Terry J. Burton
Terry J. Burton, 82, of Weston, passed away peacefully at home on February 13, 2021, with his loving family by his side.
It all went so fast. Terry Burton, son of Geraldine and Walter Burton, was born in a small South Dakota town on March 3rd, 1938- his brother Dennis arriving a couple of short years later. His family broke down, resulting in Terry, his brother, and his mother traveling through many towns, sometimes living together, sometimes living apart. Terry was always charged with caring for his sick younger brother. Eventually, a stepfather joined the family. They settled in Schofield, Wisconsin, where Terry met his wife and great companion, Lee Ann Heinrich, when they were in 8th grade. Terry also acquired a new brother Richard, a sister Mellie, and a sister Sondra. Terry graduated from the new D.C Everest High School near the top of his class. His hard work and congenial nature earned him scholarships, which helped him attend the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where he was able, with the help of his wife, Lee Ann, to earn a degree in Pharmacy. He also had his first two children while attending school, Blake, and Bradley, born in 1959. Scott joined the family in 1962. After caring for a series of foster children in the early to mid-60’s, Jennifer joined the family, the daughter he always wanted.
Terry worked at, and eventually became a partner in the West Side Pharmacy in Wausau. For a while, Terry left Pharmacy and managed the growing family business, Schofield Enterprises, where he worked with his mother and stepfather.
Terry liked sports, especially golf. As a child, he dove for golf balls at the Wausau Country Club, which he sold back to the golfers. As an adult, he became a member of the club, built a house on the 14th green of the course, and hit a hole in one on the 18th hole. The last time we spoke, we were reminded that he had gotten 4 holes in one over the course of his lifetime. He also raised his 4 children and helped raise his 8 grandchildren. During the off-season, he would curl as a founding member of the Wausau Curling Club. He was active in various social clubs and the Republican party. He had a framed invitation to Nixon’s inauguration on the wall. He retired from the family business and moved to Arkansas, where he golfed and practiced pharmacy as a volunteer at the Christian Free Clinic in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Throughout his life, he always cared for his family. He was the person we could always turn to in time of need- who would find a way to provide what was needed. Now it is up to us to continue to provide that for one another.
Terry is survived by his wife of 63 years, LeeAnn; children Blake (Sandy) Burton, Brad (Cheri) Burton, Scott (Amy) Burton, and Jennifer Soley; 8 Grandchildren; 2 Great-Grandchildren; sisters Mellie (Ed) Pruitt and Sondra Feirn; and brother Richard (Kathy) Feirn. He is preceded in death by his parents and brother Dennis Burton.
A celebration of Terry’s life will be held from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm on Monday, February 22, 2021 at Brainard Funeral Home- Everest Chapel, 5712 Memorial Court, Weston.
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made, in honor of Terry, to a charity of your choice.
To share condolences and memories with Terry’s family, please visit www.brainardfuneral.com
Lee Thao
On Saturday, January 16, 2021, Lee Thao, a loving husband and father of five, passed away at age 45. Lee Thao was born on June 6, 1975, in Vang Vieng, Laos. He was the son of Ntxheb Xuv Thao and Chou Chang. On March 23, 1995, he married Phoua Yang. They raised three daughters, Celia, Keaira, and Crysania, and two sons, Cloud and Kenneth.
Lee had a passion for music, especially for worshiping his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through song. He was an avid fan of the Green Bay Packers. He also had a love for Yu-Gi-Oh! and enjoyed playing all kinds of games. Lee was known for his loving heart, quick wit, his infectious smile and laugh, and kind and compassionate heart. Lee was preceded in death by his father, Ntxheb Xuv (1977), his mother, Chou (2019), and his brother, Khwb (1977). He is survived by his wife Phoua, his five children, Celia, Keaira, Cloud, Kenneth, and Crysania, his sisters Choua and Song, his brother Nhia Long, several nieces and nephews, a wild bunch of grandnephews, and a sweet grandniece.
A funeral service and visitation will be held on Monday, February 22, 2021, at Peterson/Kraemer Funeral Homes on Stewart Avenue from 9 AM to 1 PM. A GoFundMe has been established if you wish a gift to Lee’s memorial fund at gf.me/u/zgmjj8.
Charles D. Patterson
Charles Duane Patterson (Duane), 88, of Wausau passed away February 15th, 2021, at his home, with family at his side, after an extended illness. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Joy; his children Elizabeth and husband Michael Hermsen (of Evanston, IL), Catherine and husband David Wood (of Houston, TX), and Thomas and partner Mark Jakusz (of Minneapolis, MN); and one grandchild, Charles Wood; and by his brothers Robert and Lewis and their families.
Duane was born in La Crosse, WI on July 16th, 1932, to Charles Robert and Jessie Grace Manser Patterson and grew up in the area around North Bend in southwestern Wisconsin. After several moves to other small towns in the area, he completed high school in Lime Ridge, WI, where he played on the basketball team and graduated as valedictorian in 1950. He went on to college at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. There he met Joy Forster, also a UW student, at Pres House, the campus Presbyterian church. After completing his BA in History and attending one semester of law school at the UW, he was called into the army as an officer. While in the service, stationed at Fort Monmouth in Red Bank, NJ, he married Joy on July 23rd, 1955. After three years, the couple returned to Madison, where Duane completed his law degree, serving as Editor of the Law Review and receiving the Order of the Coif.
