Robert Charles Schleifer, 91, of Onalaska passed away on Thursday, January 29th, 2026, at home surrounded by family.

Bob was born June 6th, 1934, in Burr Oak, Wisconsin to Ray and Katherine (Bottjer) Schleifer, the sixth of eight children. He grew up and attended school in Burr Oak until 9th grade when the family moved to Onalaska. He graduated from Onalaska High School in 1952. After graduating, Bob moved to New York City where he worked several different jobs.

In 1959, Bob was drafted into the U.S. Army. While serving at the Pine Bluff Arsenal in Arkansas, he met and married Joe Ann Cooper on November 2nd, 1964. In 1966, Bob was stationed in South Korea while his family relocated to Onalaska, Wisconsin. During his 22 years of service, the family traveled the world living in Nuremburg, West Germany; Kaiserslautern, West Germany; Presidio of San Francisco, California; Green Bay, Wisconsin; Fort Snelling, Minnesota; and West Berlin, West Germany. He served a tour in Vietnam from 1971-1972. After leaving the military, he returned to Onalaska where he worked for FEMA at Fort McCoy for a year during the Cuban Resettlement, then as a bus driver for a tour company and later at Gateway/Reinhart Foods as a security guard for many years.

Bob enjoyed all things outdoors - hunting, fishing, gardening, and keeping the squirrels well fed. He liked to play cards and was a well-known “card shark.” He was an avid Brewers and Packers fan. He always cheered for the Wisconsin Badgers and all the local high school teams, especially Onalaska. Bob had a love of animals and could be found cuddling one of the many family dogs. He was the center of the family. He enjoyed attending his grandchildren’s sporting events, horseback riding, and concerts. His grandchildren and great-grandchildren always held his attention whenever they were around. His entire family knew they could always rely on him to have a hidden stash of candy and other treats.

Bob is survived by his wife Joe Ann; his children, Cindy (Terry) Streeton, John (Robin) Schleifer, Christie (Joe) Przywojski, Jason (Kelly) Schleifer, and Bobby Schleifer; grandchildren, John Patrick Schleifer, Jessica Schleifer, Christopher (Joanna) Streeton, Amanda (Ken) Compton, Sarah (Kevin) Thornberg, Amy Streeton, Gracie Przywojski, Jaxon (Emily) Przywojski, Mathew (Malorie) Schleifer, Jennings Schleifer, Phinlee Schleifer, and Robert Blake Schleifer Jr.; great grandchildren, Emma Compton, Tristan Thornberg, Diana Streeton, Liam Thornberg, and Cillian Streeton; sister-law Dena (Jerry) Landry and many nieces and nephews.

Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Ray and Katherine Schleifer; parents-in-law, Alonzo and Dorothy Cooper; daughter, Melanie Reid; three brothers, Lyle, Raymond and Ellsworth Schleifer; four sisters, Margaret Harnish, Violet Sterling, Deloris Nicholson, and Sharon Waldenberger; sisters-in-law, Sylvia Schleifer, Glendora Schleifer, Dorothy Brown, and Mary King; brothers-in-laws, Leroy Harnish, Norm Sterling, R.G. Nicholson, Wally Waldenberger, Truitt Brown, and Karl King.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, February 4, 2026 at Trinity Lutheran Church in La Crosse. Visitation will be held on Tuesday evening from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at Schumacher-Kish Funeral and Cremation Services of Onalaska and one hour prior to services at the church on Wednesday.