Laverne E. Flagel
LaVerne E. Flagel, 95, of Wausau, passed away 4 days shy of her 96th birthday.
She was born July 10, 1927, in Wausau, to the late Alfred and Luella (Bartell) Draeger. She married Duane “Fritzi” Flagel on January 29, 1949 at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church.
Her greatest joy in life were babies. It did not matter if it was one that she was taking care of or just one in a store. Her face would light up and she would have the biggest smile. LaVerne loved taking care of children and watching them grow. She also enjoyed working at Prange Way for many, many years.
LaVerne was preceded in death by her husband Fritzi and her twin sisters Doris (Wallace) Smith and Delores Gantner. She is survived by many nieces and nephews and a very dear friend (granddaughter) Jessica.
Visitation will be held on Friday, July 14, 2023 at 10:00 am with a funeral following at 11:00 am at Helke Funeral Home, followed by entombment at Restlawn Memorial Park Mausoleum.
Arlette M Hildebrandt
Arlette Hildebrandt, 87, of Wausau, passed away on Thursday, July 6, 2023.
She was born on April 27, 1936, to the late Louis and Adella (Luebbe) Gums, in WI.
Arlette graduated from Birnamwood High School, she worked a number of jobs until she found her place at Wausau Insurance where she retired at the age of 62. She enjoyed trips to Florida with her sister; as well as trips to Door County with her daughter.
She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Susan and Ronald Betzner; sister, Janice Bormann; sister-in-law, Carol Tuszka. She is preceded in death by her brothers, Arlo and Linus Gums.
A private family graveside service will take place at St. John Lutheran Cemetery in the town of Easton, WI.
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made in Arlette’s name to St. John Lutheran Church in the town of Easton.
Thomas J. Ebacher
Thomas J. Ebacher born October 4, 1960 in Wisconsin Rapids, WI passed away peacefully at home on June 29, 2023. Tom was a man of many talents, but few words and he would have been very clear that his obituary better be short and sweet, if there were to be any at all. Tom never used more words than necessary to get to the point, crack a joke, or let a fool know Tom would not suffer him or her politely. He was quick-witted, intelligent, an excellent conversationalist on a wide variety of topics, very kindhearted, and generous, which endeared him to his family and attracted many life-long friends. Tom’s Tavern was almost always open welcoming friends with a wide grin and a twinkle in his eyes.
Tom graduated from Lincoln High School in 1979 electing to pursue a career as a machinist. He earned his Machine Tool Technics Diploma from Northcentral Technical College in Wausau, WI. His mechanical skills were impressive which led him to a long career at Kolbe & Kolbe in Wausau, WI retiring after more than 36 years in March 2023. Prior to working at Kolbe & Kolbe, he worked for Preway Inc. in Wisconsin Rapids and for Maverick Construction in Denver, CO. He could design, build, drill, weld, machine, lathe, mill, grind, press, assemble, and operate almost anything.
Tom’s proudest achievement was his daughter Amy whom he loved dearly. Tom enjoyed Packers games, fishing trips with his buddies in Canada, hunting, epic seafood, turkey, and other cookouts with friends where all were welcome, and travel. He regularly schooled anyone brave enough to dare play him in cribbage.
Tom is survived by his beloved daughter, Amy Ebacher, his dad, Ronald Ebacher (the late Rose Marie (Huser) Ebacher), Ron’s second wife, Joanie Ebacher, sisters Colleen (David Rini) Ebacher and Cathleen (Alex Dittrich) Ebacher, his brother, Allen Ebacher, and his life partner Diane Stoltz. Tom was preceded in death by his cherished mother Rose Marie, his big brother, Timothy (Marlene Hobart) Ebacher, his grandparents George and Nellie Ebacher and Casper Huser, and his best buddy Dave (Arlene) Crotteau. He is further survived by a legion of friends including Dan Bob, Zimmy, Brian and so many more from work and The Office. He is also survived by many, many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, and other relatives.
Tom would say it is time to stop writing about him now and that this was too wordy.
A memorial will be held at The Office bar in Schofield, WI on Sunday, July 23, 2023 beginning 1 p.m. in the afternoon.
Mid Wisconsin Cremation Society is assisting the family at this time. Online condolences may be expressed at MWCS.WS
