bituaries Beatrice Helfert Beatrice E. Helfert, age 99, of Colby, died on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022, at The Waterford Assisted Living. A Celebration of Life will be held at 11 a.m., on Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022, at St. Mary Help of Christians Catholic Parish in Colby, Rev. D. Joseph Redfern presiding, with burial Monday, Dec. 19, at Dorchester Memorial Cemetery. Visitation will be held at the church on Saturday, Dec. 17, beginning at 9 a.m. until the time of service at 11 a.m. A live stream will be available for those unable to attend on the Maurina Schilling Funeral Home Facebook page or after the service anytime on Facebook or the website. The Maurina-Schilling Funeral Home in Colby is entrusted with the arrangements. Beatrice Elizabeth Cypher was born on February 2, 1923, at home on the family farm near Stetsonville, to Andrew and Hermine Cypher. Beatrice attended elementary school in Taylor County. She worked as a waitress at a restaurant in Medford, then at an ammunition factory in Chicago for three years during World War II. She married Nicholas Helfert on April 30, 1946, at Sacred Heart Church in Stetsonville. Together they farmed near Dorchester until his death in 1981. She then moved to Colby where she was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church. For 30 years she volunteered at the Colonial Nursing Home in Colby. There she enjoyed helping with games and activities, decorating for the holidays, and one summer helped trim a float for several residents to ride in the Colby Cheese Days parade. In 2011 she moved to an apartment in Colby where she lived independently for six years; making her final move to the nearby Waterford Assisted Living facility in 2017. Beatrice enjoyed traveling on bus tours to the Tulip Festival in Holland, Mich., the St. Louis Gateway Arch and many other destinations. She especially enjoyed her winter get-aways with family to Disney World and to the warm February sunshine of Naples, Fla. Beatrice loved playing cards and board games with her grandchildren and always remembered all their birthdays. Beatrice saw God’s hand in most things and encouraged prayer and rosaries in the face of adversity. Always devoted to her children and grandchildren, she will be greatly missed. Beatrice is survived by her eight children: Connie (Robert) Ericson of Hutchinson, Minn., Michael (Alice) of Monticello, Minn., Dolores (James) Lucas of Bloomington, Minn., Jean (Randy) Mertes of Brainerd, Minn., Mary (Leonard) Haas of Colby, Dorothy(Denny)Beckmanof Colby,James(Cathryn) of St. Paul,and Gerald (Debbie) of Spencer; 26 grandchildren and 61 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Nicholas; two grandsons: Mike and Mitch Erickson; her parents, Andrew Cypher and Hermine Jakel Cypher Haberman; her step-father, Henry Haberman, and all her siblings: Clarence (Clara) Cypher, Cathrine (Walter) Seidel, Marie (Frank) Bernard, Marcella (Frank) Whittlinger, Florence (Clarence) Goessl, Dorothy (Casimir) Sobczak. She was also preceded in death by all of her Helfert inlaws: Joe, Paul, Anthony, Carl, Marie (Rudy) Kugel, Cecelia (Theodore) Schmidt and Agnes (Frank) Bartnik. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to St. Mary’s Catholic School, Colby, WI. Family and friends may express condolences online at www.maurinaschilling.com. Paid obituary 130025

Agnes “Aggie” A. Danen, age 86, of Dorchester, passed away on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, surrounded by her loving family under the tender care of Hope Hospice. A Mass of Christian burial will be held at noon on Friday, Dec. 16, 2022, at St. Louis Catholic Church in Dorchester. Interment to follow at the Dorchester Memorial Cemetery. Father Timothy Oudenhoven and Father Michael Hayden will preside. Visitation will be held from 10 a.m. until the time of service Friday at the church. A live stream will be available for those unable to attend on the Maurina Schilling Funeral Home Facebook page or after the service anytime on Facebook or the website. Aggie was born on March 13, 1936, the daughter of John and Emma (Gabriel) Stoiber in Dorchester. She attended St. Louis Catholic School until eighth grade and graduated from Dorchester High School in 1954. After graduation, Aggie worked at Continental Casualty in Milwaukee as a secretary. She moved back to Dorchester and worked as a secretary for PCA, Neil Smith, Meyer Lumber, Liberty Homes and Weathershield. Aggie was united in marriage to Norman Danen on September 3, 1956, at St. Louis Catholic Church in Dorchester. He preceded her in death on March 9, 2011. Aggie was a member of St. Louis Catholic Church PCCW and also chaired the church Fall Festival for over 20 years. She was a member and an officer of the Dorchester Lioness and Lions Clubs, member of the American Legion Auxiliary and an officer with the Catholic Order of Foresters. Aggie enjoyed bowling, sewing and loved being with her family. She will be sadly missed by all her family and friends. Aggie is lovingly survived by her five children: Diane (Tim) Ludwig of Stetsonville, Donna (Scott) Stange of Unity, Dale (Michielle) Danen of Dorchester, Denise (Brian) Dahl of Stetsonville and David (Terri) Danen of Stratford; her son-in-law, Steve Voelker of Abbotsford; 18 grandchildren: Jennifer Danen, Jessica (Jose) Lara, Julie Linzmaier, Janelle Voelker (fiance’ Guadalupe Espino), Jamie (Adam) Schnabel, Andrew (Wendi) Ludwig, Matthew (Tara) Stange, Maynard (Maria) Stange, Mariah Stange (fiancé, Victor Aguilera), Michael Stange, Tommy Danen, Christal (Jordan) Mueller, Amanda Edwards (fiancé, Nick Forrett), Brittany (Shawn) Chariton, Jordan Dahl (Amy Rohweder), McKenzie (Jake) Heier, Jacob Danen and Dawson Danen and 36 great-grandchildren. She is further survived by a sister-in-law, Arlene Handel of Medford; nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Norman; her daughter, Debra Voelker; an infant son, Daniel Gerard; a brother, Robert (Adeline) Stoiber; her sister, Dorothy (William) McKinney; sister-in-law, Delores (Nick) Henrichs and two brothers-in-law: Michael (Kathy) Danen and Roger Handel. Family and friends may express condolences online at www.maurinaschilling.com. Paid obituary 130024

