Reuben Oscar Ellefson

Reuben Oscar Ellefson passed away on the evening of December 6, 2025, in the company of family at Norseland Nursing Home in Westby, Wisconsin, the city he called home for nearly 60 years. Rueben was born on January 17, 1936, in Harmony Township, Vernon County, WI, to Elias and Hannah (Hanson) Ellefson.

Reuben served as a U.S. Navy firefighter for two years as a young man, which allowed him to travel to places like Greece, Spain, France, and more, after which he married the love of his life, Eileen Claire Boland, on March 22, 1958, in Chicago. They raised four children together: Daniel Oscar, Barbara Maria, Peder Michael, and Thomas Eric.

A great lover of music, Reuben collected instruments, including a banjo and accordion, though he never learned to play them. Reuben was also an early adopter of technology, and his kids talked about being one of the first houses on the block to have the earliest video game, Pong, as well as one of the first computers in the neighborhood.

Reuben led a very active life and valued hard work and education. He worked for many years at Cooler Company in La Crosse and later at Vernon Electric in Westby, attending classes at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. He served on Our Savior’s Council and was an original board member and part of the planning committee for Norseland Nursing Home. Reuben was also a member of the Westby Fire Department, the Westby Chapter of the Sons of Norway, and the Wisconsin Woodland Owners Association, in addition to being an active member of the Bethesda Lutheran Church.

Reuben was very active in the Snowflake Ski Club, helping to coach many jumpers, including his sons. He served as the Jr. Ski Club Treasurer and engraved the original nameplates for the hill, in addition to volunteering countless hours prepping the ski hills, transporting jumpers to tournaments, and operating the food stand.

Determined to show his children as much of the world as possible, Reuben took his family on camping trips around the U.S., including a memorable trip to Glacier National Park. Later, Reuben traveled with his children and grandchildren to Norway, including Skjåk, where his father was born.

Reuben and Eileen had a large community of loving friends and family, including their “dock neighbors” at the La Crosse Municipal Boat Harbor, where they kept their houseboat, the Solsidvegen, in between camping trips on the Mississippi River, creating many wonderful memories and teaching their grandchildren to fish.

To many, Reuben was known as the Lefse King and refused to share his secrets with anyone outside of the family. He was also known as Pinky, Dad, Grandpa, the big kid who played hide-and-seek, and a friend who will be dearly missed.

Reuben was welcomed home by his wife Eileen; his granddaughter Jennifer Mulhausen; his daughter-in-law Karen; his parents; and his siblings Hazel Erlandson, Eva Pederson, Agnes Heinzel, and Reverend Elmer Ellefson.

He is survived by his children Dan “Disco” Ellefson (Tanya), Barb Foss (George), Pete Ellefson (Kelly) and Tom Ellefson; grandchildren Anthony Foss (Jessica Brockman), Samantha Foss (Danny Garcia), Hannah Ellefson (Aaron Lange), Chelsey Koch (Corey), Derek Mulhausen (Sarah), Tyler Fortney, Matt, Ellen, Keith, Kathleen and Nick McAleer, Tyler Scholtz, Jessie Kallenbach, Lucas Kallenbach (Brooke); great grandchildren Caliah, Harper, and Thea Koch, Trent Scholtz, Finnley Lukes, and Ava Poirier; and many other friends and family.

A Funeral Service for Reuben will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 13, 2025, at Bethesda Lutheran Brethren Church in Westby. Visitation will be held on Friday, December 12, from 4:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. at Vosseteig Funeral Home in Westby. Additional visitation will be held Saturday at the church from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the service. Burial with full military honors will follow at Zion Lutheran Church Cemetery, Viroqua.

The family would like to offer heartfelt thanks to his care team and the staff at Norseland nursing home for the love and compassion you showed him during his time there. We are so very grateful.