Larry Ernest Nale

DeFOREST–Larry Ernest Nale, of De Forest, died peacefully at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veteran’s Hospital on Monday, Jan. 12, 2015, in Madison, at the age of 73. He was born on July 19, 1941, in Forest Township, Wis. Larry enlisted in the U.S. Army after graduating from Monona Grove High School in 1959. He served in the Army from 1959 until 1962, and then in the National Guard as a member of the Army Reserves until 1968. Larry met Lynne in January of 1962 while stationed in Washington. They married on July 21, 1962 and moved back to Madison, where they raised their family. Larry had a long and varied career working for several companies, starting with Klein Dickert, and then joined Research Products. Finally he moved on to Webcrafters, where he worked for 39 years before retiring in 2009. After starting at Webcrafters, Larry returned to school enrolling at MATC, where he trained to become an electrician. In his spare time Larry enjoyed the outdoors, especially hunting and camping and taking many trips to the mountains of Wyoming. He also loved to travel and was an avid motorcyclist, crisscrossing the country with Lynne on numerous occasions while riding his Goldwing. He was a founding member of the Honda Gold Wing Riders Association’s, Chapter H and stayed involved with the organization for more than 20 years, then becoming a lifetime member. A very skilled mechanic and craftsman, there were few things that Larry couldn’t repair. He also enjoyed simple pleasures such as chopping and splitting wood, playing euchre with his friends and family, dancing to his favorite Johnny Cash song “Ring of Fire”, and cheering on his beloved Green Bay Packers and having an ice cold one! Larry is survived by his wife of 52 years, Lynne Elva (née Hutchens); his children, Stephen (Tina) Nale of Sun Prairie, Sharon (Devin) Wells of Bartlett, Ill., and Stuart (Terri) Nale of Deforest; his seven grandchildren, Samantha Nale of Sun Prairie, Zachary Nale of Rockford, Ill., Tyler Wells of Bartlett, Ill., Courtney Nale of Sun Prairie, Nathan Wells of Bartlett, Ill., Garrett Nale of Sun Prairie, and Ryan Nale of Sun Prairie; his sister, Kay (Harold) Thompson (née Nale) of Tulsa, Okla.; and many nephews, nieces, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents, Ernest and Gwendolyn Nale of Monona; and his sister, Carol Nale of Portland, Ore. A memorial service will be held at ST. STEPHEN’S LUTHERAN CHURCH, 5700 Pheasant Hill Rd., Monona, at 1:30 p.m., on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2015, with Pastor Tim Hansen officiating, with a reception to follow at the church. Visitation will be held at church from noon until the time of the service. All are welcome to attend to celebrate Larry’s life. In lieu of flowers please send donations to the Wisconsin Parkinson Association, 945 N. 12th St., Milwaukee, WI 53233, (414) 219-7061, (www.wiparkinson.org); or the American Cancer Society, 8317 Elderberry Rd., Madison, WI 53717, (608) 833-4555, (www.cancer.org). The family would like to especially thank Dr. Eric Yanke and all of the staff at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veteran’s Hospital for their wonderful care and support. Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com. Gunderson East Funeral & Cremation Care 5203 Monona Drive (608)221-5420