Roland “Rolly” J. Haugh
Roland Joseph Haugh was born on January 21, 1931 to parents Mark and Agnes (Loftus) Haugh. Rolly married Jeanette Ring on June 16, 1951 at All Saints Catholic Church in Lakeville. They were blessed with two sons, Steve and Tom
Rolly Haugh, age 83 of Prior Lake, entered God’s arms in the evening hours of September 2, 2014.
He will be missed by his sons, Steve Haugh of Prior Lake, Tom (Mary) Haugh of Prior Lake; granddaughters, Kris (Michael) Weis of Stillwater, Rachel Haugh of Prior Lake; great grandson Henry Weis; sister in law, Betty Haugh of Prior Lake and many nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.
Rolly was preceded in death by his loving wife, Jeanette Haugh; parents, Mark and Agnes (Loftus) Haugh; brother, Bob Haugh; sister, Marilyn (Dewey) Carlson.
Mass of Christian Burial will be Monday, September 8th at 11am with visitation from 10-11am, all at the Church of St. Michael, Prior Lake. Father Tom Sieg will preside. Rolly will be laid to rest next to his wife, Jeanette at Credit River Cemetery.
His Pallbearers will be Jim Haugh, Bill Haugh, Mark Haugh, Dan Haugh, Dick Haugh and Karl Haugh.
Rolly Haugh
Good morning everyone. The Haugh family would like to welcome you and thank you for being here to help celebrate the long and interesting life of Rolly Haugh. It has been said that the dates on a tombstone are not nearly as important as the name and the digit between the dates. So let’s talk about the man and all the years that that digit stands for. Roland Joseph Haugh, better known as Rolly for all those who had the privilege to know him. He was born on January 21 st , 1931; just minutes after his twin brother Bob, to the very proud parents of Mark and Agnes. They were so proud to have two new boys to raise on the farm that was homesteaded in 1855 and is still in the Haugh family today, known as Credit River Stables. Rolly’s best friend was his brother Bob. They received a little sister, Marilyn, 10 years later. The Haugh boys played together and worked together their whole lives until Bob’s unexpected death in 2012. Marilyn had passed away some 10 years earlier. Rolly’s other good friend growing up was a neighbor boy by the name of Jack Casey. They were pals all through their school days and after they were both married, they lived just miles apart and stayed close friends until Jack’s death in 2000. After that, Rolly stayed close and in touch with most of Jack’s children, especially Lori. But Bob was everything to Rolly and no matter what they did, or where they went, they were always together and confided in each other.
Rolly met his wife Jeanette during high school in Lakeville. They were married at the age of 20, on June 16 th , 1951. They had two sons, Steve and Tom and lived on a farm in Credit River which according to Rolly, was the only place to live. He loved Credit River and the history behind it. His great, great-grandfather is buried in the Credit River cemetery, where Rolly will be laid to rest. Some of Rolly’s fondest memories of those days were when his 1 st cousins would come up from Missouri for the summer to help him and Bob with the farm work. John, Pat, Karl and Bryon all got a chance to spend time with the Haugh boys from Credit River. They worked hard and played harder. And Rolly was still telling stories about those days towards the end.
In 1972, his brother Bob and him opened up Haugh Brothers Union 76 in Prior Lake which is now the Shell gas station. They met and took care of 100’s of customers and always did it with a smile on their faces. In 1976, Rolly found his calling when he decided to try his hand in selling real estate. He would often talk about what a good friend and mentor he had in Lambert Hennen, who in those days was the man to go to with your real estate needs. Rolly learned quickly and was in the business for over 30 years. He was very successful at his new found career. He always said a Deal was not done until the Closing took place. A lot of Rolly’s business came from referrals or from children of previous clients. He was always very proud of that fact. Rolly was always a talker and loved to tell stories about his experiences of somebody else’s. So right about now Jeanette, Bob and St. Peter are being brought up to date on all of the latest news from Credit River. His son Tom, who told me that some people have told him he looks like his dad, some people say he talks like his dad and some people say he acts like his dad. So Tom’s response was that if he has those 3 things going for him, he thinks he is going to be ok. One of his sons, Steve’s favorite memories of his father was when his mom and dad came to New York City to visit and attend Steve’s swearing in at the New York State Bar Association. Rolly was very proud of both sons. Their family was small but close, always had family holidays together and they would try to eat all the food that Jeanette would make, usually enough to feed a family twice that size. He has 1 wonderful daughter in-law Mary, who he thought the world of and always said what a swell gal she was. He enjoyed her cooking and would always say no dessert for me and then eat 3 of Mary’s homemade brownies. He was blessed with 2 loving granddaughters, Kris and Rachel, who he loved very much. He enjoyed their visits and would have to tease each one just a little but always in a way that they knew he loved them in his own very special way. He was proud of his oldest granddaughter Kris and her husband Michael for giving him a great-grandson that he loved to see every chance he got. Rolly often said that he thought just maybe Rachel inherited a little bit of his personality which brought him great pleasure. The day Rachel was born he ended up breaking his ankle moving into their new home on West Ave. So that night he was at the hospital getting a cast on his foot and seeing Rachel for the first time. She and her grandpa had a special relationship that was fun to watch. He had one great-grandson whose name is Henry. Rolly loved to play with him and comment on those beautiful blue eyes and how quick Henry was to pick up on anything that was being talked about. He loved it that Henry all on his own came up with the name Grandpa Trolley which he got a kick out of hearing it being said. His brother Bob and wife Betty had 9 children; 5 boys and 4 girls, who were each special to Rolly in their own way.
Proud of his Irish heritage, Rolly loved to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day or any other day that he was wearing one of his green shirts. Rolly was quick witted and he appreciated anybody that possessed those same traits. He had a great gift of always remembering birthdays and anniversarys and you could count on a call or a card to let you know how special you were to him. Around Keystone where he lived the last 5 and ½ years, he was the self-appointed president and he didn’t mind sharing that with anybody who would listen. It was said that he had a golden heart and brought a smile to everyone’s face, whether he was cracking a joke or just being friendly. The last few years he loved to watch the Minnesota Lynx women’s basketball, the Twins, the Vikings and the Gophers. Some of his favorite TV shows were Everyone Loves Raymond, American Pickers, the Antiques Road Show and Cash Cab, where he knew most of the answers to the questions. He also loved to sit down and write his thoughts and knowledge of the Credit River area as a past time. He would read the paper cover to cover daily and said his prayers nightly. He was loving and caring and had a way to make you feel that he thought the same about you.
He was a great son, brother, father, father in-law, grandfather, great-grandfather and uncle, but most of all, he was a good friend to all. One of his favorite sayings was:
Yesterday is history
Tomorrow is a mystery
Today is a gift
That’s why they call it the present
And so Rolly, all of your hard work and accomplishments have been recognized and it is now time to rest . We will always remember that Big Irish smile and that Twinkle in your eye.
You’ve Sold and Closed your last Deal!!!!
Now we can have you live on in our memories
FOREVER!!!
