Obituaries are a service of Brainard Funeral Home, with locations in Wausau and Weston.
Deloris Kosek
Deloris A. Kosek, 91, of Wausau died Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2018, at The Bay at Colonial Manor.
She was born Dec. 20, 1926, in Wisconsin to the late Frank and Mathilda (Kotche) Tauber. She married the love of her life, Louis R. Kosek, on Nov. 2, 1946, in Medford, Wisconsin. Deloris enjoyed many things, but above all, she loved playing the organ. She enjoyed baking, sewing, bowling, playing pool and fishing. She adored her husband and truly did consider him the love of her life. She even saved all the love letters he had written her during the war and their time together.
Deloris is survived by her dear brother Ronald K. (Margaret) Tauber; sisters-in-law Rose Wyrostek and Lorraine Kosek; many nieces and nephews; and many great nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her husband Louis Kosek; parents; brother Marvin (Mildred) Tauber; great nephew Alec Tauber; brothers-in-law Stanley, Frank and Joseph; and sisters-in-law Sophie, Josephine, Helen and Stephanie.
A funeral mass will be held Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018, at 11:30 a.m. at Holy Name of Jesus Parish, 1104 S. Ninth Ave., Wausau, with a visitation from 10 a.m. until the time of service. Father Robert Thorn will preside. Burial will take place at Lakeview Cemetery, Rib Lake.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.
The family would like to thank the wonderful staff at Colonial Manor for their compassion and care.
Lorraine Knoeck
Lorraine M. Knoeck, 88, Wausau, was called to her eternal home on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, while under the care of the Aspirus Palliative Care Unit, with her family and husband of 68 years, Laurell, at her side.
Lorraine was born Aug. 4, 1930, in the community known as Rocky Ridge, in the town of Mosinee, daughter of the late Gustave and Katherine (Herman) Schreiber. The youngest of eight children, Lorraine attended Rocky Ridge School and worked at Wausau’s St. Mary’s Hospital until her marriage to Laurell at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Marathon, on June 7, 1950. Together they farmed in the town of Marathon, raising their four boys. In 1971, they moved to the town of Stettin, where they operated a Surge Dairy and Farm Equipment business and also raised ginseng.
Lorraine took a lot of pride in her home and in her family, especially her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. She enjoyed traveling, the times at Lake DuBay, her church Circle events, shopping, babies—she loved babies—and every moment she spent gathering and entertaining family and friends. Lorraine loved to have fun—she and Laurell shared many a fun time, including those with friends from their farming days, her brothers and sisters, friends from the Surge business, the gals from St. Matthew Circle, her nieces, and their own family. “Knoeckapalooza” is about the fun that they instilled in their own family.
Survivors include her husband, Laurell, sons, Larry (Jane), Charles (Nancy) and David (Laura) Knoeck. She is further survived by eight grandchildren, Julie Haanstad, Ted (Terri) Knoeck, Rebecca (Bill) Knoeck-Stancel, Jessica Knoeck, Nathan (Taylor) Knoeck, Matthew Knoeck, Nicole (Mike) Blumreich and Joshua Knoeck; step grandchildren, Heidi Gorshe, Tammy (Jeff) Wickersham and Shawn (Lori) Mathwich; six great grandchildren and five step great grandchildren; a daughter-in-law, Joanne Knoeck and sister-in-law, Elaine Schreiber. She was preceded in death by a son, James, her parents, sisters, Delphine (James) Schantz, Marian (Sylvester) Koppa, Dorothy (Adolph) Bittner; brothers, Edward (Lillian) Schreiber, Walter (Dolly) Schreiber, Arthur (Frances) Schreiber and Elmer Schreiber.
The Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018, at St. Mary Catholic Church, Marathon. Rev. Msgr. Joseph Diermeier will preside. Burial will be in the parish cemetery. Visitation will be from 1 p.m. Sunday until the time of services at the church. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials in Lorraine’s name be directed to St. Mary Parish.
Peterson/Kraemer Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be expressed at www.petersonkraemer.com.
The family wishes to extend their sincere appreciation to Aspirus Home and Hospital Care and everyone involved for their quality and compassionate care of Lorraine. Special thanks to Rev. Msgr. Joseph Diermeier for his words of comfort during these trying times.
Peter Hartway
Peter C. Hartway, 66, passed away peacefully at his home on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Peter was born May 3, 1952, in Park Falls to Dolores Hartway and the late Arnold Hartway.
Peter was united in marriage on May 21, 1977, at St. John’s Lutheran Church to Marjean Wendt of Hamburg. Together they lived in Wausau for 18 years and raised their two boys. In 1995, they moved to Marathon to be closer to the family farm and in 1996 they hosted the Farm Progress Days, which Peter was so proud to be a part of. He was also employed by Marathon Cheese in Marathon for 37 years before he was forced to retire due to his illness.
