Dec. 29, 2016 – Mayville, WI – A strong turnout Wednesday evening for the funeral for Al Moehr at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Mayville.
Friends and a fair share of politicians including Congressman Glenn Grothman, judge Darryl Laatsch and former assembly Majority leader Patricia Strachota.
“He was good to me when I first ran and I had to come,” said Strachota.
The altar at the church was filled with brilliant red poinsettias and green boughs and wreaths from Christmas. The casket was draped in a colorful quilt; a U.S. flag was folded in crisp military fashion and lay adjacent to a simple gold cross inside the casket.
Moehr received a full military salute following the service.
The eulogy was presented by the Moehr children and read by Rebecca Moehr- Lambrecht.
When my dad got sick in October we didn’t know if he would make it. We were unsure if his body could handle what it had been through. Then, like a miracle, he pulled through and came back the same fun dad he was eight years ago. He had fight and he had humor he was ready to take on the world again.
Then he was sick and he was frail and he was home and I thought, how cruel.
Why did God give him back to us and then take him away again? But I soon realized it was a gift.
The last few months with my dad were a gift from God. We were able to spend so much valuable time with him. We got to laugh and tell stories, we got to hug and hold hands. Our children got to see their Poppa for the wonderful man he was. Our final memories were of his true self.
Our dad was a great man. He was a sharp dresser with a mega-watt smile. He had a witty sense of humor. We laughed and giggled over the things he used to say. He loved and cared about people deeply. He poured his heart and soul into every project he came across.
He loved Toucan and the excitement a busy day brought. He loved talking to the customers and meeting people.
He made sure when we were working we always had lipstick on! If we were in the kitchen without it he’d say, “Go in the office and get your lips on.” It always made us laugh.
He loved working with his employees and helping guide them through life. Many of the kids who worked for us became like children to him. If they didn’t have a place to be on a holiday both he and my mom would open their home to them.
He had the biggest heart of any person I ever met.
He left politics and FOX News. He always wanted to make a difference, no matter how big or small. He was probably a tad disappointed we did not follow in his political footsteps. But he was overjoyed that somehow, our children miraculously came out of the womb Republican and started talking politics to us at a young age.
When I told him Gabe came home from school totally irate that Hillary Clinton had a Twitter page, he had a smile for miles. He love the fact Vonn has a passion for a good political debate.
Even though Toucan was his No. 1 he loved one thing more and that was his family. It didn’t matter how busy Toucan was he was out the door at 1:30 p.m.
This was so he could go up to the house, clean the pool, work on his beautiful flowers and of course that famous tan.
He made sure we always had family time. When we were little we always vacationed in the Dells for a few days. Dad loved Monk’s Bar and Grill and Pirates Cove mini golf.
Some of our best memories were of those family vacations. At home we always had parties with friends and relatives where we danced and laughed the night away. As a family weekend dinners were very important to Dad.
He either took us all out or we had one of his fun family dinners at home.
I will always be in awe of the way our dad raised us. He was seriously the best dad ever. He gave us the freedom to be who we needed to be, to learn and grow.
He never judged us or tried to make us into who he wanted us to be. (although Jackie did get sent upstairs twice to change her clothes).
He would simply guide us. He let us fall down and make mistakes and he and my mom would be there when we needed them.
He loved my mom fiercely and she took care of him with such love. He was a kind and loving Poppa, and we wish he would’ve had more time with our kids to show them his wisdom and humor.
He never let a sulk or be sick. We were not allowed to be out of work when scheduled. When we were teenagers we hated this.
We now appreciate that work ethic he drove into us. We learn from him to “Get a grip and get ‘er done!
Dad never let us mope around if we were sad or had a broken heart. Lay in bed all day and cry?
No! This always made me so mad; but I get it now. He was preparing us for the day we would have the worst broken heart of our lives.
The day the greatest man in our lives, our dad, would leave us. Lying in bed and crying all day sounds appropriate right now but that’s not what he wants.
He wants us to tell great stories and laugh, he wants us to have family parties and be together always. We will never stop remembering our dad.
We always knew he was one in a billion; he was put on this earth to make a difference and he certainly did.
We appreciate so much the outpouring of support and love from everybody during this time. The Facebook messages are so amazing, the stories people are writing about him are so heartwarming.
Please continue to share your stories with us. If you see us out and you want to share a story with us never hesitate to do so.
We never want to stop remembering him. The Toucan motto may be “Lost in the ‘50s” but our hearts will always be lost in the 90s – when we are working together as a family.
Dad you were an angel on earth! And you are now our angel in heaven! We love you dad! Fly with the eagles!
