Glen F. Gard May 13, 1943-Oct. 30, 1915
Glen Francis Gard, age 72, of Cobb, passed away Friday, Oct. 30, 2015, at Agrace HospiceCare, surrounded by his family following a six-month, courageous battle with Glioblastoma Multiforme, a form of brain cancer.
Glen was born May 13, 1943, to Ernest and Lauretta (Wienkes) Gard. He was raised on their family farm, just north of Cobb. Upon his graduation in 1961, as part of the first-ever class from Iowa-Grant High School, Glen attended UW-Platteville and obtained a degree in Agricultural Business.
While attending UW-Platteville, Glen held a part-time job at the Cobb Canning Factory for several years before accepting his first job with Production Credit Association (PCA) as an agricultural loan officer. He held that same job as the company transitioned from PCA to Farm Credit Services, and eventually Badgerland Financial. Glen retired in 2008, after 40 years of serving the southwest Wisconsin agriculture community.
He married Connie Palzkill on October 25, 1969, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Mineral Point. Together, Glen and Connie were active members of Ss. Anthony & Phillip Parish in Highland, with Glen serving on the parish financial council for many years. In addition to raising three amazing sons, they enjoyed playing cards with friends and had many wonderful family vacations. Glen was also very active coaching youth in Cobb, as their three sons played baseball for him as part of the Cobb Little League program. He also served as president of the Iowa-Grant Athletics Booster Club for many years. His goal was to always do what was best for the kids, and emphasized the importance of guiding and helping youth in every positive way.
Glen enjoyed farming and managed the family farm with his parents until taking over, upon Ernest and Lauretta's retirement. He stayed heavily involved with his son, Garry, operating the farm up until his diagnosis. He remained abundantly involved in the agriculture community, assisting as a group leader for the Cobb Busy Badgers 4-H Club, and annually helping with the Iowa and Grant County Fairs. This past September, the Iowa County Fair dedicated their newly renovated swine show pavilion in his honor. He also served on the Blackhawk Lake Recreation Area commission for over 25 years and on the Cobb Volunteer Fire Department for many years.
He greatly enjoyed the outdoors, with hunting and fishing being a huge part of his lifestyle. He made annual trips with close friends to Canada fishing, the western states big game hunting, as well as yearly trips to South Dakota to pheasant hunt with his son Garry and brother Rodney. He appreciated the outings either afar or in Wisconsin with his sons, as well as teaching his older grandkids his secrets to hunting and fishing.
Glen and his wife Connie were avid followers of the University of Wisconsin and UW-Platteville men's basketball teams, while watching Greg and Jeff coach their respective teams over the past 20-plus years. They followed the Badgers to both of their recent Final Four appearances and could often be found in Platteville at Williams Fieldhouse or various gyms across the state watching the Pioneers. Many times, you found them crazily traveling to watch both the Badgers and Pioneers in the same day.
Glen is survived by his wife Connie; sons, Greg (Michelle) of Oregon, Garry (Sarah) of Pardeeville, and Jeff (Amy) of Platteville. He was loved, adored, and will be deeply missed by his seven grandchildren, who were his pride and joy, Mackenzie, Isaac, Caleb, Peyton, Haley, Hannah, and Vincent, as well as his best four-legged hunting companion, Hunter.
His memory is also sustained by his brother, Rodney (Linda) of Cobb; brothers and sisters in-law, Russ and Nancy Moody of Monona, and Larry and Marcia Palzkill of Belmont; along with several nieces, nephews and many close friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Ernest and Lauretta; along with his father and mother in-law, Vincent and Elizabeth Palzkill.
His sons and wife would like to express their appreciation to Dr. Gordon Grieshaber of Mineral Point Medical Center, Dr. Richard Carter and the staff at St. Mary's Hospital, the staffs at UW Hospital and UW Carbone Cancer Center, specifically, Dr. Howard Bailey and Dr. John Kuo, as well as the staff at Agrace HospiceCare for their loving care of Glen and his family.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the American Brain Tumor Association, UW Carbone Cancer Center and/or Ss. Anthony & Phillip Parish in Highland.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015, at SS. ANTHONY & PHILLIP CATHOLIC CHURCH, 726 Main St, Highland, Wis. Father Jim Murphy and Father Jim Uppena will concelebrate with burial in St. Anthony's Cemetery. Visitation will be held at the church from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m., Monday, Nov. 2, 2015, and again on Tuesday after 10 a.m.
While cancer may have taken him from us physically, it can never take away the memories, friendships, lessons, and everlasting impressions he made on so many people. He was simply a "salt-of-the-earth" man who had a friendly greeting to whomever he met. He lived his life with irreproachable honesty, integrity, and kindness. He kept his principles simple, and always lived life to its fullest. He will be greatly missed.