Obituary for George R. "Bob" Gorniak

He was born in Chicago, Illinois on February 11, 1935, to George and Eleanor (Woytonik) Gorniak. George grew up in Chicago. After completion of high school, he immediately enlisted in the US Army and spent two years as a helicopter mechanic at Fort McCoy in Sparta, WI.

On June 9, 1956, George married Nancy Wehrenberg of Bangor, WI at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Bangor. George and Nancy were blessed with five children, Lynda (Stephen) Mueggenborg, Bob (Tammi) Gorniak, Jim (Dawn) Gorniak, Mike (Sara) Gorniak, and Deb (Jeff) Elliott.

George worked most of his life as a cable splicer for Illinois Bell Telephone, Henkel’s & McCoy, and La Crosse Telephone Company. During his years at Henkel’s and McCoy he traveled two different times to Saudi Arabia for a couple of months at a time and was quite proud of his time there. Many stories were told of his time there and also included a story in the La Crosse Tribune.

George was an avid sports fan. He especially enjoyed football and hockey. The Packers and Badgers were his favorite teams. He and Nancy attended many of their grandchildren’s sporting events. Family was everything to him. One of his simplest pleasures though was eating and we all enjoyed watching him enjoy his meals and sweets.

Survivors include his wife, Nancy, sister, Karen (John) DiOrio, sister-in-law, Sylvia Boma, two nieces and a nephew, thirteen grandchildren, Jaclyn (Nick) Fruechte, Rachel (Wes) Brooks, Brock (Renee) Mueggenborg, Dana (Mike) Gramarossa, Andy (Lynette) Gorniak, Matt Gorniak, Kelsey (Ian) Eyers, Tyler Gorniak, Jack Gorniak, Daysha (Lee) Elsen, Krista Gorniak, Sierra (Josh) Stumlin, and Jade Tunipseed (Parker).

George was preceded in death by his parents and brother-in-law, John Wehrenberg.

The family of George would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Hearten House 1 for making George part of their family for this past year that he resided there.

A funeral service will be held at 11:00 on Friday, June 7, 2024 at Christ Lutheran Church, 500 Park Street, West Salem. Pastor Don Frelitz will officiate. A visitation will be held from 9:00 am until the time of the service. Memorials may be sent to Christ Lutheran Church.

Online condolences may be offered on this site.