Ronald A. Proksch

Ronald A. Proksch, 87, of Coon Valley, died Monday May 12, 2025 at Gundersen Health System in La Crosse. He was born October 10, 1937 in La Crosse to Albert and Edna (Schock) Proksch. He attended Clausen Grade School and graduated from Viroqua High School in 1955. In high school he was a boxer and football player. On August 14, 1957 he married his “Dear Farm Girl”, Janet Manske, from Dodson Hollow who was by his side every day of their life, which was 67 years. They were the first couple to be married in the “new church” in Chaseburg. Ron served 4 times as president of St. Peter’s, served on the council many times, and also served as janitor. He helped his wife with altar clothes and banners to be put up in the church for 54 years. He was in the Church Choir for 68 years. Ron loved his Packers and Brewers. He hauled milk cans at the age of 16 to make a little extra money. He went to Beloit and worked at Fairbanks as a welder and to Janesville at the Chevrolet plant. When his father passed away, he came home to take over the farm until his brother Jim graduated from high school. They then moved to his wife Janet’s family farm with her parents. He also worked at the Chaseburg Creamery as a cheese and butter maker. Ron went to the Trane Co. in La Crosse as a welder where he worked for 36 years. They built a house in Petticoat Junction and lived there for 18 years before buying his wife Janet’s farm in Dodson Hollow and farming there for 36 years while working at Trane Co. They sold the farm in 2016 and moved to Coon Valley to a house that didn’t have any steps. Ron loved hauling his Amish people just to have something to do.

Survivors include his wife of 67 years, Janet; son, David (Doris) and grandchildren, Emma and Jana of Germany and Alexandria of South Carolina and son, Donald of La Crosse; sisters-in-law, Elaine Proksch and Nancy Proksch; nephew, Rodney (Elayne) Proksch, nieces, Rhonda (Keith) Rach, Bonnie Harden and Sandra Proksch-Troope; all his dear friends and some very special people, Tanner and Nicole, Evelyn and Grant Johnson, Steve and Cindy Lisney, Mike and Stephanie Lee, the family of Stuart Sill who bought their farm and are thankful they are doing such a nice job.

He was preceded in death by his parents, father and mother-in-law, Adolph and Alida Manske and brothers, Eldred, Eugene and James.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday May 17, 2025 at St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Chaseburg. Military honors will follow the service. Private burial will be in St. Peter’s Cemetery. A visitation will be held at the Seland Funeral Home in Coon Valley from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday and at the church on Saturday from 9:30 until service time. Memorials are preferred in lieu of flowers to St. Peter’s Lutheran Church.