013 at St. John's ECLA Lutheran
Church in Spencer. Rev. Rebekah Tarras will officiate. A visitation will be held
Monday, June 24, 2013 from 4 - 8 PM at the Hansen-Schilling Funeral Home in
Spencer and again on Tuesday at the church from 10 AM until the time of service
at the church in Spencer. Burial will follow the service at West Spencer
Cemetery.
Charles was born on December 6, 1931 in Bloomington, IL, the
son of Carl and Lula (Imig) Podbelsek. The family later moved to Logan County,
IL where Charles received his schooling.
He graduated from New Holland
High School in the spring of 1949. During the summer of 1949, Charles worked for
Asche Construction Co. from Nebraska putting up government grain bins. In the
fall of 1949, he went to work for P.H. Koester Hardware in New Holland, IL where
he worked until entering the U.S. Air Force (USAF) in March 1951.
After
serving four years in the USAF, Charles entered Tri-State College in Angola, IN.
He graduated from Tri-State with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering (BSEE). After
graduation, he accepted a position at McDonnell Aircraft Corporation, St. Louis,
MO in the Flight Test Department as a Flight Test Instrumentation Design
Engineer. When the space program came along, he was assigned to work both the
Mercury and Gemini Programs in instrumentation design.
In 1964, Charles
decided he needed a change, and having been raised on a farm, he decided to
return to farming. After purchasing a dairy farm in rural Spencer, WI, the
family moved to WI on April 22, 1964. They sold the farm in 1998 and moved close
to some friends where Charles helped with planting and harvesting. He had a
combine and did custom combining until 2008. Also, he did some driving for the
Amish, and after his wife of 51 years passed away, he drove the Amish full time
and became friends with many of them.
Charles was united in marriage to
Leda Litwiller on December 22, 1957. She preceded him in death on February 15,
2009. He is lovingly survived by his children, Curtis (Debbie) Podbelsek,
Marshfield, WI and Barbara Podbelsek, Dallas, TX; one grandson Ryan Podbelsek,
Marshfield, WI; sister, Ruth Dravis, Bloomington, IL; brother, Allan Podbelsek
and soul mate, Vlasta Blaha.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Leda;
sister, Wanetta Jacobs; brother, Hank Podbelsek; half-brothers Larry and Billy
Podbelsek; brother-in-laws Henry Dravis and Jerry Jacobs and sister-in-laws Jean
Eigsti and June Shoemaker.
Charles loved sports—after High School, he
played Legion baseball. He also liked to bowl, play basketball, ping pong,
darts, golf, cards, and was an avid Packer fan. He enjoyed fishing and hunting
pheasants in his younger years. He also liked to travel—especially road trips.
In the last few years, Charles and Vlasta spent many wonderful hours square
dancing, kayaking, biking, cross country skiing and enjoying wildlife
excursions. He was a member of First Presbyterian Church, Marshfield, WI.
Online condolences may be made at
www.hansenschillingfuneralhome.comfor your convenience.
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