Chip Bahr, III

Chip Bahr, age 54 of Rio, WI, died on June 23, 2017 at Agrace Hospice in Fitchburg, WI, surrounded by family and friends, one day short of his 55th birthday.

He was born on June 24, 1962 at Divine Savior Hospital in Portage, son of Warren Bahr, Jr. and Jane (Herrington) Bahr .He grew up in Pardeeville. He graduated from Pardeeville High School but, as a self-taught man, the lake and woods, fields and streams in rural Wisconsin were amongst his greatest teachers. Early years would find Chip out of doors as much as possible, visiting with neighbors, accompanying friends to the local fishing hole, acquiring sportsman skills that would carry him well into the rest of his life. He loved fishing so much that even after high school, when conditions were right, he’d pick up younger friends still in school and head out with poles in hand to the lake. Along the way, he learned not only to fish, but to hunt and trap, with trapping lines along every farm and stream he had access to in the county.

In 1986, Chip would meet the love of his life when Sheila Bullied of Emo, Ontario, came down for a visit. They were introduced by her brother and sister in law and not long afterwards, Chip made the 9 hour drive up to Canada to see her. In 1988, he asked her to come home with him to Rio. Two years later, they were married. Chip and Sheila are the proud parents of a son and daughter, Trapper and Scout. He was a devoted parent who could not have been more proud of his children and in love with his family. His was not a selfish love, but one he shared in the community. In his years in Rio, he devoted time and energy to passing along sporting skills to youth, young and old. As a volunteer hunter safety instructor, he taught kids, whether they planned to be hunters or not, the right and responsible ways to handle a fire arm. He did the same in teaching kids to fish, once even raising money to take them to a fisheree.

The home the family shared was purchased with the monies he raised as a young man through his trapping. It is a well-known stop by many who pass through Rio on State Highway 16. In their front yard, as soon as the summer harvest began, friends from near and by would stop by for their world famous sweet corn, tomatoes, cukes and peppers and, when in bloom, gladiolas.

There was a reason their sweet corn was the best in the area. Chip knew his seeds and he knew farming. He worked for 25 years in the canning industry at Larson Co. in Cambria. Starting on the line as a young man, he took a variety of jobs over the years. He then worked in seeds at Harris-Moran, and later, went to Seminis. With knowledge and skills even more highly developed, he returned for the last ten years to Del Monte. He was known as the seed guru and with his contributions that company gained in notoriety. More than coworkers, his Del Monte crew was like a second family.

Chip and Sheila made trips every year with the kids back to Canada, mostly to fish, and there were other fishing and hunting trips with buddies. He was a hard worker, but he always made time to head to the woods or lakes. He raised black and tan coon dogs, canine companions who would accompany him into the fields and woods. It’s been said of Chip that anyone who knew him learned something and was made the better for knowing him. He was a keeper of stories, a man of vast intelligence, and a lover of all things living.

Chip is survived by his wife, Sheila Bahr, his children, Trapper Bahr (Taylor Harbort) and Scout Bahr, his mother, Jane Bahr of Pardeeville, sister Janel Bahr of Greenville, WI, nieces Taylor Graff of Pardeeville, and Haley Bullied of Emo, nephew Shaun Bullied of Emo, father-in law Eugene, mother-in-law Marvel, brother-in-laws Wayne, Murray, and Ed (Arlene), and dog Ike. He was preceded in death by his father Warren Bahr, Jr.

A memorial service will be held Friday, June 30 at 7 PM at Grasse Funeral Home in Rio. Visitation will be held from 3 PM until the time of service.

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