07 October 2019

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Rosemary E. Keller

Rosemary E. Keller


Rosemary E. Keller, 94, of Little Chute, formerly of Kewaskum, passed away on Friday, October 4, 2019, in the arms of her family.

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Norbert B. Bassill

Norbert B. Bassill


Norbert B. Bassill, 88, of Campbellsport passed away on Saturday, October 5, 2019 surrounded by his family at St. Agnes Hospital in Fond du Lac.

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Ramona L. Dreher

Ramona L. Dreher


Ramona Lee Dreher, 82, passed away on Wednesday, October 2, 2019 at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, IL.
02 October 2019

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30 September 2019

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Dorothy G. Schwertfeger

Dorothy G. Schwertfeger


Visitation:  Thursday, Oct. 3, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.  Service:  Thursday, Oct. 3, 1 p.m.  Location:  St. Stephen Lutheran Church in Horicon Dorothy Grace Schwertfeger, 96, departed this life peacefully on September 27, 2019. She was the youngest child of Reverend Frederick August Schwertfeger and Selma (Hanser) Schwertfeger. She was born at the parsonage in Golden Lake, WI on February 26, 1923. Her family moved to Horicon in 1924 when her father began his forty-year pastorate at St. Stephen Evangelical Lutheran Church. After graduation from Horicon High School in 1941, Dorothy began her career with the U.S. Department of State. She served over six decades with the Foreign Service and was stationed in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Dorothy’s first and favorite posting was in London shortly after the war, where she made many friends among American embassy and British officials. During Dorothy’s diplomatic career she encountered world leaders we now read about in history books. In Tehran she met the Shah of Iran and in Taiwan she was friendly with the wife of Chiang Kai-Shek who lived on the same mountainside near Taipei. Her father and other family members visited Dorothy in Madrid in the 1960s. She collected copperware and Spanish Majolica pottery that were displayed in her villa on the Mediterranean. Dorothy also collected various artifacts from New Delhi, India, and paintings from Kinshasa, Congo, during her time in those countries. Dorothy thoroughly enjoyed living in these exotic cultures.  During the evacuation of Cambodia in 1975, Dorothy and the U.S. Ambassador were among the last of the embassy officials to be helicoptered out of the country before diplomatic relations were severed between the two countries. In the 1990s, her career brought her back to Washington D.C. where she lived in a flat on Washington Circle until she retired. Later Dorothy was asked to come out of retirement to share her expertise with State Department officials during the second Iraq War. Eventually, Dorothy retired to her hometown of Horicon and lived with her dear sister, Esther. They shared many fond memories of their worldwide travels together and continued to take periodic overseas trips with family members until Esther’s death in 2011. In recent years Dorothy was blessed to have a team of devoted caregivers who enabled her to live at home in Horicon even as her health declined. The family is grateful for the dedicated service these Christian women and men provided for the past half dozen years to make her life in Horicon enjoyable. A sincere thank you to Team Dorothy members: Annie, Bonnie, Carolyn (lead), Cindy, Darlene, Jayne, Jolene, Jonathan, Kayla, Kelly, Tina, Ya-Fen, and Yvonne. Dorothy is survived by her sister, Selma Williams of Mequon, and her children, Heidi (Scott) Egelhoff and Mike (Catherine) Williams; Frederick’s children, Fred (Ruth) Schwertfeger, Jane (Tom) Triller, and Gail (Bob) Schwertfeger Jones;  Esther’s children, Tom (Shirley) Doughty, Mary Doughty, and Patricia (late John) Doughty Shabaz; Harold’s children, Ron (Mary) Schwertfeger, Jim (Kathie) Schwertfeger, Tina (Jay) Hintze, and Adele (Steve) Burke-Kaney. She is further survived by other relatives and friends. Dorothy was preceded in death by her parents; brother Frederick R. Schwertfeger and his wife Adeline; sister Esther Doughty Luckhardt and her husband Lyle Doughty; brother Harold A. Schwertfeger and his wife Mildred; brother-in-law Curt Williams, and niece Kay Williams. Dorothy expressed faith in Jesus Christ, and she was a loyal member of her church. Visitation will be at St. Stephen Evangelical Lutheran Church in Horicon on Thursday, Oct. 3, from 11 a.m to 1 p.m. Funeral services will follow at church beginning at 1 p.m. with the Rev. Jonathan Szczesny officiating. Memorials may be given to St. Stephen Lutheran Church or the Dodge County Humane Society. Koepsell Murray Funeral Home in Horicon is serving the family. For online condolences and other information please visit www.KoepsellFH. com
27 September 2019

