Donald R. Bay

Donald R. Bay, 85 of La Crosse, passed away on October 1, 2022. He was born on November 29, 1936, the son of Oswald and Sylvia (Wedeberg) Bay. On November 16, 1964 he was united in marriage to Sally Manske in Waukon, Iowa. Their marriage was blessed with one son and two daughters.

Don was a devoted and loving husband, father and grandfather. He served in the U.S. Army for 2 years in Germany. He farmed in the Chaseburg area for 20 years, and later moved to La Crosse. He worked as a field man at the Chaseburg Creamery and Westby Creamery and in later years worked as a carpenter with his brother-in-law Herb Wehling. Through the years, Don’s favorite pastime was fishing with his brothers, brothers-in-law, son and grandsons and doing fly-ins to Canada. He enjoyed softball, bowling and playing cards. He really enjoyed performing his version of the Bellhop card trick at parties. After retiring, Don spent countless hours with his seven grandchildren and enjoyed traveling with Sally and heading south for the winter and doing surf fishing.

Survivors include his wife, Sally; a son, Randy (Terri) Bay; daughters Cinda (Jeff) Nelson and Kristine (Dave) Johnson; grandchildren, Sylvia (Eddy) Duryea, Rachel (Ashley) Coble, Heather Bay, Briton (Jade) Nelson, Mack Nelson, Quintin Johnson and Barett Johnson; a great granddaughter, Autumn Nelson; a sister, Alice Henden and sisters-in-law, Gundi Bay, Sherry Bay, Evelyn Bay, Arlene Wehling and Clarice Manske.

He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers, Orville, Kenneth and Earl and a sister, Shirley Proksch.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday October 15, 2022 at Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church in La Crosse. Rev. Robert Wassermann will officiate with burial at Woodlawn Cemetery in La Crosse. A visitation will be held at the church from 10 a.m. until service time. The Seland Funeral Home in Coon Valley is assisting the family. Condolences may be given at selandsfuneralhome.com.