Herbert F. Behnke
Herbert Frederick "Herb" Behnke, age 88 of the Town of Richmond, passed away
Sunday, December 8, 2013 in Shawano. Born on September 17, 1925 in the Town
of Little River near Lena, he was the tenth child born to the late Reinhold
and Julia (Heinz) Behnke. Raised on a dairy farm, Herb learned the value of
hard work as well as the joy one can get from hunting and fishing. After
graduating from Lena High School in 1943, he furthered his education at the
University of WI-Madison, completing a course in cattle breeding. After
graduating, Herb was employed at Badger Breeders Coop where he held every
marketing position in the company before retiring in 1989 as the Vice
President of Marketing for CRI. On May 10, 1975 he was united in marriage to
Lenore Giesler at the St. James Lutheran Church in Shawano. Herb's love for
hunting and fishing stayed with him throughout his life and he joined many
outdoor organizations and was appointed to statewide service by three
different governors; the Wolf River Regional Planning Commission by Gov.
Nelson and the WI Conservation Commission and WI Natural Resource Board by
Gov. Knowles and Gov. Thompson. Herb was the longest serving member on the
Wisconsin Natural Resources Board serving for 21 years including four years
as Chairman of the Board. In 2009 Herb was inducted into the WI Conservation
Hall of Fame. Two years later, Herb and Lenore established the "Herb &
Lenore Behnke Scholarship" for Natural Resources students. Herb was a member
of the WI Wildlife Federation, Trout Unlimited, Spooner Musky Club, Shawano
Club and Navarino Nature Center where he was on the Board of Directors. Herb
was a member of St. James Lutheran Church where he served on several
committees and was an usher for many years and for nine years was the
Richmond Town Clerk. He had received many awards and recognitions throughout
his life some of which included the National Assoc. of Animal Breeders
Distinguished Service Award in 1990, Shawano Area Distinguished Citizen of
the Year in 2001, WI DNR's Friend of Forestry Award in 2002, Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel Sports Show hall of Fame in 2003, UW Madison College of
Agriculture and Life Sciences Distinguished Service Award in 2001, WI
Conservation Congress Appreciation Award in 2006, WI Duck Hunters Special
Service Award in 2006 and WI Wildlife Federation Conservationist of the Year
in 2007. In addition, he was honored and humbled to be listed by Wisconsin
Outdoor Journal as one of the Top 20 Conservationists of the 20th Century
for the State of Wisconsin.
Herb is survived by: his beloved wife, Lenore; his son, Chrispen (Kelly)
Behnke of Rochester, MN; and 2 granddaughters, Julia and Laura. Also
survived by: Carol Kilmer of Lena, Mary (Warren) Willauer of Madison, Carl
(Kathy) Giesler of Houston, TX and Paul (Jean) Giesler of Sauk City.
Herb was preceded in death by: his parents; and his 9 siblings, Gustav (Ida)
Behnke, Minnie (Arthur) Marquardt, Arthur Behnke, Reinhold Behnke, Jr.,
Agnes (James) Bigford, Pearl Behnke, Ira (Evelyn) Behnke, Alfred Behnke and
Gordon (Carol) Behnke. Also preceded in death by: in-laws, Fred and Lillian
Giesler; and a nephew, Wayne Behnke.
Memorial services will be held at 11:00am on Tuesday, December 17, 2013 at
the St. James Lutheran Church in Shawano with the Rev. Ted Andrada
officiating. Inurnment will be in the Woodlawn Cemetery. Visitation will be
held at the church on Tuesday from 9:00am until the time of the service. In
lieu of flowers a memorial fund has been established. Swedberg Funeral Home
in Shawano is assisting the family with the arrangements.
The family wishes to thank the ThedaCare Hospice Team 5 and Shawano Medical
Center for all of their compassionate care.
www.swedbergfuneralhome.com