ASA J. COUILLARD
LONG ILLNESS CLAIMS LIFE
OF ASA COUILLARD
Former County Treasurer
Dies at His Home Shortly
After Noon Today
Asa J. Couillard, 47, county treasurer four nine years active in civic and county affairs all his life, passed away at his home on Congress street 12:40 p. m. today after a severe illness of three months. Funeral arrangements have not yet been completed.
Known throughout the county for his long record of untiring service, his death leaves vacant a place which will be hard to fill.
Mr. Couillard was born March 18, 1889 at Couillardville, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Couillard. On Feb. 13, 1912 be married Marie Grosse at Menominee, Michigan. As a boy he had attended the Couillardville school and later took summer school work in Oconto to prepare himself for teaching. For a period of years he taught the schools in the towns of Chase, Suamico, Brazeau, Brookside and Stiles, and for two years in Walworth County. He returned for a few years to the farm home in Couillardville and in 1923 accepted an appointment by the county board county treasurer. He was re-elected to this office in 1924, 1926, 1928, resigning in 1932 to become a partner of Julius Heisinger in the Heisinger Insurance agency here. He remained active in this business until the time of his illness.
He entered the hospital for treatment on August 31, this year, in critical condition since that time, suffering from a serious heart condition.
He was a member of Pine Lodge No. 188, F & A. M., I. O. 0. Lodge No. 190, a charter member of the Oconto Kiwania club. He was several times manager of, and always active in, the Oconto county corn and potato show since its origination. For several years he was chairman of the Oconto county chapter of the Red Cross.
Always interested in athletic, events, he was one time head of arrangements for a county-wide basketball tournament. He was an ardent fan of high school basketball.
He is survived by his widow and parents, one son, Edwin, who is attending Jordan College at Menominee Mich. two sister's D.J. Laduron, Brookside, and Mrs. Leroy Fox, Columbus, Wis.
Funeral arrangements are not yet complete but may be held from the MacQueen funeral chapel, where is the body is at present.
1936 - Funeral services for Asa J. Couillard, former Oconto county treasurer, will be held at the Oconto Presbyterian church Sunday afternoon. Interment will be in the Oconto Evergreen cemetery. He died here of a heart ailment yesterday noon. The body is at the MacQueen chapel where it will remain in state until Saturday noon and then be taken to the late residence on Congress Street. It will remain there until the time of the funeral.
Mr. Couillard was born at Couillardville, six miles west of Oconto on the Oconto River, on March 18, 1889. He had attended the Couillardville public school and later the Teachers institute for rural schoolteachers at Oconto. He taught school in Walworth County for two years and for 10 years in Oconto County, in the towns of Chase, Suamico, Brazeau, Brookside and Stiles.
After that he lived on the farm at Couillardville for several years until 1923 when he accepted an appointment by the Oconto county board of supervisors as county treasurer to fill the vacancy caused by the disappearance of William Carey, then county treasurer. Couillard was elected to the office in the general election in 1924 and re-elected in 1926, 1928 and 1930. In April 1932, Couillard resigned the position of county treasurer to become a partner in the insurance business of Heisinger and Couillard here in which he was interested up to the time of his death.
Couillard was taken to the hospital August 31 for treatment of a heart ailment from which he appeared to have recovered several weeks ago but was again sent to bed during the past month. Few people leave behind them a better record for community service. He was a member of Pine Lodge, No. 188 F. and A.M.; Oconto Lodge, No. 190, I.O.O.F.; he was a charter member of the Oconto Kiwanis club, member of the board of directors of the Oconto County Corn and Potato show of which he was manager one year and took an active part in the production of every seasons show since the event was first started; chairman of the Oconto county American Red Cross chapter from 1930 to 1934 during which time he supervised the big job of distributing government surplus food and clothing to needy throughout Oconto county. Couillard was also an enthusiastic athletic fan and a close follower of the Oconto high school basketball teams. During one season he organized and headed a count wide basketball tournament here.
He is survived by his widow, Marie; one son, Edwin; his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Couillard, Couillardville; two sisters, Mrs. D.J. Laduron, Brookside, and Mrs. LeRoy Fox, Columbus, Wis.