Ronald 'Buck' H. Babl

Ronald ‘Buck’ H. Babl, 85, passed away on Saturday, April 22, 2023 at Aspirus Wausau Hospital, with family by his side.

Buck was born on October 9, 1937 in Schofield to Rose (Corazalla) and George Babl. On November 6, 1965 Buck married Marta S. Schade in LaCrosse, WI. Together they created a deep, loving marriage and an enriched life for their children and grandchildren.

A lifelong resident of Schofield, he attended Schofield Elementary School and was a proud alumnus of D.C. Everest High School, graduating in 1957. He loved to tell stories about the early Everest football teams he played on.

After high school, he joined the Army Reserve as well as the family excavating business. Upon his father’s passing, he and his brother, Tito, took over George Babl Incorporated. In the 1980’s, Buck ventured out and started his own excavating business. And always a man of ideas, he later envisioned and developed a real estate project. One of his greatest joys was operating excavating equipment. He was proud of the role he played in much of the development of the area over the years.

Dad loved the finer things in life; traveling, fine dining with family and friends, boating, and cottaging in the Northwoods. He was an avid gun collector and spent many hours cleaning his collection. He also enjoyed sharing his collection and stories with others.

Ron also enjoyed the simple things in life such as working and relaxing in his beautifully landscaped yard, hunting with family and friends, observing and enjoying nature, taking drives to tour job sites. He also liked viewing sporting events on television, while having popcorn and a Coke with Marta. Buck was a history buff and loved John Wayne and war movies.

Buck was creative, artistic, problem-solving, and resourceful. He was also a faithful man and often shared his feeling that nature provided a strong connection to God. Buck had a tremendous memory for details of his life and took joy in sharing his many stories and experiences with others.

Buck was perhaps most proud of his family. He provided well for them and loved to instill an imagination and sense of wonder in his children and grandchildren. He also impressed upon his family the value of hard work, taking care of belongings, and stepping in where there was a need.

Marta and Buck spent lots of time together enjoying their children’s and grandchildren’s events over the years including dance, hockey, football, horse shows, and more.

Ron is survived by his wife, Marta; children Michele Griffith, Ronnie (Brenda Lee and sons, Benjamin and Isaac), and Turi (Cliff) Cebula; grandchildren, Blair Griffith, and Bryce and Jacob Cebula; sister, Christine Gilbreath, brother, Alan (Celeste) Babl; and numerous other family members and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, George and Rose Babl; sister, Jean Carlson and her husband Tom; brothers Daniel ‘Tito’ and Kenneth Babl; two infant sisters; and brother-in-law, Tom Gilbreath.

The family would like to thank the Aspirus Hospital staff for the kind and compassionate care Buck received during his final weeks.

Brainard Funeral Home is assisting the family with private family services.