OUTAGAMIE COUNTY, Wis. (WFRV) – A pair of nephews are making a nearly 200-mile trip by horse-drawn buggy to Lambeau Field to honor their uncle.
“Bob was just that guy where if there was something to be done, he was going to be the guy to do it,” said Jeremy Griesbach. “If there was fun to be had, he was going to have it.”
Twenty-five years ago, Bob Retzlaff cooked up the idea to travel from his home in the Tomah area all the way to Lambeau Field for the Packers home opener. He started out making the trip by horseback, and then he and his wife built a buggy.
Bob’s nephews said they’ve heard stories that their uncle started the tradition simply because he wanted to go on a long trip with his horses, whom he loved. Another origin story outlines how he lost a bet to a Vikings fan, and that’s why he originally made the trip.
Griesbach and another one of Bob’s nephews, Kolt Retzlaff, accompanied Bob on his final trip to Lambeau Field in 2017. He passed away about a month after this final trip.
“If you had seen him on that trip, you would never know that he was towards the end of battling his cancer,” Griesbach told Local 5 News. “He was Bob, the life of the party, having a great time and just relaxing. One of the biggest honors of my life was that we got to do that last ride with him.”
“Doing the last trip with him and seeing it all and seeing how you slow down and enjoy life and relax, it was just special to keep it going,” Kolt Retzlaff added.
Kolt Retzlaff and Griesbach have made the journey to Lambeau in ‘Packer Bob’s’ buggy every season since he passed away. They said it’s a great way to honor him, continue his legacy, and reflect on the lessons he taught them over the years.
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“Learn some of those lessons that Bob taught us about slowing down in life and having fun, ” Griesbach said. “With work and family and all the things life brings you, we just don’t do enough of that anymore.”
Slow and steady always won the race to Lambeau when it came to Bob’s trips. He only had the horses go six or seven miles per hour (sometimes slower) so that those in the buggy could fully appreciate each other’s company and the Wisconsin countryside.
His nephews also said Bob was a stickler when it came to making sure people stayed off their phones when they were with him in the buggy. Bob also made it a point to wave at all the people who passed him while he was on the buggy.
Bob made countless friends over the years on his journey to Lambeau. His nephews say one of the most enjoyable parts of the trip is retracing his steps and meeting all the people who knew Bob and hearing their stories about their uncle.
“Bob was just that guy where if there was something to be done, he was going to be the guy to do it and if there was fun to be had he was going to have it,” said Griesbach.
“There’s so much fun that comes out of this, and laughs and smiles and everybody waves at you,” Kolt added.
Bob served in the military for 22 years and his nephews said he used to tape Packers games so he could still watch the green and gold while overseas. He and his wife Maren built the horse-drawn buggy painting it green and yellow in honor of his favorite football team.
