Hermine M. Kohl

Hermine Mary Kohl, 89, passed away on Friday, October 16th, 2020 at Beaver Dam Memory Care. Hermine was born the daughter of Stanley and Mary (Bartowski) Beczek on April 24, 1931 In Chicago, Il. The family moved to Beaver Dam, Wi., where in 1947 Stanley bought and operated the famed Beaver Hotel. Hermine graduated from Beaver Dam High School in 1950. Hermine and her sisters moved to Los Angeles for a few years and resided in the beachside community of Santa Monica, where Hermine worked at an aviation company. Hermine loved to dance and won a jitterbug contest while out West. But ultimately the Beczek girls decided that the glamorous Hollywood lifestyle was not for them, and they happily returned home to Beaver Dam. Back home, Hermine attended her 10th high school reunion, where she met and fell in love with her future husband, the handsome young Merlin Kohl. Hermine and Merlin (“Merl” to his family and many friends) married on June 15th, 1961 at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Beaver Dam. The Kohls settled in Beaver Dam, where Hermine gave birth to their two sons, Steven (now of Plain City, Utah) and Jeffrey (now of Los Angeles and Rancho Mirage, California). Beaver Dam is where Hermine and Merlin raised their two boys and remained an active part of the Beaver Dam community for the rest of their lives. Hermine was a member of St. Katharine Drexel Parish in Beaver Dam and was a past member of St. Michael’s Rosary Sodality and the Daughters of Isabella. Hermine’s passion was tending to her beautiful gardens. She loved it all: her many varieties of flowers, organically-grown vegetables and herbs. Hermine and Merlin also enjoyed travelling across the United States as well as to Mexico and the Caribbean, often visiting family and their many friends. But most of all, Hermine loved her family. Hermine is preceded in death by her parents and her beloved Merlin, who passed away in 2010. In addition to her sons Steven and Jeffrey, Hermine is survived by her two grandchildren, Nathan and Kristine; her two sisters Laverne Skoby and Delphene Kall, both of Illinois; and her nieces and nephews. Hermine’s family extends its deepest gratitude to Kathy Roedl, whose caring friendship to Hermine in her later years was like that of a daughter and guardian angel. A private service will be held at St. Michael’s Cemetery in Beaver Dam.