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Lois A. Helmbrecht

Lois A. Helmbrecht


Lois A. Helmbrecht, 90, of Mayville passed away on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019, at Prairie Ridge Assisted Living in Mayville. Lois was born the daughter of Earl and Evelyn (Macheel) Grabow on September 24, 1929, in Mayville. She was a 1947 graduate of Mayville High School and then attended the Beauty Culture College in Milwaukee. She was united in marriage to Dr. David Helmbrecht on January 12, 1952, in Mayville. Lois was a member of St. Mary Catholic Church in Mayville. She was also active and volunteered in the Mayville Legion Auxiliary, Mayville Historical Society, Meals on Wheels, American Red Cross, and also was a former member of the St. Paul’s Altar Guild. In her spare time Lois enjoyed playing bridge with her friends. Lois is survived by her children, Glen (Deb) Helmbrecht of Mayville, Thomas ‘Jess’ Helmbrecht of Beaver Dam, Christine (Mike) McDonald of South Dakota, and Mark Helmbrecht of Lomira; grandchildren, Eric Surita, Renee Surita, Laurie (Derek) Rivera, Brett (Tracy) Helmbrecht, Shelby (special friend Michael) Helmbrecht, Joe (Janine) Schanen, and Anne (special friend Alex) Helmbrecht; her 10 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild; her brother Lee (Mae) Grabow of Arizona. She is further survived by other relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband Dr. David Helmbrecht in 1989. Visitation was held on Tuesday, Oct. 1, from 10 a.m. until the time of Mass at 12 noon at the church. A Mass of Christian Burial was held on Tuesday, Oct. 1, at 12 p.m. at St. Mary Catholic Church in Mayville with the Rev. Fr. Tom Biersack presiding. Burial took place at St. Mary Cemetery in Mayville. Memorials in memory of Lois may be directed to St. Mary Catholic Church in Mayville. Special thanks to the nurses and staff of Prairie Ridge Assisted Living and Generations Homecare and Hospice for all of their care and support shown to Lois and her family. Koepsell Funeral Home in Mayville served the family. For online condolences and other information please visit www.KoepsellFH.com
23 September 2019

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Loyal John Villwock

Loyal John Villwock


Visitation:  Wednesday, Sept. 25 from 1 to 3 p.m.  Service:  Wednesday, Sept. 25, at 3 p.m.  Location:  St. John's Ev. Lutheran Church in Mayville Loyal John Villwock, 100, entered eternal life on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019, at Hope Senior Living in Lomira. He was surrounded by his family. Loyal was born January 3, 1919, to Alfred and Elma (Dohrman) Villwock in Mayville. He was baptized and confirmed at St. John's Lutheran Church. At age three, his family moved to a farm just to the west of Mayville. From there he attended the one-room Fruit Valley School through eighth grade. Loyal graduated from Mayville High School in 1936 at age 17. Loyal helped his family run their small farm using horses to start and taking on more responsibility as he grew up. He attended UW-Madison Agriculture Short Course as a young man. He also earned his pilot's license. In 1939 he had the opportunity to attend the World's Fair in New York, seeing many of the inventions and processes that we still see today including the first television. Following that he met his future wife Lydia Zimdahl at a local dance and they married shortly after on April 19, 1941, at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Theresa. Settling on the farm to the south of his childhood home, they made a living raising crops such a white clover, sugar beets, hemp and corn and also raising chickens, pigs and cattle as the market dictated. The couple adopted Ricky in 1952 and then Ginger was born in 1961 and Kathy in 1964. They had many apple trees and later in life he took pride in his grape vine. Besides farming, Loyal worked a variety of jobs to help provide for his family. He drove gravel truck, worked at Clark’s Greenhouse, in a cheese factory, and did factory work at MEC. He worked many years at John Deere Horicon Works, retiring in 1981. Work did not stop Loyal from being a family man. The family took trips to all corners of the United States and local destinations. They square danced together and enjoyed playing cards and other games. Family was important to Loyal and as his family grew, so did his interests in his childrens' and grandchildrens' lives. He was always there to tell his stories to them and to take part in the new stories and journeys they were creating. In retirement, Loyal and Lydia were snowbirds. They spent winters in Florida, making friends, playing shuffleboard and cards, and continuing their square dancing until Lydia's death in 2000. In 2017 he moved to Hope Senior Living in Lomira. Although a change after almost a century of life in Mayville, Loyal enjoyed the care and company of both the residents and the staff. It was a new community that provided him a lot of joy in the later years, including hosting his 100th Birthday party for both the residents and his family and friends. Loyal is survived by his children, Ginger (Westley) Reshel of Pittsville, and Kathryn (Jack) Dobbratz of Mayville; grandchildren, Heidi (Brandon) Olhoff of Madison, Laurel Leisses (partner Matt Phillips) of New Hampshire, John Dobbratz of Mayville and Christy Dobbratz of Minneapolis, MN; and great-grandson, Mason Olhoff of Madison. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife Lydia; son Ricky; and brother Victor. Visitation was held at St. John Ev. Lutheran Church, 520 Bridge St., Mayville on Wednesday, Sept. 25, from 1 to 3 p.m. with the service following visitation with Pastor Allen Behnke officiating. Inurnment will be held at a later date in St. John's Cemetery in Mayville. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to St. John Ev. Lutheran Church in Mayville, Hope Senior Living in Lomira or Agnesian Hospice Care. The family would like to extend their thanks to the staff at Hope, the Agnesian Hospice workers and volunteers, and to Pastors Behnke, Frazee and Weiss for their care for Loyal and family during this time. The Koepsell Funeral Home in Mayville served the family. For online condolences and other information visit www. KoepsellFH.com.

