STEVEN HOULE

Steven Donald Houle, age 66, lost his battle with cancer on Saturday July 11, 2020. Steve was born on April 22, 1954 to Donald and Jeanette (Koehnke) Houle.  In 1972, he graduated from Neenah High School and joined the Army the following year.  After being stationed in Germany at the end of the Vietnam war, he returned home in 1976 and began his profession as an electrician. Over his forty plus year career, he worked at Jack's Electric and retired in April with Kuehl Electric. He also enjoyed doing jobs with his brother, Jeff.

Steve lost his father at a young age and grew up on the farm with six sisters and one brother.  Some of his fondest memories as a child were showing cattle with his 4-H club at the Winnebago County Fair. His mother and stepfather, Jack, helped shape him into the hardworking man we all knew.

A man of few words, Steve showed his appreciation for his friends and family by lending a helping hand. Sometimes that meant fixing a light, driving a tractor, milking cows or cutting a tree. There wasn't much that Steve couldn't figure out and fix. He also knew how to kick back and relax with a cold beer and good friends in his new garage.

Steve's favorite hobby was working in his garden.  He told his daughters that if he could do it all over again, he would be a farmer.  He loved sharing the fruits of his labor and even contemplated starting a produce stand from his yard. Steve canned tomatoes every year, made pickled beets and ate his homemade salsa until beads of sweat were rolling down his face. His favorite thing to cook was soup, especially his delicious chili. 

Steve leaves behind his wife of 36 years, the love of his life, Sue (Ross);  two daughters:  Lauren (Justin) Lubinski (Appleton, WI) and Elizabeth (Jeremy) May (Brunswick, GA);  six grandchildren:  Peyton, Jordan, Adam, Lucy, Vera and Archer.  He is survived by his mother and stepfather, Jeanette and Jack Yogerst; brother:  Jeff (Sue) Houle (Pickett, WI); and sisters: Beverly (Bruce) Anunson (Larsen, WI), Susan (Steve) Bylow (Hot Springs Village, AR), Debbie (Gordon Skog) Houle (Neenah, WI), Kathy (Chris Carlson) Houle(Highland, WI), Donna (Wayne) Gilbertson (Hawthorne Woods, IL), and Mary Beth (Jim Peterson) Yogerst (Hortonville, WI). He is preceded in death by his father, Donald Houle, and infant sister Theresa Yogerst.

A private service for family and close friends will be held on Sunday, July 19, 2020 at Westgor Funeral Home. We encourage anyone wanting to visit the family and pay respect to Steve to attend his public memorial service with full military honors on Monday, July 20, 2020 at 10am at St. Margaret's cemetery in Neenah. In lieu of flowers, a memorial donation in his name will be given to the Winnebago County 4-H.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to ThedaCare at Home Hospice, with a special thank you to nurses Mary and Paul for providing care and comfort.