STEVENS POINT / MIDDLETON- Carroll Bernard “Kelly” Lodahl, age 94, of Middleton, passed away on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at Maplewood Health Care Center. He was born on Oct. 5, 1929, in Stanley, Wis., the son of Ben and Clenora (Torgrud) Lodahl.

Kelly graduated from University of Wisconsin - River Falls (cow college), after serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War as a radar instructor. He married Ruth (Hall) Lodahl on Nov. 16, 1952, in Cornell, Wis. Kelly worked as Chief of Farmers Home Administration of Wisconsin, retiring in 1985.

Kelly had a great sense of humor and loved a good practical joke. He also loved music and dancing. He loved to play the “Beer Barrel Polka” on the organ for the grandkids to dance to. Kelly loved woodworking and made furniture as well as smaller items for craft sales. He loved to plant flowers around the house. He had a plan drawn up every year, so he knew how much to buy. Kelly and Ruth loved their condo in Naples, Fla. They made many good friends while there and had lots of parties. Kelly volunteered building houses for Habitat for Humanity while in Florida and loved a good round of golf. He spent many hours fishing and always enjoyed reeling in his catch very slowly. Kelly and Ruth were host family to Fred Nabeta from Uganda nearly 45 years ago. Kelly embraced Fred and his family as his own.

Kelly was loving and kind and sent out Mother’s Day cards to his daughters and valentine's cards to all his kids and grandchildren every year. He encouraged his grandchildren to do well in life and encouraged them in life to be the best that they could be. He was a loving father and devoted grandfather and did wherever he could to support us.

It was important to Kelly to make sure everything was taken care of and that he had done his best. One of the most important things about him was he was one the strongest men you would ever meet. He never gave up and always kept trying. Kelly had an amazingly strong spirit and the greatest gift he ever gave his family was never giving up and staying strong in the hardest of times.

Kelly is survived by his children, Gary (Jill) Lodahl, Susan (Ken) Meigs, Kevin (Donna) Lodahl and Karolee (Tim) Krause; grandchildren, Adam, Amanda, Christina, Michael, Gino, Ben, Leah, and Sara; and 10 great-grandchildren, Tiah, Kayla, Jackson, Everett, Oliver, Rhys, MacKenzie, Silas, Lettie, and Penelope; and Fred Nabeta. He was preceded in death by his wife, Ruth Lodahl; and parents, Ben and Clenora Lodahl.

A memorial service will be held at VERMONT LUTHERAN CHURCH, 9886 Vermont Church Road, Black Earth, at 11 a.m. on Thursday, June 6, 2024. Burial will take place at Vermont Lutheran Church Cemetery. A visitation will be held at the church from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the service on Thursday.

The family would like to thank Maplewood Healthcare Center staff and Agrace HospiceCare for the great care they gave Kelly. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Agrace in Kelly’s name. Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.

Gunderson Camacho Black Earth

Funeral & Cremation Care

1710 Center St.

(608) 767-3684

Carroll "Kelly" Bernard Lodahl

October 05, 1929 - May 21, 2024

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