Robert Alfred Marcella, 87 years old, of Kenosha, WI passed away peacefully, Sunday, December 12, 2021. He was born October 17, 1934 to John Marcella and Catherine (Burcar) Marcella in Gladstone, MI. On January 21, 1984, he was united in the holiest of matrimony with Theresa “Terry” Kollman in Kenosha, WI. He was a proud Army Veteran serving from 1958 until 1960.
Robert will be missed by his loving wife of 37 years, Terry Marcella; children: Robert J. (Rachel) Marcella and Caroline A. (Michael) Sullivan; grandchildren: Charles, Josephine and Olivia; brother-in-law, Peter (Nancy) Kollman, and his many great and great-great nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; his brothers, Walter, Rudy, and John Marcella; his sisters, Josephine Nelson and Dolores Owens; nephews, Robert Nelson and Douglas Owens and mother-in-law, Anna Kollman.
His early years were spent working on the family farm in Gladstone, MI. He graduated from Escanaba High School in 1953. After serving in the Army, he attended UW Stout where he earned his BS Degree in Industrial Arts and later his master's degree in School Administration from UW-Milwaukee.
For many years Robert taught Industrial Arts at Bradford High School and Gateway Technical College, retiring in 1999. Robert's great passion after retiring was watercolor painting. He spent many hours taking classes and perfecting his art. His award-winning paintings have appeared at the Wisconsin Watercolor Association annual shows, the Pollard Gallery and Lemon Street Gallery. His other hobbies included reading, gardening and challenging his mind with Sudoku puzzles.
Robert loved spending time with his family but especially with his grandchildren. He will be missed by his dinner club friends, his breakfast buddies and his Gateway retired teachers' group.
Funeral services honoring Robert's life will be held on Friday, December 17, 2021. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 12:00PM at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church (2224 45th Ave, Kenosha). Interment will follow in Sunset Ridge Memorial Park. A visitation for Robert will be held on Friday, December 17, 2021 from 9:30AM until 11:30AM at the Piasecki Funeral Home. Masks will be required at both the visitation and Mass.
Special thanks to Dr. Neil Shepler, the staff at Froedtert South St. Catherine's Medical Center Campus and Hospice House for their compassionate care. The family has suggested memorial gifts in his memory be made to:
- Hospice Alliance, www.hospicealliance.org; or
- Lemon Street Gallery, www.lemonstreetgallery.org (Get Involved).
Published in the Kenosha News on December 15, 2021.