John George Kolbach

John George Kolbach of Belgium was born to eternal life on March 12, 2024, at the age of 88 years.

John was born to natural life on Nov. 11, 1935, the son of the late Theodore George Kolbach and the late Margaret Leona (nee Kultgen) Kolbach. He was the brother of the late James Sebastian Kolbach and the late Theodore Anthony Kolbach.

John was born and died on his family’s homestead. He grew up in the community of Holy Cross and knew all of his neighbors and was known by many of the same.  John had a special connection with the Mike and Lori Paulus family, who farmed the Kolbach land for the better part of John’s life.

John served his country when he joined the Army on May 5, 1958, through 1960, before President Kennedy was elected, during the Eisenhower administration (as John would tell it).  He served in the Second Missile Command in Fort Worth, Texas, which took him into New Mexico to White Sands to do maneuvers test firing missiles.  When on leave, John traveled to Honolulu, Hawaii, with the Military Transport Service, then he went on to Arizona and off to Washington, D.C.

After his tour of duty, John came home to work at Goldberg Molding in Adell.  Feeling restless and being a bit of a maverick, John continued to travel and drove to Fairbanks, Alaska, for a short time to see the sights. He went on to Idaho and worked at the Sunshine Mine, then off to Seattle, Wash., where he worked at Grey Iron Foundry and tried his hand at the Baxter Pole Co.

In 1980, John moved to Lomita, Calif., to join his brother James. Although James was a millwright by trade, John took a job at Sun Mart Supply as a truck driver, spending more time on the road transporting hazardous materials, and stayed with that company until 1993.

John returned home after the death of his mother in support of his father.  He remained on the farm for the rest of his lifetime.

Per John’s request, there will be no service with a burial to be determined at a later date.

For online condolences, please visit www.muellerfuneralhome.com.