Basil Rueden - a De Pere area farming pioneer Basil Rueden, 89, died peacefully early Sunday morning, August 14th 2011, at St. Mary's Hospital in Green Bay surrounded by his loving family. Basil, and his wife Joan, raised 11 children on their over 100 cow dairy farm in West De Pere. Summer and Christmas family reunions keep the children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, aunts, uncles, and cousins close. Basil grew up during the Depression on a small farm near what is now called Austin Straubel airport. He and his brother Andy milked cows in the 1930s-40s while their older brothers went off to school and war. He eventually bought the home farm, determined to expand and modernize his dairy business. He was featured on the cover of Farming Today magazine in 1960 with one of the new breed of tractors and equipment. In 1962, at the age of 39, Basil lost an arm in a farming accident. He took advantage of his time spent recovering to attend farming school, dairying equipment school, and toured various modern farms. Then Basil built one of the first milking parlors in Wisconsin and actively sought out new technology, implementing modern, innovative ideas in housing, managing, and delivering feed to cattle, and new cultivation methods. He continued to be interested in the latest farming technology to the very end of his life. Basil was active on the Brown County Farm Bureau board for many years. He and Joan hosted Brown County "Breakfast on the Farm", and held farm tours for many different groups. Although the original 1100 acre farmstead and dairy near Oneida was sold in 1995, Basil never contemplated retiring from farming. He and Joan grew a new farmstead east of Shawano and continued to crop several hundred acres of corn and soybeans. Right up till the last weeks he was on the 'bug' pushing brush into a pile for burning, or on the John Deere gator checking the soybeans, or proudly showing visitors, friends and family, how the corn was growing. Wife Joan adored the man she married 62 years ago. They were inseparable. Basil was an inspiration, a role model and even a hero to his many children and grandchildren. His ever present smile and laughter was contagious. He found happiness in everyday things, and we loved that special twinkle in his eye as he held each new grandchild, and great grandchild. Basil leaves a rich legacy of love, joy, patience and dignity to those he touched. Basil Rueden is survived by his wife of 62 years Joan (Van Gheem) Rueden; sons Joseph (Karen), John (Ildiko), Jeff (Joan), Warren (LouAnn), Mark (Kimberly), and Eric; daughters Janet (Michael) Oettinger, Lynn (Sam) Kujava, Merry (Paul) Hoffman, Lisa Vandehei, and Shari (David) Wickesberg; forty loving grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren; many other beloved family members; and many, many memories. Friends may call at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 145 St. Joseph Dr. Oneida from 4:30pm 7:30pm on Thursday August 18, 2011. A parish prayer service will be held at 7pm to bring the evening to a close. Visitation will continue after 10am Friday at the church until the Celebration of the Mass at 11am with Fr. Dave Hoffman and Deacon Bobby Doxtator officiating. Please go to www.ryanfh.com to send online condolences to the family. Special thanks to all the staff at Good Shepard Home Services, Good Shepherd Nursing Home, and St. Mary's Hospital for their wonderful care of Basil and his family.