Rolland Gustav "Kick" Kickbush

Rolland Gustav Kickbush, “Kick”, 87, passed from this life on February 13, 2015, in Evanston, IL .  He has joined his wife of 47 years, Carol Kickbush, who died in 1998.  A long term resident of Batavia, New York, he is survived by three daughters, Karen and her husband, Allan Dennis of Evanston, IL; Julianne and her husband, Morris Haas of Richmond, Virginia; and Barbara Kickbush and her spouse, Kathy Nicol of Pulaski and Buffalo, New York.  He is also survived by three granddaughters, Amanda, Carrie and Kirby, and three great grandsons, Atticus, Finneas and Calder, along with his brothers and sister: Jeanette Kickbush of Gowanda, New York (wife of his late brother Robert), Raymond (and Nancy) Kickbush of Valparaiso, Indiana; Richard (and Sherry) Kickbush, of Branson, Missouri, Edna (and the late Paul) Kuder of Gahanna, Ohio; and 19 nieces and nephews scattered across the U.S.

Rolland is the son of Rena Boberg and Leonard Kickbush of Cattaraugus, New York.  He served in the U.S. Army at the end of World War II, and recalls his time in Japan handling army discharge paperwork as an adventure for a boy from a small town in Upstate New York.  Following the war, he took classes at Bryant Stratton Business School in Buffalo, New York, and worked for International Harvester.  In the early 1960s he became Manager of Batavia Farm Equipment for many years. He also enjoyed golfing and playing cards with friends, Scrabble and Buffalo Bills football games with his daughters.  Rolland loved people and life itself and his family will celebrate his life in a Memorial Service at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Batavia where he was a member for years, on Tuesday, May 12, at 10:30 a.m.

Memorial contributions in Rolland’s name may be made to Midwest Young Artists, 878 Lyster Road, Highwood, IL  60040, www.mya.org, a non-profit music school founded by his son-in-law, Allan Dennis, who was Orchestra Director at Batavia High School in 1970-71. For more information call Gilmartin Funeral Home & Cremation Company, Inc. (585) 343-8260