Bio: Urlaub, Ben (Chili Postmaster - 1976)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Urlaub, Bersell

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 1/08/1976

Urlaub, Ben (Chili Postmaster - 3 January 1976)

A 15-year veteran of the United States Postal service, Ben Urlaub of the Town of Levis, Friday was officially notified that he has been given a permanent appointment as postmaster at Chili. The appointment was effective January 3.

Widely known in this area, Urlaub succeeds Don Bersell, who was retired from the postal service last July. Urlaub had served as acting postmaster at Chili since July 7, 1975. For 15 years prior to that time he had served as substitute and regular clerk-carrier in the Neillsville post office.

A native of Walhalla, N.D. Urlaub came with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Francis Urlaub, to Clark County in 1950. The family settled on a farm in the Town of Weston. He attended Neillsville High School, from which he was graduated in 1956. Following a yar in Illinois, Urlaub returned to the area, rented and worked a farm near that of his parents’ for two years before his appointment to a substitute clerk-carrier position in the postal service.

Urlaub has been active in many areas during his residence in this area. He is past president of the Neillsville Lions Club; was head of the Little League here for a year; is on the board of directors of the Neillsville Men’s Club; a member of the board of trustees of St. Mary’s Catholic Church congregation here, and a member of the church’s improvement committee; has served as secretary-treasurer of the Pine Valley-Weston-Levis Fire association for the last nine years; has served as Levis Town clerk for nine years; and is a member and past president of the Warrior Booster Club.

The Urlaub family, which includes eight children ranging from three to 17 years, resides in the Town of Levis. They plan to retain their present home near Day’s Corner, three miles south of Neillsville on 95, at least through the present school year. Mrs. Urlaub is the former Jennie Opelt, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Opelt of rural Neillsville.