Phillip Robert Goli of Iola, WI passed away peacefully on November 6, 2014 holding his wife’s hands and surrounded by his children.
Phillip was born to Robert and Thelma (Thompson) Goli on October 31, 1936 in Iola. Phillip was the last child baptized in 1936 at the old Hitterdahl Lutheran Church in Iola, where he would remain a lifelong member. He served there as janitor in his youth, on the church council, and spent time as a member of the Gospel Truth. For many years he hid in the church furnace room frying pork sausage with the men for the Pancake Supper. His faith came from his heart, it wasn’t taught. Phillip grew up on his parent’s farm, which his son Steven still farms on today. Before marrying he traveled with his friends, tinkered with cars, rode his Harley and did other shenanigans.
On the eve of October 16, 1965 he married Linda Diane Johnson of Iola at Northland Lutheran Church. Phillip and Linda shared 49 loving years of marriage in which they established a wonderful, loving home only miles from their parents’ homes near Iola. Their home was always filled with children, six in all, born from 1966 until 1987, as well as numerous dogs, cats, a horse or two, countless fish and a couple guinea pigs. He worked for the Waupaca Foundry for a short time making livestock drinking cups, then worked for Barn-O-Matic in New London installing and repairing silo unloaders and barn cleaners, building a life-long friendship with the owner. One winter at Barn-O-Matic, rather than being laid off, he and his coworkers hand built three garden tractors, which still survive. In April of 1967, Phillip started working for REA, later the Central Wisconsin Electric Co-op, as an appliance serviceman where he would remain for the rest of his career until he retired in 2003. During his 36 years with CWEC, he delivered, installed, and repaired home appliances for countless people in the central Wisconsin area.
After retirement the phone at home continued to ring with calls from people who needed help with their appliances, lawn mowers, snow blowers, furnaces, leaky faucets, light switches and anything else that was broken. When there wasn’t something to be fixed he enjoyed restoring the family tractors, supervising any and every family home improvement project, a revitalized passion for snowmobiling with his sons and sons-in-law, camping in the Northwoods, watching Brewer games with his wife and working on the family farm. He was a patient teacher to his children, helping them learn how to plumb, wire and fix their own things, letting them make their own mistakes, and waiting to step in and lend a hand. Phillip’s favorite things in life were hamburgers with fried onions, tools, coffee, popcorn, peanuts, his 1995 pickup truck, his garage, playing solitaire on the computer and his family.
Phillip is survived by his wife Linda, his children: Steven (special friend Janet), Timothy, “the twins” Sarah (Jack) and Susan (Matt), Matthew (Stephanie) and Nathaniel (Stephanie) and he was blessed with eight grandchildren: Tiffany (Jake), Solomon, Nick, Rachel, Sydney, Hunter, Wyatt and Michaela, all of whom live close by and Phillip adored. Phillip was gifted with two younger sisters, Rosalind (Allan) and Jane (David) and a sister-in-law Kay (Dave) and numerous nieces and nephews.
All who knew Phillip are welcome to visit and share stories on Friday, November 14, 2014 at Voie Funeral Home in Iola from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. Services will be held on Saturday, November 15, 2014 beginning at 10:00 a.m. with visitation starting at 9:00 a.m. at Hitterdahl Lutheran Church, N8808 County Road J, Iola with a luncheon to follow. Phillip will be greatly missed by the entire community, his children, but most of all by his wife Linda who shared Phillip’s time with so many people. Phillip and Linda were a devoted husband and wife who rarely if ever spent a night apart from each other, including his final day and night with us. We hope that God has plenty of things to be fixed in Heaven to keep Dad busy.