Peter loved to deer hunt with the guys, play sheepshead, tell many jokes and make people laugh, spend his summers helping with whatever he could at Ross Farms and, above all else, he cherished time with his family and chasing after his grandkids in his Action Trackchair.
Peter is survived by his wife, Marjean of Marathon; his two sons, Joshua (Nicole) Hartway of Edgar and Matthew (Kristin) Hartway of Marathon; eight grandchildren, Dawson, Keghan, Emma, Hayley, Alexis, Courtney, Brooklyn and Delaney; one great-grandson, Cayson. He is further survived by his mother, Dolores; three brothers, Alan, Tony (Tena), and Adam; three sisters, Debbie (Roger), Rayna (James), and Dianne; a sister-in-law, LeAnn (Mark) and many nieces and nephews.
Peter was preceded in death by his father, his sister, his father-in-law and mother-in-law.
Funeral services will be at noon on Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018, at Peterson/Kraemer Funeral Home, Marathon. Rev. Joy Nelson-Jeffers will officiate. Visitation will be Friday from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. and again on Saturday from 10 a.m. until the time of services, all at the Marathon funeral home.
The family would like to thank the staffs at Aspirus Marathon Clinic and Aspirus Nephrology Clinic for their years of care and compassion to our beloved Peter.
Online condolences may be expressed at www.petersonkraemer.com.
Augusta Bennett
Augusta Elizabeth Bennett of Wausau passed away on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018, at Aspirus Wausau Hospital. She was born on March 20, 1929, in Chicago to the late Peter and Agnes (Hartman) Larsen. Augusta married Theron M. Bennett on Dec. 13, 1953.
Augusta enjoyed traveling with family and friends. She enjoyed meeting new people and experiencing different cultures. She was a member of the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Wausau. Augusta found great comfort in the Bible study group.
Augusta is survived by her sons, John Kirkpatrick, of Tucson, Arizona, Larry Bennett of Tucson, Arizona, Gary (Sandra) Bennett of Jacksonville, Florida, and Charles Bennett of Wausau, Wisconsin; grandchildren, Victoria, Elana, Tiffany, Uriah, Jessica, Bethany and Traena; 12 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. She is further survived by her stepson Gerald (Nancy) Bennett and her step-grandchildren, Dion, Daniel, Jackie and Bradley.
Augusta was preceded in death by her parents; her husband Theron “Tim” Bennett; daughter Della Frazier and her stepson, Ronald Bennett.
A memorial gathering will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 21, 2018, at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 3900 Hummingbird Road, Wausau, WI 54401. Burial of cremains will take place at Restlawn Memorial Park, town of Texas, on Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018, at 9 a.m. You may sign the family guestbook at Helke.com.
Mary Jane Wendler
Mary Jane Wendler, 78, went to heaven to be one of God’s angels on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, after a brief illness that she so bravely fought.
Mary Jane was born on Aug. 4, 1940, in her family’s home in Menasha, Wisconsin, the daughter of Harold and Martha (Mason) Kohler. Mary Jane met the love of her life, Roger Wendler, at her sister’s wedding and following a year-long courtship, they married on June 9, 1962, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Menasha. They built a beautiful life and family together living in the Fox Cities before enjoying 20 years of retirement together in Wittenberg, Wisconsin. Mary Jane and Roger were role models to their family of what a loving, life-long relationship should be, as they walked together hand-in-hand to the end. They were inseparable and loved spending time together, no matter what the day held. Roger continued this through her illness, staying by Mary Jane’s side, holding her hand and reassuring her “Honey, everything will be all right.” His presence and touch brought her great comfort during her final days.
Mary Jane is survived by her husband, Roger, with whom she shared 56 wonderful years of marriage. She is also survived by her four children, Roger (Sue) Wendler, Combined Locks, Wisconsin; June (Brian) De Valk, Appleton, Wisconsin; Kurt (Jodi) Wendler, Neenah, Wisconsin; and Tim (Chris) Wendler, Appleton, Wisconsin, and her eight grandchildren: Derrick and Danielle Wendler, Ryan and Maria De Valk, Brittany, Bethany and Bradley Wendler, and Josie Wendler. Mary Jane is also survived by her sister Phyllis Moran and her brother Harold Jr (Butch) Kohler, as well as countless wonderful brother and sister-in-laws. She was preceded in death by her mother and father, her sisters LaVonne Llewellyn, Marilyn Nitz, and Janet Henke, and several brother and sister-in-laws, whom she shared many great laughs with throughout life.
