Victor A. Novander (1960-2021)

NOVANDER, STOLARIK, SALOMAKI

Posted By: Ken Wright (email)
Date: 2/25/2021 at 18:21:32

Victor A. Novander, age 60, of Dubuque, passed away at 8:05 a.m., on Wednesday, February 24, 2021, at Luther Manor. To celebrate Victor’s life, family and friends may visit from 2:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m., on Sunday, February 28, 2021, at Behr Funeral Home, 1491 Main Street. At 4:00 p.m., there will be a time for family and friends to share their favorite memories of Victor. Due to COVID-19 concerns, all who attend will be required to wear a face covering, and are asked to please maintain social distancing practices. To honor Victor’s life, funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m., on Monday, March 1, 2021, at Behr Funeral Home, with Pastor Loren Hirschy officiating. Burial will be in Linwood Cemetery, where military honors will be accorded by the Dubuque Marine Corps League.

Gone Fishin’

Anyone who knew Victor, he LOVED to fish. He finished his Earthly journey on February 24, 2021, at 8:05 am. Now, he’s enjoying an ice-cold beer, with a line in a beautiful stream (always stocked with trout, of course) in heaven.

Victor and his fraternal twin, Christopher, were born in Libertyville, IL, on May 1, 1960, to Sharon Thomas (Stolarik) and Alan Novander, Sr. Victor served in the Navy between 1977 and 1980. On April 14, 1984, as fate would have it, Victor met Deborah Salomaki at Pizza Villa in Ft. Atkinson, WI, where she was a server for the family pizzeria. They were married in a small ceremony on March 5, 1985, in Jefferson, WI. In 1988, Victor and Deborah, with their three girls, moved to Dubuque, IA, where they lived to this day. They went on to add four boys to their growing family.

With Victor, there was never a dull moment in his life. He definitely kept things interesting. He was known for his sense of humor, passion for fishing and cars, his love for the tv show, Gunsmoke, his uncanny ability to find marbles almost anywhere, and having a highly spirited personality. His laugh and charisma were infectious.

Victor and Deborah raised us kids to be hard workers, iron-willed, and independent people. They taught us how to fish, how to be handy around the house, and that no matter what, love and humor will help you get through anything. That hardships in life will knock you down, but you got to get back up and keep on going. We will always have fond memories of fishing trips, his auto repair shop, building a huge snowman on Loras, freshly caught fish swimming in our bathtub, and so many personal experiences we each had with him.

He is already greatly missed by Deborah, his family and friends. We all are comforted knowing he has been relieved of his mental and physical pain. Dad, you’ll be forever in our hearts and everything we do. Until we all fish together again…

Those left to cherish Victor’s memory include

his loving wife of 36 years, (and an amazing mother),
Deborah Novander, Dubuque, IA;

his 7 children,
Melissa (Timothy) Carroll, Cañon City, CO,
LeAnndra Novander, Dubuque, IA,
Sharon (John) Kraus, Millcreek, UT,
Byron Novander, Dubuque, IA,
Andrew Novander, Dubuque, IA,
Christopher “Kris” (Kaylee) Rutzebeck, Cedar Rapids, IA
and Jonathon (Rylie) Novander, Dubuque, IA;

his 15 grandchildren,
Macey, Mason, Tim, Brayden, Ashlynn “Rosie”, and Oscar “Ozzie” of Melissa and Timothy;
Stacy, Tommy, Charlie, and Kenzie of LeAnndra;
Brayden and Kaden of Kris and Kaylee;
Clover, Lilly, and Victor of Jonathon and Rylie;

his siblings,
Christopher Novander, Goodlettsville, TN,
Laura Prescher, Portage, WI,
Cynthia (Kevin) Ryan, Jesup, WI,
Alan Novander, Jr., Schofield, WI
and Ryan Novander, Portage, WI;

and many nieces and nephews.

Victor was preceded in death by his parents; and a sister, Debra Mueller.
Thank you to the staff at Mercy Hospital and Luther Manor Hospice for their caring support for Victor and his family.

The family will thankfully receive your support through phone calls, greeting cards and memorials in Victor’s memory, which may be mailed to Behr Funeral Home, 1491 Main Street, Dubuque, Iowa 52001, Attn. Victor Novander Family.

Online condolences may be left for the family at www.behrfuneralhome.com