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Conrad J. Wild

Conrad J. Wild


Visitation:  Saturday, Sept. 28, from 10 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.  Service:  Saturday, Sept. 28, at 1 p.m.  Location:  St. John's Lutheran Church in Woodland Conrad J Wild, 68, of Woodland passed away suddenly on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019 at his home. He was born on September 22,1950 to Conrad Wild and Marie (Newhauser) Compton in West Allis. From an early age he was raised by his Dad, Robert Compton along with his Mom, Marie Compton. He graduated from Central High School in West Allis. On April 4, 1981, he married the love of his life, Christine Buerger in West Allis. He recently retired from API Heat Transfer in Iron Ridge, where he was a truck driver for many years. Conrad was a member of the Woodland Fire Department for 32 years. During that time, he was a Fire Inspector for 20 years and served as Assistant Fire Chief for 17 years. He was a First Responder for the Iron Ridge Fire Department for 25 years and also for the Neosho Fire Department for more than 15 years. Conrad enjoyed serving the community as a firefighter and spoke often of the many years he was an active member. In Conrad’s early years he enjoyed racing cars and made many lifelong friends. In more recent years he enjoyed watching Nascar races and any number of other “car” shows, as his granddaughter, Ella, calls them. Recently he took Ella to her first car race at the Beaver Dam Raceway and she wasn’t even bored. There was nothing Conrad enjoyed more than being a grandpa to his two grandkids, Ella and Katie. They had many great adventures at the zoo, going to the movies, and spending time at the Great Wolf Lodge in Wisconsin Dells, to name a few. Conrad was a familiar face in the community and he always had time to talk with those he saw when he was out and about. It seemed as if you couldn’t go anywhere with Conrad without him knowing someone and stopping to catch up. He had a great sense of humor and was fond of telling jokes, some of which were definitely “Dad” jokes. While raising his two daughters, he would often don a straw hat and tell them, “You know, I once swam half way across Lake Michigan but then I got a cramp and had to swim back.” He has passed that bit on to his granddaughters albeit without the straw hat as that was lost some time ago. He will be deeply missed by all those that knew him. If you wish to send a card to the family, please include a fond memory you have of Conrad. It would be greatly appreciated. Conrad is survived by his beloved wife, Christine Wild; his loyal dog, Eeyore; his daughters, Marie (Jason) Fenske and Tracy (Glen) Strassman; his granddaughters, Ella and Katie Fenske. He is also survived by a son, Tim (Dawn) Wild and a daughter, April (Bill) Majkowski from a previous marriage along with their children. He is survived by his sister, Annette Girardot; his brother, Robert Compton; and his brother in law, David Buerger. He is further survived by many other relatives and friends. Conrad was preceded in death by his parents; his father in law, Elmer Buerger; his mother in law, Sally Buerger; and his brother in law, David Girardot. Visitation is Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Woodland from 10 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. The funeral service will begin at 1 p.m. with Pastor James Castillo officiating. Burial will take place at Woodland Cemetery following the service. Lunch to follow at St. John’s Lutheran Church. Memorials may be made in Conrad’s name to your choosing. Berndt Ledesma Funeral Home- Hustisford is serving the family. Online condolences may be placed at www.berndt-ledesma.com

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Bertha Johnson

Bertha Johnson


Bertha “Bertie” Johnson, 89, of Campbellsport, passed away peacefully at her home on Thursday, September 19, 2019.