Obituary of Russ Pollnow

Russ Pollnow, 60, of the Town of Grand Rapids, Wisconsin, went to meet his Savior, Jesus Christ, to spend eternity with Him in heaven on April 30, 2012. Russ fought a short but courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, May 12, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Paul?s Ev. Lutheran Church, 311 14th Avenue South, Wisconsin Rapids. The Rev. Martin Baur and Rev. James Douglas will officiate. Friends may call from 4:00-8:00 p.m. on Friday, May 11, at Taylor, Vollert, & Jennings Funeral Home, 2201 Chestnut Street, Wisconsin Rapids, and Saturday at the church from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the service. Russ was born in Neenah, Wisconsin, on February 6, 1952, to Milton and Enice (Metzig) Pollnow. He attended Trinity Lutheran Grade School and graduated from Neenah High School in 1970. In 1974, Russ graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a BS degree in Radio, TV, Film. He was employed by the Hartford Financial Services Group in Hartford, Connecticut, as an IT technician for over 36 years retiring on February 29, 2012. Russ lived in Connecticut for 30 years. He and his first wife, Cassandra (Lewonczyk) Pollnow were blessed with two children, Jessica and Corey. While in Connecticut, Russ was very active in many ministries at Messiah Ev. Lutheran Church of South Windsor. He moved back to Wisconsin in 2005 to marry Linda (Caflisch)Ebeling. He was a member of St. Paul?s Ev. Lutheran Church of Wisconsin Rapids. While at St. Paul?s he helped support the computers and was a member of the technology team for Sunday worship services. Russ enjoyed being outdoors working in the yard, hiking, boating, and biking. He was a fan of the Packers, Badgers, and auto racing. He especially delighted in being ?Papa? to his young grandsons, Brody and Bryce. Russ is survived by his wife, Linda; daughter, Jessica Pollnow, South Windsor, CT; son, Corey Pollnow, Manchester, CT; step-son, Eric (Lisa) Ebeling, Salt Lake City, UT; step-daughter, Melissa (Ryan) Kurz, Baraboo, WI; grandsons, Brody and Bryce Kurz; his parents, Milton and Enice Pollnow , Neenah, WI; brother, Jan (Georgia) Pollnow, West End, NC; sister, Jill Kimball, Poulsbo, WA; brother-in-laws, Neil Caflisch and Roger (Beverly) Caflisch, Baraboo, WI. He is further survived by many other relatives and friends. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be designated to: St. Paul?s Ev. Lutheran Church, 311 14th Avenue South, Wisconsin Rapids; UW Cancer Center Riverview, 410 Dewey Street, Wisconsin Rapids; or Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, 1500 Rosecrans Avenue, Suite 200, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266. The family would like to express their gratitude to the staffs at UW Cancer Center Riverview, Riverview Hospital Med/Surg floor, and Aspirus Hospice for the loving care they showed to Russ during his illness. We will always be grateful. Following Russ? example as a Christian witness ?Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.? Hebrews 12:2a