Obituary: Arlan “Arlie” Gerald Behnke

Arlan “Arlie” Gerald Behnke, 86, of Reedsville, passed away peacefully at Aurora BayCare in Green Bay on Thursday, February 19, 2026, surrounded by his loving family.

Arlan was born on August 11, 1939, and grew up on a farm in Reedsville, the second son of the late Edmer and Adeline (Fischer) Behnke. He was a 1957 graduate of Reedsville High School. He married his high school sweetheart, Donna Krueger on August 14, 1960, and they celebrated 65 years of marriage this past year. Together the couple had six wonderful children, Kim, Jill, Brian, Daniel, Heidi and Carissa. Arlie enjoyed spending time with his wife, kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids. He was a devoted father and grandfather who truly cared about his family and always supported them in all of their activities. Arlie owned and operated a dairy farm with his brother, Ken, for many years. He then went to work as forklift driver at Kaytee Products in Chilton for 20 years until his retirement.

Arlie had a passion for various sports, including deer hunting, basketball, baseball, dart ball, football, and softball, where he was particularly recognized for his impressive knuckleball pitch. Over the years, he found joy in playing, coaching, and listening to games, but nothing brought him more happiness than attending and cheering on his family’s events. He was instrumental in starting the Reedsville Youth Flames Football program.  In his later years, he enjoyed trips with the “gang” to the casino and local restaurants. He enjoyed taking trips with Donna all over Wisconsin and memorable trips to Branson, Jamaica, and going to Arizona to visit his family. 

He is survived by his loving wife, Donna; his children, Kim (Tim) Newberg of Manitowoc; Jill (Paul) Christensen of Grafton; Brian (Kristal) Behnke of N. Fond du Lac; Daniel (Jessica) Behnke of Maricopa, AZ; Heidi Behnke of Goodyear, AZ; Carissa (Eric) Gohr of Krakow; twelve grandchildren, Austin Newberg (Julie, fiancée) and Erik Newberg; Abigail (Michael) Stanislawski and Natalie Christensen; Noah and Ashton Hoppe, Sophie and Maddox Behnke; Liam and London Behnke; and Hunter and Alayna Gohr; great-grandchildren, Benjamin and Allison Stanislawski; his siblings Kenneth (Kay) Behnke and Joyce (Jerry) Behnke, his brother and sister in-laws Dianne (Larry) Zeitler, J’ette Kraus, Joy Kocian, Jean (Dennis) Kiekhaefer, Linda (Scott) Schultz, Randy (Mary) Krueger, Rick (Barb) Krueger, and Bill Marsicek, and numerous nieces and nephews.  He was preceded in death by his parents Edmer and Adeline; his brother, Donald Behnke; his grandchildren Angela and Christopher Newberg; his father- and mother-in-law, Lester and Elaine Krueger, his brothers-in-law: Randy Kraus and Jerry Kocian and sister-in-law, Dawn Marsicek.

Celebration of Life Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at Faith United Methodist Church, Brillion. Officiating at the Service will be the Revs. Dale Eggert and David Leistra with burial at Brillion Community Cemetery.

The family will greet relatives and friends at Faith United Methodist Church, Brillion, from 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, February 24, 2026 until 10:45 a.m.

Arlie’s family would like to extend a sincere appreciation to our family and support team that helped Dad in his final years; and the compassionate Intensive Care Unit and Hospice at Aurora BayCare. Everyone cared for Arlie and his family with great kindness.

The Pielhop Funeral Homes of Reedsville and Brillion are assisting the family with funeral arrangements.