Bert Kirchoff Sr.

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Bert “Buzzy” Kirchoff, age 74 of Ellsworth, Wisconsin, passed away April 2, 2021.

Bert was born May 8, 1946 in St. Paul, Minnesota to Berthold and Catherine (Enright) Kirchoff.  He grew up in the Rice and Sherburn area of St. Paul and attended the Mechanic Arts School nearby.  Bert entered active duty in the US Army and was stationed in Vietnam during his period of service.  Although Bert’s family had been friends with the family of Margaret “Debbie” Abbas, they started dating.  They were united in marriage on December 23, 1970 and made their home in St. Paul where they raised their family.

For most of Bert’s life, he served as an Electroplating Engineer for a small company in St. Paul.  He had also worked on the production line at Pearson’s Candy Company and Treasure Island Casino as a custodian.

Bert enjoyed going to car shows and driving his 1941 Plymouth Special Deluxe.  He was a jack-of-all trades, an avid Elvis fan who always made sure he had a cup of Folgers coffee nearby.  Bert kept active through the years and looked forward to camping and his trips to the casino (no more than 3 days at a time!).  He had a great sense of humor and couldn’t help from cracking corny jokes whenever he could.  The thing that he loved the most was spending time with each one of his beloved family.

Bert is survived by his wife of 50 years, Margaret “Debbie”; children Dawn (Chris) Donahoe, Tammy Johnson and Bert Jr.; grandchildren Kali (Henry) Moncada, Lacey Kirchoff, Sophie Korman, Brady Kirchoff, Seth Korman, Autumn Kirchoff, Grace Donahoe, Jordyn Donahoe and Destin Campbell; great-grandchildren Bentley, Niyara, Fergus and Leonardo; brother Robert (Barb) Kirchoff and several nieces and nephews.  He is preceded in death by his parents; siblings Eddie Kirchoff, Jim Handt, Millie Kehborn, Dee Hipkins.

Memorial service will be 11 am, Friday, April 9, 2021 at Kok Funeral Home, 7676 80th Street S,  Cottage Grove with visitation one hour prior.  Military honors will be provided following the service.  Masks will be REQUIRED while in the funeral home facility.

LIVESTREAM INFORMATION:  For those who would like to participate in Bert's service via livestream, you can watch the service on Friday, April 9, 2021 at 11:00 am.  It can be viewed by scrolling to the bottom of this page, and "CLICK PLAY" to begin.  Please leave a message of support on our Tribute Wall or complete the HeartStrings message form to let the family know you were able to watch the service.  If you are having troubles with the Livestream, please accept our apologies, but the service will be available to watch later in the day.