Gary L. Pollpeter Obituary

Gary Lee Pollpeter, of Colgate, age 70, passed away peacefully on July 29, 2023, while holding the hands of his beloved children Abby and Nick.

He is survived by his wife, Laurie Pollpeter; brothers Todd (Mary Ann) and Jeff (Lynn) Pollpeter; son Nick (Andrea) Pollpeter and daughter Abby (Jason) DeCarlo; grandchildren London, Olive, and Maxwell, nieces, nephews, brothers-in-laws, Dennis (Cindy), Glenn (Julie) Meister and other close relatives and friends. He is preceded in death by his mother Betty, and father Ron Pollpeter, Uncle Arch and Aunt Iona Forcier, Uncle Glenn Pollpeter, and sister-in-law Leigh Pollpeter.

Gary was born to Ron and Betty Pollpeter on October 24, 1952 and attended Washington (Germantown) High School, graduating in 1971. He was employed at A.O. Smith as a machinist, Bell Ambulance as an EMT, and a Volunteer Firefighter / EMT for the Germantown Fire Department in 1970. He later served as interim Fire Chief in the late 80s until becoming the Village of Germantown's first full-time Fire Chief in 1989.

Gary attended and received the National Fire Academy (NFA) certification in Emmitsburg, MD, that was operated by FEMA. He also served on the Board of Directors for Wisconsin Alliance for Fire Safety that founded Summer Camp for Burn Injured Youth and Newspapers in Education. Gary retired in 2013 from the Fire Department after 43 years of service, signing off as 1701. Gary was part of the Muller's Fasching Verein, he volunteered at German Fest, and coached the Germantown Hawks football team for over 20 years. Gary was also a member of the Optimist Club in Menomonee Falls.

Gary married Jane Craden in 1977, and was blessed with his two children, Nick and Abby. He later married Lauren Meister-Ward in 2006. Together they enjoyed spending their time traveling, boating at their cabin at Long Lake, and spending dinners at one of their favorite restaurants, Alpine Retreat.

Gary loved his family dearly, along with his love for being on or near the water, cooking, watching football, attending car races, and going on his annual boat trip with his life long friends for over 50 years. He was a family man and wonderful father, grandfather, brother, and uncle. His last voice mail to Abby was that he started to save money to go to the Olympics to watch Olive some day. Gary was a fun loving person. His caring, humor, ability to tell stories, and B.S,, will be greatly missed. One of his friends said it best, "I feel sorry for Saint Peter because Gary will bullshit his way into Heaven even if he's not slated to go there".

Visitation Sunday, August 6, 2023 at Schmidt & Bartelt Funeral Home, N84W17937 Menomonee Ave in Menomonee Falls from 11AM until 2:30PM. Memorial Service at 3PM. If desired, in lieu of flowers, memorials to, Summer Camp for Burn Injured Youth - 321 E Main St Suite 200 - Madison, WI 53703, are appreciated.

Visitation Sunday, August 06, 2023 11:00 AM - 2:30 PM Schmidt & Bartelt Menomonee Falls, N84W17937 Menomonee Avenue Menomonee Falls, WI 53051 Phone: (262) 251-3630.