Gary Lee Laedtke, age 77, of New London, died unexpectedly, on Wednesday, December 30, 2015 as a result of a tree trimming accident.
Gary was born on January 19, 1938 to the late Walter and Edna (Knoke) Laedtke. He graduated from Shiocton High School and then served in the United States Army Signal Core as a driver from 1957 until 1960. Gary married June Schulz on April 10, 1961. He was a dairy farmer his entire life, until his unofficial retirement in 1991. In the following years, Gary worked several part-time jobs as a truck driver. He was also Secretary/Treasurer for 30 years for the Outagamie County Soil and Water Board, as well as President of New London Coop for 12 years. Gary enjoyed growing raspberries, watching tractor pulls, riding his motorcycle and square and ballroom dancing. Gary had a love for John Deere tractors, being outside and working on his various “projects.”
Gary is survived by his wife, June; children, Brian and Nancy (Brian) Ritchie; grandchildren, Michelle and Brady Ritchie; brother, Ronnie (Carmen) and numerous nieces, nephews, relatives and friends. Gary is preceded in death by his parents and sisters, JoAnn and Janet.
Funeral services for Gary will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, January 19, 2016 at Cline and Hanson Funeral Home in New London. Visitation will be from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service. In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established.
“You can never take the farm out of the farmer”