Herbert E. Feil

Herb Feil, 78, went home to his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Sunday, March 5, 2017 after living with Alzheimer’s disease.

Visitation for Herb will be held at Friedens Evangelical Lutheran Church, 335 Jones Dr., Randolph on Sunday, March 12th from 4-8 pm and on Monday, March 13th from noon-2pm.

Funeral services will follow at the church beginning at 2:00 P.M. with Pastor Daniel Schumann officiating. Burial will follow at the Randolph cemetery with Military Honors provided by Randolph VFW Post 9510 Honor Guard.

Herb was born May 10, 1938 at the hospital in Columbus, Wisconsin to Karl and Helen (Schnur) Feil. He was baptized and confirmed at Friedens Evangelical Lutheran Church and lived most of his life in his beloved hometown of Randolph.

As the son of German immigrants, Herb, along with his brother Richard, worked in the family bakery from a young age. He graduated from Randolph High School in 1956 and attended UW–La Crosse. It was there that he met Harriet Jackson. They were married on July 2, 1960 in Whitehall and moved to Platteville. In 1961, Herb was called up with the Wisconsin National Guard and served at Fort Lewis in Tacoma, Washington during the Berlin Wall Crisis. He returned, finished his degree at UW–Platteville, and he and Harriet moved to Horicon where he took a job with John Deere.

The entrepreneurial spirit he learned in the family bakery stayed with him, and in 1969 he decided to go into business for himself, buying the old Club 73 tavern in south Randolph. Herb and Harriet renamed it Feil's Supper Club, and they began serving delicious German and American cuisine along with homemade bread.

Herb loved meeting people and the restaurant fed that passion. Standing behind the bar, he enjoyed telling a good story or relating tales from his latest adventure. Those who knew Herb realized he wouldn’t be contained to just one endeavor. With five children to help in the restaurant and Harriet at his side, he spread his wings.

Herb and two friends bought a small plane and he earned his pilot’s license. He also turned his attention to the Tavern League of Wisconsin and furthering its causes. After lobbying in Madison, he decided to run for state office in the mid 1980s. While unsuccessful, he didn’t consider it a failure. Shaking hands on the campaign trail allowed him to make new friends.

Traveling became his next passion. He and Harriet visited countries such as Norway, Germany, Russia and Mexico. It occurred to Herb that many people preferred to keep their feet on the ground, and he began organizing motor coach bus tours to Wisconsin casinos and destinations across country.

Herb surrounded himself with family and friends and lived an amazing life. When Alzheimer’s took away his speech, he kept his smile and positive attitude. He was blessed with wonderful caregivers in his home and later at the Matterhaus Memory Care facility in Germantown.

Herb is survived by five children: Terry Feil, Randolph, WI; Rhonda (Michael) Patzlsberger, Germantown; Heidi (Neil) Milkowski, Stevens Point; Andrew (Carrie) Feil, Smyrna, TN; James Feil, Randolph; 16 grandchildren: Brandon (Sarah), Jonathan, Ryan (Heather) and Stephanie Feil, Alyssa Baldner; Lindsey (fiancée Matthew Bouchard), Karlee, and Shane Patzlsberger; Joseph (Jess) Bottensek; Jackson, Karalee, and Evan Milkowski; Aaron and Alexandra Feil; Summer and Deanna Feil. He also has three great-grandchildren: Eli, Graham and Titus Feil. Herb is further survived by his brother Richard (Susan) Feil, sisters-in-law Marian (Toby) Ellison, Carolyn (Dennis) Karlstad, and other relatives and friends.
He is preceded in death by his wife of 49 years, Harriet Feil, and daughters-in-law Lori Feil and Ann Feil.

Randolph Community Funeral Home in Randolph is caring for the family. Memorials are appreciated. Please consider Alz.org or Friedens’s Evangelical Lutheran Church.

Randolph Community Funeral Home
www.randolphfh.com