Upon graduation from law school in 1959, Duane and Joy moved to Wausau, where Duane joined the firm of Smith, Puchner, Tinkham, & Smith (which by the end of his career was Patterson, Richards, and Hessert). He became a partner and engaged in an active legal career for 40 years, specializing in trusts and estates, as well as representing a number of local businesses. Soon after arriving in Wausau, he became active in local civic organizations, including the Marathon County Bar Association, Jaycees, United Way, and Noon Optimists. He was named Jaycee Young Man of the Year in 1967 and Optimist of the Year in 1974. Later, he was elected President of the Marathon County Bar Association in 1981 and President of United Way in 1985. He also served on the boards of a number of other community organizations. Even as he was busy in his career and in community organizations, he remained a strong family man. He was actively involved in the lives of his children, and he and Joy shared a strong and loving partnership.
Throughout his life, Duane was active in the church. In Wausau, he served as elder, deacon, and Clerk of Session at First Presbyterian Church. Duane was also an avid reader and book collector, with a passion for history, art and art history, and world travel. In his last years he was no longer able to travel, but he and Joy continued to enjoy visits from their family and friends. Duane’s family would like to thank the many dedicated caregivers from TLC Home Care and the staff of Aspirus Hospice and Palliative Care who provided care and support in his last two years.
A private graveside service will be held at Pine Grove Cemetery, with the intent of a memorial service later in the year when it is safer to do so.
Online condolences may be expressed at www.petersonkraemer.com
Patricia A. Wesenberg
Patricia “Pat” A. Wesenberg, 60, of Stevens Point, died on Friday, February 12, 2021, at her home surrounded by family after a two-year journey with cancer. A celebration of life will be held this summer.
Pat was born April 21, 1960 in Black River Falls to Lawrence and Genevieve “Genny” (Slesar) White. She graduated from Granton High School (’78). She married Randy Wesenberg on August 8, 1981.
She began her long and successful credit union career with Central City Credit Union in Marshfield as a teller in 1981 and within 10 years was promoted to Vice President of Lending. In 1994, she became the President and Chief Executive Officer of Point Plus Credit Union in Stevens Point. In 2008, she became President of Central City Credit Union when it merged with Point Plus Credit Union, eventually becoming the President and CEO of what is today Simplicity Credit Union, the role she served until she retired in 2020. A determined lifelong learner, she earned a BS in Management and an MBA from Cardinal Stritch University in 2015.
Although Pat was more impressed by the accomplishments of others, she received many honors and awards for her contributions as a professional and to the community. In 1997, she received the first ever “Professional of the Year” award by the WI Credit Union League (and again in 2002). She was elected to the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) Board of Directors in 2005 and eventually served as CUNA Board Chair in 2013. In 2014, she was inducted to the Credit Union Leader Hall of Fame. Pat became a Credit Union Development Educator (DE) in 2007, volunteering as a mentor to young credit union professionals across the globe. She served on the National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF) Board of Directors, including two years as Vice-Chair her selection as Board Chair in 2020. She served as Chair of the Portage County United Way annual fundraising drive, Executive Committee Member of the Portage County Business Council and the Board Secretary of the Marshfield Area Chamber of Commerce & Industry (MACCI). She was awarded the MACCI Service Award in 2020.
Although her fierce competitive nature propelled her to greatness, it was her ability to handle any outcome with grace that led to her success as a leader and made her a special person and friend to so many who knew her. Pat led a life driven by service to others. She strove to shift the spotlight away from herself to those around her, motivated everyone she met to do and be better, and went out of her way to make sure everyone felt included and important. She was as generous as she was humble and preferred every act of service she performed to fly under the radar (whether paying for groceries for the person ahead of her in line struggling to come up with the total, or leading fundraising drives that exceeded the goal).
Pat was an avid world traveler who loved meeting new people and trying new things. Through her DE role for NCUF and volunteer work for the World Council of Credit Unions, she facilitated professional development and provided mentorship to credit union professionals in Kenya, South Africa, the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, England, and the Dominican Republic. She enjoyed being active throughout her life, including playing softball and volleyball, golfing and hiking. Pat loved to bargain hunt and couldn’t resist stopping at a garage sale just to see what might be there. She took pride in learning how to do or fix things herself and never shied away from a DIY project, big or small. Most of all, she took great joy from entertaining and spending time with family, especially her granddaughters, at the cabin around the campfire or tubing or kayaking down the river.
She is survived by her husband, daughters Darcia (Michael) Schweitzer of Columbus and Megan (Justin O’Keefe) Wesenberg of Denver, and grandchildren, Anikka and Sloane Schweitzer. She is further survived by her sister, Marlene (David) Soppeland, and brothers, David (Diane) White, Robert (Lisa) White, Charles White, Joseph White, John White, Lawrence (Lisa) White, William (Mary) White, and Michael (Valerie) White, her mother-in-law, Constance “Connie” Wesenberg, sisters-in-law, Tina (Mike) Pasciak and Becky (William) Short, and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her mother, father, and father-in-law, Merlyn “Sam” Wesenberg.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Pat’s memory can be made to an organization she passionately supported and volunteered for, United Way: www.marshfieldareaunitedway.orgwww.unitedwaypoco.org
