Ruben "Pal" Wollman

Ruben “Pal” Wollman, 80, of Harrisburg SD passed away on April 27th, 2025, at the VA Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 10:00am, Saturday, May 3, 2025, at St. Columba Catholic Church rural Irene, SD. Burial will follow in the St. Columba Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5-7pm Friday, with a scripture service beginning at 7pm at the Hansen Funeral Home in Irene. In Lieu of flowers memorials may be directed to VFW or the American Legion.

Ruben was born on August 21, 1944, in Freeman, SD to Joshua and Katy (Stahl) Wollman. Pal grew up in the Freeman, SD area, and after graduation, proudly went to serve his country in the US Army 1st Infantry Division – Big Red 1 during the Vietnam war. He was a lifetime member of the VFW, American Legion and Moose Lodge.

He married Phyllis Dangel on Sept 11, 1965, at Idylwilde Catholic Church. They had 3 wonderful children, Kevin, Brian and Brenda. They lived in Yankton, SD for most of their lives, with many winter adventures down south to Mesa, Arizona. Pal moved to Harrisburg after Phyllis’s passing to be closer to family.

Before Pal lost his eyesight he owned the Aero Dyna Kleen Services, where they cleaned numerous fire damaged properties. Pal had the ability to make friends, whether lifelong, or just for a moment in time. He never missed an opportunity to share a story with those in his presence. The garage door was always open for a visitor and a welcoming conversation. Pal enjoyed camping, fishing, tinkering around in the yard, hosting crawdad feeds, and most recently driving his scooter (8 mph) to local gas station casinos.

He is survived by his children, Brian Wollman (Loretta “Red”) and Brenda Ubben (Richard), grandchildren Andrew Hauff (Grace), Jade Wollman and Josh Wollman, a great grandchild, Penelope (Penny) Hauff, and sisters Jane Kugler and June Juhnke.

Proceeded in death by his wife Phyllis, son Kevin Wollman, his parents Joshua and Katy (Stahl) Wollman, sisters Delores Summers and Sharon Huber.