July 6, 1941 – August 9, 2026
John Alvin Ollhoff, age 85, passed away on August 9, 2026, surrounded by his family in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin.
John was born on July 6, 1941, to Alvin and Emma Ollhoff and was raised in rural Merrill as the middle of six children. As a young man, he enjoyed riding horses and hunting. Each day, he made the two-mile trek to Copper School in the Town of Harding, where he attended through eighth grade before continuing to Merrill High School, graduating in 1960.
John joined the Wisconsin Army National Guard in November 1959. He was a member of the 32nd Infantry Division's Armor unit. He quickly earned commendations as a pistol marksman and tank sharpshooter. While stationed in Washington state, John served as a tank driver. He often shared stories from his time in the military, including one of his favorites: removing the governor from his tank in hopes of making it the fastest on the base, all without the General's knowledge. The tale perfectly captured his mischievous spirit. He served on active duty at Fort Lewis, Washington, until 1962. John continued his service with the Wisconsin National Guard, Merrill WI, until receiving an honorable discharge in 1967.
John had a lifelong passion for building, inventing, and creating. This passion led him into construction and eventually to a successful career as a millwright. He spent 31 years as part of the North Central Carpenters Union. His love of making things extended well beyond his work. He spent countless hours with his children, neighborhood kids, and nephews building multi-person bicycles, constructing eight-foot kites, working on cars or go carts and traveling throughout Wisconsin to locate the parts needed to build a large working windmill. The windmill, which pumped water into a man-made pond, still stands today on the property of the first home he built.
John loved the outdoors and enjoyed hunting, trout fishing, and canoeing, passions he shared with his family and friends. After meeting Chris Schmidt, he embraced new hobbies, including golfing, downhill skiing, and cross-country skiing. John and Chris were married on February 16, 1991.
Sharing a love of design and construction, John and Chris retired and in 1998 left the cold Wisconsin winters behind to build a beautiful retirement home in Bella Vista, Arkansas. John was immensely proud of the home they designed and built together, completing much of the construction themselves. They loved entertaining family and friends, were avid golfers, hosted memorable pool parties, and traveled extensively.
John is survived by his daughter, Kimberly Ollhoff-Nett (Brad) of Cambridge, Wisconsin; his son, John Ollhoff of Stratford, Wisconsin; stepchildren Dennis Schmidt (Angie) of Madison, Wisconsin, Sandra Schmidt (Shelia Fitzgerald) of Richfield, Minnesota, and Mark Schmidt of Tomahawk, Wisconsin; sisters Dorothy Ballard of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and Elaine Schuman (Larry) of Oregon, Wisconsin; grandchildren Leah Brown (Craig) of Merrill, Wisconsin, Larry Langbecker Jr. (Erin) of Marathon City, Wisconsin, Lacy Fox (Jaymes) of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, Hannah Hoffmann of Cambridge, Wisconsin., Thomas Hoffmann of Cambridge, Wisconsin, Cody West of San Marcos California, Alex Wilke of Appleton, WI, and Jacob Ollhoff of Merrill, Wisconsin; four great-grandchildren; Brayton, Bryce, Jameson and Samuel; two great-great-grandchildren; Eulalie and Ryder; and numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, and dear friends. He is proceeded in death by Christine Langbecker (Larry) and his wife Christine (Byker) Ollhoff.
John will be remembered for his ingenuity, craftsmanship, adventurous spirit, colorful ways with words and the joy he found in building. His legacy lives on in the many projects he created the lessons he shared, and the family and friends who loved him.
A memorial service will be announced at a later date.
