Sergeant Jakob J. Roelli, age 24, of Darlington, WI, passed away September 21, 2011, in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, while serving during Operation Enduring Freedom.
He was born July 30, 1987, in Darlington the son of Richard Roelli and Dawn (Gill) Lacy. Jake was member of First Baptist Church in Darlington. He was 13 when he accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior and chose to be baptized. Jake attended Darlington High School, where he was active in the theater and a member of the wrestling, football, and cross country teams. In 2006, he graduated from high school and continued his education at University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. In 2007, Jake joined the United States Army. Following basic training Jake went into the Infantry; he later received Special Forces training, and was then deployed as an Infantryman to Afghanistan in 2011.
Jake is survived by his father: Richard Roelli of rural Darlington; his mother: Dawn (Chris) Lacy of Fort Davis, TX; one brother: Matthew (Eryn) Roelli; one niece: Olivia all of Verona, WI; his fiancée; Caitlin Pixler of Manhattan, KS; his maternal grandfather: Robert Gill of rural Shullsburg, WI; and many aunts, uncles, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his maternal grandmother: Margery Gill on October 21, 1996; and his paternal grandparents: Edwin Roelli on October 26, 2006 and Anne Roelli on November 6, 2007.
Jake was assigned to the Company A, 2nd Battalion, 34th Armour Regiment, 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley Kansas and died from injuries suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with small arms fire.
A full Military Honors funeral service with will be held Saturday, October 8, 2011, at 11:00 a.m. at First Baptist Church, 15691 County Road K in Darlington with Rev. Nate Whiteside officiating. Burial will be in Union Grove Cemetery in Darlington. A visitation will be held Friday, October 7, 2011, from 2:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church and on Saturday, October 8, 2011, from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service at the church. The Erickson Funeral Home and Crematory in Darlington is serving the family. Online condolences may be expressed to the family at www.ericksonfuneralhome.com.
In lieu of flowers, all memorials may be given to the Darlington Area Veterans Memorial, PO Box 37, Darlington, WI 53530.
Two defining forces have ever offered to die for us. 1) Jesus Christ 2) the American GI. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.
He was born July 30, 1987, in Darlington the son of Richard Roelli and Dawn (Gill) Lacy. Jake was member of First Baptist Church in Darlington. He was 13 when he accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior and chose to be baptized. Jake attended Darlington High School, where he was active in the theater and a member of the wrestling, football, and cross country teams. In 2006, he graduated from high school and continued his education at University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. In 2007, Jake joined the United States Army. Following basic training Jake went into the Infantry; he later received Special Forces training, and was then deployed as an Infantryman to Afghanistan in 2011.
Jake is survived by his father: Richard Roelli of rural Darlington; his mother: Dawn (Chris) Lacy of Fort Davis, TX; one brother: Matthew (Eryn) Roelli; one niece: Olivia all of Verona, WI; his fiancée; Caitlin Pixler of Manhattan, KS; his maternal grandfather: Robert Gill of rural Shullsburg, WI; and many aunts, uncles, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his maternal grandmother: Margery Gill on October 21, 1996; and his paternal grandparents: Edwin Roelli on October 26, 2006 and Anne Roelli on November 6, 2007.
Jake was assigned to the Company A, 2nd Battalion, 34th Armour Regiment, 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley Kansas and died from injuries suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with small arms fire.
A full Military Honors funeral service with will be held Saturday, October 8, 2011, at 11:00 a.m. at First Baptist Church, 15691 County Road K in Darlington with Rev. Nate Whiteside officiating. Burial will be in Union Grove Cemetery in Darlington. A visitation will be held Friday, October 7, 2011, from 2:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church and on Saturday, October 8, 2011, from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service at the church. The Erickson Funeral Home and Crematory in Darlington is serving the family. Online condolences may be expressed to the family at www.ericksonfuneralhome.com.
In lieu of flowers, all memorials may be given to the Darlington Area Veterans Memorial, PO Box 37, Darlington, WI 53530.
Two defining forces have ever offered to die for us. 1) Jesus Christ 2) the American GI. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.