Earl Webster Squires

Earl Webster Squires, 91, of Menomonie, WI, passed away of natural causes on Thursday, February 8, 2018 surrounded by family and friends at his home. Earl was born on November 1, 1926 in Minneapolis, MN to George and Mary (Thibodeau) Squires. Earl moved with his parents to Arnold, WI as a young boy and grew up farming with his two younger brothers, Larry and LaVerne. Attending school through 8th grade, Earl helped support his family after the death of his father when he was 16 years old. The family moved to Altoona, WI after Earl’s father died. In January of 1945 he was drafted into the U.S. Army during WWII where he served in Japan and the Philippines during and after the war. After his service in the Army, Earl came home to Wisconsin and worked in Minneapolis and Eau Claire. Earl met Lois Ganong through mutual friends and they were married on October 13, 1951. In 2017, they celebrated 66 years of marriage. Though he worked several jobs as a young man starting out, Earl was a lifelong farmer and first farmed in the Eau Claire area before moving to farm near Menomonie. Earl and Lois moved to their current dairy farm south of Menomonie in 1967 and have lived and farmed with their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren here for the last 50 years. Earl had a special passion for dairy farming. Beginning as a young boy farming with horses, he always worked to improve his farm as technology changed and laid the foundation for a modern farm that supports multiple families. Throughout his life, he was the first one up to milk cows, plant fields and do chores and never quit until the work was complete. Even after “retiring” he continued to be active on the farm, farming with his family until his final days. Earl and Lois also shared a love of bluegrass music and spent their retirement years traveling in their camper to various bluegrass festivals and visiting family. Earl loved to drive to explore the countryside and seldom missed an opportunity to observe various farms in different parts of the country. He also loved to share with his family the places he and Lois visited and whenever family and friends would visit them, he would give a tour of all the sites nearby. They found a wonderful community of friends who shared their love of bluegrass and warmer weather in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas where they spent part of their winters for many years. Earl was tireless and passionate about his work and his family. He cared for his wife Lois for many years and missed her greatly when she passed away in January 2018. He shared his love for his farm, music, traveling and family by including his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren in whatever he did. He never stopped farming and always was interested in what was happening daily on the farm. Earl is survived by his brother, LaVerne Squires; brother-in-law, Raymond (Gail) Ganong); sisters-in-law, Anne Ganong, Judy Squires and Lorraine Squires; daughter, Cheryl (Douglas) Ullom; son, Rodney (Sandy) Squires; son, Duane Squires; granddaughter, Amanda (Douglas) Boyce; grandsons, Lee (Melissa) Ullom, Travis (Erica) Ullom), Bradley (Cassie) Ullom and Ryan (Dawn) Ullom; step-grandsons, Kyle and Kirk, and Isaias (Flavi); and thirteen great-grandchildren, Josiah, Marcus, Jayden, Ellis, Shepard, Hannah, Frederick, Elijah, Naomi, Cheyenne, Jackson, Madelyn and Yahel; special friend Erv Dodge Jr., as well as many extended family and friends. Earl is preceded in death by wife, Lois (Ganong) Squires; parents, George and Mary (Thibodeau) Squires; brother, Larry Squires; brothers-in-law, Arthur Ganong and Clayton Ganong; daughter-in-law, Kay Squires; and infant son, Douglas Squires. Earl will be greatly missed by his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and many friends. A special thank you to Shiella Shilts and Visiting Angels, Belle and Danelle, for their special care of Earl and Lois during these last few months. The funeral service will be held at 6:00 pm, on Tuesday, February 13, 2018, at Cornerstone Apostolic Church, 110 Independence Drive, Elk Mound, WI 54739. Visitation will be held from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm at the church prior to the funeral services. Interment will be held at a later date.

Service Information

Cemetery

Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery