Terry Bolland, Longtime Summertime Restaurant Owner, Dies at 81

Dec. 12, 1936 – Dec. 18, 2017

Terry Bolland, longtime owner of the Summertime Restaurant in Fish Creek, died Monday, Dec. 18 at age 81.

Bolland was a civil engineer who was a specialist in lime processing, first working for an Illinois company and later as a consultant for lime processing plants worldwide.

But Bolland always had a love for food and cooking, say his friends and family. In his youth his family would camp at Nicolet Bay Campground in Peninsula State Park each summer, where they bonded with the Limoni family. The families did everything together, and Pat Limoni became Terry’s lifelong best friend.

“We all took our turns cooking on the campfire, but Terry would outdo us all,” Limoni said. Decades later those skills were finally put to best use when Bolland bought the Summertime Restaurant in 1986.

Brian Hackbarth (Left) and Terry Bolland at the Summertime Restaurant in Fish Creek in 2008.

He was known as a social, energetic guy who supported other restaurants and loved a good martini.

“Being around people seemed to be his first love,” said his son David. “At the restaurant you’d typically find him out front, greeting people or thanking them for stopping by.”

Brian Hackbarth worked for Bolland at the Summertime for nearly 19 years and remembered a friend and father figure who cared about his employees.

“He was great to work for,” Hackbarth said. “He had high standards, but he was fair and reasonable, and very ethical when it came to his employees. He really cared that his workers made money before the summer was over.”

Bolland was also never afraid to speak his mind on local politics, community and business issues. In this, he could be abrasive and stubborn, but his friends say he was also tremendously generous and committed to the community he loved, especially Fish Creek. It was Bolland who raised private funds to bring fireworks back to the village’s Fourth of July celebration.

“When it comes to fireworks, I’m just like a little kid,” Bolland told the Pulse in 2009.

Bolland continued working as an engineering consultant into his 70s, and never aimed for retirement.

“If he could have had it his perfect way, he would have died at his restaurant or at his desk working,” Hackbarth said.

He finally sold the restaurant to focus more on his health in the fall of 2016, as he neared his 80th birthday, after more than three decades of tinkering.

In addition to his son David, Bolland is survived by his daughter Heather Desjardins, and four grandchildren (Michael, Elizabeth, Alex and Olivia). A service will be held Thursday, Jan. 4, at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Juddville, with visitation from 1 – 4 pm and service at 4 pm.

A reception will follow at Alexander’s restaurant.