Gertrude “Gertie” Kolb

Gertrude Mary Kolb, Spencer, passed away on July 6, 2024, at the age of 86.

Funeral services will be held at Christ the King Catholic Church in Spencer on Saturday, July 13, with Father Barry

Saylor officiating. Visitation will begin at 9:30 a.m. The 11 a.m. mass will be followed by a luncheon. The honor of pallbearer belongs to her daughters, Pamela, Paula and Gertie was born to Peter and Selma (Ploman) Rueth on Aug. 14,1937, in Loyal, where she grew up in the country, misbehaving by licking the cows' salt block with her sister Patty. She graduated from Loyal High School and started working as a telephone operator. Her single days were soon over, though, when her co-worker Marianna introduced Gertie to her handsome brother, Gerald. After exchang ing stacks of letters while Jerry was in the army, the couple was united in marriage at Saint Anthony Catholic Church in Loyal, on Nov. 13,1965.

Gertie and Jerry soon moved into the little white house on Roberts Street in Spencer where they would live their entire life, raising four children. Though Gertie was never officially listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the 'best mother in the world,' her children will attest this is a terrible oversight. She made home-cooked meals every night, lovingly decorated birthday cakes with Life Savers, and gave the girls home perms in the bathroom, incorrectly insisting that they wouldn't turn out too curly.

Gertie was never happier than when she was feeding someone. She was famous for her homemade pizza, zucchini bread and rhubarb sauce. With a nod to her German heritage, she fermented buckets of sauerkraut in the basement. The freezer was always stocked full of food adorned with special handwritten stickers: the cherry jam she made for her husband was 'Jerry Jam,' her sweet rolls were called 'cinnamom' buns, and anything that came out less than perfect was labeled with a big black 'XXX.'

Gertie could be shy. She would never take center stage at a large gathering, espe cially if her hearing aids were picking up too much background noise. But if you were one of the special few who truly got to know her, you found out just how incredibly mischievous and darkly funny she was. She was endlessly creative, filling the house with funny signs and drawings, writing long letters and poems to her children, and always making acerbic jokes. Put simply, she was just so much fun.

Another way Gertie expressed her love was through worrying. She was full of warnings: don't trust the mail, don't use credit cards at the gas station pumps, salt is poison, and 'young people can get blood clots too.'

Though she never owned a computer until she was in her 60s, Gertie took to the internet in a big way, using it to keep up with her kids and stalk their friends. Gertie was a night owl so her 'likes' and messages would often appear in the wee hours of the morning, after her crops were harvested on Farmville.

Gertie was like a second mother to many of her children's friends. She loved as signing them silly nicknames like Jaybird, Patches and Sparky, and ended up getting nicknames in return. She was affectionately known as Mama G, Grizz and Gertie Bear.

Gertie also loved her cats - so much so that she even bought them 'the expensive kind of food,' smuggling it into the house past Jerry. Buster and Toni are patiently waiting for her on the Rainbow Bridge.

The holidays were a favorite time of year, when Gertie's family and friends would gather around the absolute biggest turkey she could find at Festival Foods. Afterward, often took home the title of Reigning Champ - although Pam, who always acted as banker, has been accused of slipping her hundred dollar bills under the table. children riding bikes past the house, arguing about who got to read the Marshfield News-Herald first, and watching 'Dancing with the Stars' side-by-side in their re Gertie was a member of Christ the King Catholic Church for more than five decades, working alongside the PCCW, polishing the upstairs pews with Pledge, and cooking After Gertie could no longer remain at home, she was welcomed into Badger Prai rie Health Care Center in Verona. She and her daughters were extremely grateful for all her loving caregivers there. Cards and letters from beloved friends and her TRG subscription helped make BPHCC a home away from home.

Gertrude was preceded in death by her husband, Gerald; her son, Timothy; her sister, Patricia Kelty; her parents, Selma and Peter Rueth; her in-laws, Grace and Paul Kolb; her husband's siblings, Marianna Gennett, Dennis Kolb, Vernon Kolb and Patrick Kolb; and her brothers-in-law, Giles Thieme and Roger Gennett.

Those who will continue to her cherish her memory include her daughters, Pamela of Madison, Paula (Arturo Cordova) of Madison and Carol (Anthony Camin) of Los Angeles; her husband's siblings, Paul (Ellen) Kolb, Cathie Thieme and Peter Kolb; and sister-in-law, Shirley Kolb; her sister's children, Jon, James and Julie Kelty; as well as many other relatives, neighbors and friends.

Gertie's arrangements are under the care of Life Tributes Funeral Home in Spencer. To share a memory or offer condolences, please visit www.lifetributesfuneralhome.com.

PAID OBITUARY 155188