Kenneth Charles Stock

Kenneth Charles (K.C.) Stock of De Pere (WI), Crivitz (WI), Naples (FL), and Bozeman (MT), passed away on November 28th, 2022. He was born April 6th, 1938 to the late Cantius and Hazel (Wittkopf) Stock in Oconto, Wisconsin. He was the oldest of three children, sisters Bonnie and (late) Patricia.

He graduated in 1956 from Oconto High School, where he was voted, ‘Least Likely to Succeed.’ School was not his favorite place to be. He started building houses at 19, and also had a farm with holstein cows which he raised for beef. His father only attended school until the 5th grade. He attended St. Norbert College, but left school after two years, as he felt he could do better in the outside world. He worked at Scanlan and Stock, then left to start his own pallet business in Oconto. K.C. was a bookkeeper, truck driver, did the purchasing, and employed two men to make pallets. During this period he met and married the love of his life, Georgia (Comee) Soulek.

Through his passion for hard work, sheer determination and dedication, K.C. successfully bought his first contractor yard in Oconto, which was Scanlon and Stock, and renamed it to Stock Lumber in 1971. As the years went by, he expanded to Green Bay, Appleton, Princeton, Fond Du Lac, Stevens Point, Sussex, Delavan, Windsor, La Crosse, Eagan, and Rochester.

K.C. was a strong, gentle man who loved the gift of life and business. He was a true entrepreneur. He bought and sold Schweiger Furniture, Shamrock Boats, Cruisers Yachts, and was an investor in Indian Tobacco, T&T Crust, Ultra Care, and Veridocs.

After vacationing in Florida and missing the lumber business, he invested in several builders. Then in 2001, he started Stock Development with his son Brian in Naples. He also built two golf courses, Grandezza and Olde Cypress. Over the years, he also owned 8 farms, but his favorite was in Bozeman, MT.

K.C. was on the board of the Packers. He won the prestigious Free Enterprise Award (Man of the Year Award, 1999), presented by the Rotary Club of Green Bay.

K.C. always believed in giving back to the community. In 1991, he founded the K.C. Stock Foundation to bring about a positive change for those in need. He took great pride in wanting to make a difference in other people’s lives. His foundation also made the lead gift to start the Children’s Hospital in Northeastern Wisconsin at St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay, so that 95% of families wouldn’t have to travel to Milwaukee for treatment.

Success never went to K.C.’s head; he made sure the credit went to others as he knew the employees were the key part to his success. One of his favorite sayings was, “You’re only as good as the people you surround yourself with.” He tried to make everyone feel important and valued. He really inspired and had a lasting impact with all the employees and friends. When K.C. sold Stock Lumber and Cruisers Yachts, he gifted the employees a portion of the proceeds depending on their number of years of service.

K.C. could not stay idle or away from business. In 2020, he purchased Stock Ranch with son Brian in Bozeman, Montana, where he fulfilled his dream of getting back into the Black Angus cattle business. His love for cattle was always in his life. He previously owned a cattle ranch in Silver Star, Montana and Kirksville, Missouri.

K.C. is survived by his loving wife, Georgia, of 54 years; sister Bonnie (late Doug) Reed; children: Tim (Cindy), Steven (Lisa), David (Tammy), and Brian Stock; Grandchildren: Michael (Megan) Ott, Matthew (Jennifer) Stock, Amanda (Andrew) Scott, Jessica (Adam) DeCleene, Sarah (Dan) Kroll, Samantha (Tanner) Hackl, and Nicole Stock; special son Andy (Jodi) Canadeo & family; and 16 great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, K.C. would be honored to have donations directed to one of his favorite charities: HSHS St. Vincent’s Foundation. This provides Christmas presents to all the children in the Pediatric Oncology Unit. K.C. loved to do this and bring families a bit of joy and happiness during the holiday season.

Family and friends may visit at Calvary Lutheran Church, 1301 S Ridge Road, Green Bay, on Monday, December 5, from 9:00am until 11:30am. Funeral service will be held at 12:00pm. Entombment will be in Allouez Chapel Mausoleum. Cotter Funeral and Cremation Care is assisting the family.

The family would like to thank all of his friends and doctors during his time of care.