'Just like us': Herb Kohl's family, friends reflect on a humble but impactful life

They came through the snow and cold on a January day deep in a Milwaukee winter to pay their respects to a modest man who made a huge impact on his hometown.

Herb Kohl was a lot of things in his life, business magnate, pro sports owner, U.S. senator and philanthropist.

But to Tim Braden, Bucks fan, elevator repair guy who used to bump into the senator at Solly's Grille, Kohl was "just a blue collar guy."

"Just like us," Braden said, as he arrived for the public memorial.

Kohl, 88, who served four terms in the U.S. Senate, died Dec. 27 after a brief illness.

The public memorial was held inside Fiserv Forum, the arena Kohl, who owned the Milwaukee Bucks from 1985 to 2014, played a key role in creating through a $100 million contribution to the project.

Presidents and sports stars have had their say about Kohl since his passing.

This was the time for friends and family to reflect and remember Kohl, with former Bucks' broadcaster Jim Paschke serving as master of ceremony.

"He treated us like family," Paschke said. "We were always a team."

Kohl's image was beamed on the main scoreboard that loomed over a stage set on a bare concrete floor. A video highlighted Kohl discussing the importance of education and how grateful he was to give back to others. "for good reasons and good purposes."

A tribute was read by La'Ketta D. Caldwell, an artist who recited a poem, "The Fruit of Service," that reflected on seeds sown through Kohl's good works.

"Your influence, a potent force, resonated strong and clear. A symphony of transformation echoing far and near," she said in her salute to Kohl.

Among the politicians in attendance were Gov. Tony Evers, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.

Members of the Milwaukee Symphony played pieces favored by Kohl, who was a classically trained pianist. The elegant sounds of works by Claude Debussy and Sergei Rachmaninoff echoed in the still arena.

And at one point in the memorial, the crowd saluted Kohl by waving Bucks green baseball caps, the kind the senator always wore to games.

The speakers came from all parts of Kohl's life.

Childhood friend Allan H. (Bud) Selig who owned the Brewers and became baseball commissioner, said he felt the sadness "with all my heart."

"My friendship with Herb was a long and wonderful journey," he said, recounting how they met as 6-year-olds in Milwaukee.

He charted their remarkable friendship through Milwaukee schools and later as roommates at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Selig said, "From early on, he (Kohl) loved sports but always wanted to do public service, always. He was a man of great loyalty and intensity. He had a great feeling for people."

Selig said Kohl knew every one of his employees at Kohl's Food Stores.

"He was incredibly devoted to Milwaukee and the state of Wisconsin," Selig said, adding Kohl "sacrificed willingly" to keep the Bucks in Milwaukee.

A nephew, Dan Kohl, said more than 50 Kohl family members spanning four generations were in attendance at the memorial.

He recalled how the Bucks wanted to honor Kohl with a statue outside the arena, with Kohl responding, "I'm just not a statue kind of guy."

Instead, the Herb Kohl Way runs in front of the arena.

"He never craved the spotlight and never boasted about his Senate accomplishments," Dan Kohl said.

"Herb never married, never had children but he had multiple families," he said, adding those who worked for Kohl through his career are "all his family."

Political confidants and Kohl's friends David Axelrod and Chuck Pruitt shared stories of their long years of friendship with the senator.

"I think he planned this blizzard to hold down attendance today," Axelrod said.

Axelrod joked about his first impression on meeting Kohl, "not from central casting," and the senator's clothing choices "more Goodwill than Armani."

"His joy was investing in other people's happiness," Axelrod said as he spoke warmly of Kohl's friendship with his family, including a key donation the senator made to a nonprofit the family spearheaded, CURE Epilepsy.

He said when he worked in the White House during the Obama administration, the calls from Kohl were always about helping Wisconsin.

"I'm so moved by the life Herb Kohl led," Axelrod said. "He made lives better ... he made this a better country."

Pruitt, who served as chairman of Kohl's Senate campaigns, had weekly lunches and dinners with Kohl for decades.

"In everything he did ... he insisted it not be about Herb Kohl," Pruitt said. "It always had to be 100% about" others, whether the customer, the fan, the constituent, the person in need.

Pruitt said Kohl often told him: "A life is measured far more by what you contribute than what you have."

Finally, longtime aide and friend JoAnne Anton, the director of giving for Herb Kohl Philanthropies, was introduced, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd.

"All I have is Herb Kohl in my head. 'Three lines JoAnne.' He would always say, 'less is more.' "

"Three lines are not enough to say goodbye," she said.

She said he was a boss who "demanded concrete results and successes." And he took it as a compliment when someone said he was a "retail politician."

"Listen to people, what they really wanted, what they really needed," she said. "After all, the customer is always right."

She used more than three lines, of course, to describe Kohl.

But on this day, it didn't matter.

"I hope we will all be able to keep Herb alive in our hearts and carry his legacy forward forever," she said. "Let's all lead lives of humility, generosity and love. Just as Herb did. The Herb Kohl way."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Herb Kohl's family, friends reflect on a humble but impactful life