After high school, Mary Jane began work at American Can in Menasha, Wisconsin, a job that she tenderly remembered going to with her dad, who was her first role model in life. She would tell her family stories of how she fondly remembered him making the shift work an enjoyable experience and how they would come home and cook breakfast together as they talked about life. Soon after, Mary Jane met and married Roger. She knew her passion was to be a homemaker for her family, a role that she took great pride in. That role continued as she was blessed with her eight grandchildren, whom she helped care for as they came into her life. Her grandchildren share many great memories of Grandma Mary Jane, including countless trips to the “fun lands” at various restaurants, amazing homemade cookies and chocolate cakes, and telling lots of puns, which her family lovingly referred to as “Grandma Mary Jane jokes.” Staying over at Grandma’s house was a treat and if she couldn’t sleep, she often got up in the middle of the night to bake for her family, who would wake to the smell of fresh cookies. The grandchildren knew if they heard clanking pans during the night, it meant treats for breakfast! She also enjoyed collecting angels, something that always brought her peace. Later in life, Mary Jane found she enjoyed doing word search puzzles, and was known to always have more than a few books on her tables at home.
Mary Jane had a deep faith and loved reading daily scripture and prayers with her best friend Roger. Her family and friends knew she was a hugger and would always greet you with “Where’s my hug” and leave you with “I love you” and one more hug. She loved to volunteer and could often be found helping at St. Paul’s, her church in Wittenberg, the local nursing homes, the Walls of Wittenberg fundraisers or wherever she was needed. Mary Jane took pride in treating everyone like family. She enjoyed helping others in need, especially when Roger was by her side.
Mary Jane was a strong woman, who battled many illnesses over the course of her life. She was a proud cancer survivor and always spoke kindly of the many doctors, nurses and health care professionals who took care of her over the years.
Roger and his family would like to acknowledge the loving care that Mary Jane received in the past weeks as she battled her brief illness. They are thankful for the many family members and friends who reminded Mary Jane how loved she was during this difficult time. They would like to share a special thank you to Dr. Maria Tomasi, who gave them her undivided attention when they needed it, and the entire staff at Mount View Care Center in Wausau, Wisconsin. During her care, Mary Jane would refer to the Mount View Evergreen staff as “her angels,” the highest of compliments from her. The family feels blessed that their wife, mom and grandmother received such loving care and will forever remember how special they made her feel. Lastly, a very special thank you to Shirley Wendler, a family member who also was Mary Jane’s nurse at Mount View. Shirley selflessly spent time with Mary Jane ensuring she was lovingly cared for each shift she was her nurse. We saw how calm she would become when she heard Shirley’s voice.
A celebration of Mary Jane’s life will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018, at St Paul’s Lutheran Church in Wittenberg, Wisconsin. Rev. Matthew Christians will officiate. Interment will be in Forest Home Cemetery, Wittenberg. Visitation will be on Wednesday from 9 a.m. until the time of service at the church. Schmidt & Schulta Funeral Home, Wittenberg, is assisting the family with funeral arrangements. Memories and condolences may be shared at schmidtschulta.com or at Schmidt & Schulta Funeral Home on Facebook.
A memorial fund is being established to celebrate and honor Mary Jane’s life.
Sheryle “Sherri” Flaker
Sheryle “Sherri” Flaker, 58, of Hatley, passed away on Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018, at Colonial Manor, Wausau.
She was born on Nov. 29, 1959, in Wausau, the daughter of August and Grace (Kedrowski) Gruna of Bevent.
On June 24, 1978, Sherri was united in marriage to Tom Flaker at St. Ladislaus Catholic Church, Bevent. He survives.
Sherri obtained her Bachelor of Science in business administration from Cardinal Stritch University of Milwaukee. She spent her career in human resources working with a variety of companies, retiring from Worzalla Publishing Co., Stevens Point.
Sherri enjoyed flower gardening, entertaining, card games with family and road trips, but especially loved spending time with her children and grandchildren. Her grandchildren always put a smile on her face and she loved spending time with her family. A houseful of people made her happy.
Survivors include her husband, Tom; parents, August and Grace Gruna; two children, Mark Flaker of New Holstein and Rachel (Matt) Kraemer of New Holstein; three grandchildren, Holdyn, Kamryn and Kylie; sister, Cindy (Special friend Chuck Jacob) Wanta of Bevent; brother, Alan (Ellen) Gruna of Townsend and many other relatives and friends.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018, at St. Ladislaus Catholic Church, Bevent. Fr. Augustine Bentil will officiate. Interment will be in the parish cemetery. Visitation will be on Wednesday from 1 p.m. until the time of Mass at the church.
Schmidt & Schulta Funeral Home, Wittenberg, is assisting the family with funeral arrangements. Memories and condolences may be shared at schmidtschulta.com.