Claudette Marie (Decker) Saladin, 80, born March 2, 1942, died November 29, 2022, at Clark County Rehab and Living Center, where she resided since January 2020. A Mass of Christian burial was held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022, at St. Louis Catholic Church in Dorchester. Father Timothy Oudenhoven presided. Visitation was held from 10 a.m. until the time of service Wednesday at the church. The Maurina-Schilling Funeral Home in Abbotsford is entrusted with the arrangements. After graduating from Dorchester High School, Claudette relocated to Milwaukee, where she met and married Joseph Saladin in November, 1962. They later moved to Las Vegas, Nev., where she was employed in administrative positions with various law firms. After a divorce, she moved back to Milwaukee and was employed as a bookkeeper at Quarles & Brady LLC. In 1983 she returned to Las Vegas and continued to be employed by law firms in managerial and/or administrative positions. After the death of her mother in 1999, she returned to Wisconsin to live with her father in Dorchester. She worked in bookkeeping, administrative and various other positions while in the Medford area. Her parents, Frank and Neva Decker; her brother, Fred Decker, and her sister, Kristine (Roger) Ellenbecker, preceded her in death. Survivors include her sister, Rachel Louret, Medford; brothers: Frank (Judy) Decker, Schofield, and Mike (Connie) Decker, and many nieces and nephews. Abundant gratitude to Clark County Rehab and Living Center and ProMedica Heartland Hospice staff for the excellent attention and service provided to Claudette while under their care. Family and friends may express condolences online at www.maurinaschilling.com. Paid obituary 129772

Halver (better known as “Sonny”) Miller Becken, age 90, parted this life on December 4, 2022. A celebration of his life will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022, at the Maurina-Schilling Funeral Home in Abbotsford. A visitation will begin at 10 a.m. at the funeral home. Interment to follow at the St. Mary Catholic Cemetery in Colby with military honors provided by the Colby VFW Post #2227. He was born in Green Grove, on October 12, 1932, to Halver and Meta (Miller) Becken of Colby. He acquired nickname, Sonny, as a young boy from his six sisters. He attended Green Grove Elementary School, Colby High School and following graduation enlisted in the U.S. Navy to serve during the Korean War. Following an honorable discharge, he wed Sandra Steinwand on July 13, 1957. They relocated to Milwaukee for employment where he worked as a mechanical engineer for Allis Chalmers, American Motors and finally the City of Milwaukee Fire Department, where he retired. An avid outdoorsman, he enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping and riding his ATVs and tractors. Halver “Sonny” is survived by his wife of 65 years, Sandra; two daughters: Terri (Roy) Back of Egg Harbor and Deanne (Dennis) VanDaalwyk of Brookfield; two sons: Keith (Lynn) Becken of Reeseville and Todd (Kim) Becken of Custer. He is also survived by five natural grandchildren: Kristen (Lahr), Jacob Becken, Joshua Becken, Kyle VanDaalwyk and Ryan VanDaalwyk; four blended family grandchildren: Robin Slamka, Lynn Ewig, Christopher Liske, Chad Liske and 14 great-grandchildren. Halver “Sonny” is also survived by three sisters: Sandy Fredrickson, Darlene Schjoneman and June Decker. He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Percy and three sisters: Gloria Bedrosian, LaMyra Weinfurtner and Joyce Kaufman. His sense of humor brightened our lives. He always took time for child’s play and adult laughter. He enjoyed being behind funny pranks. We will carry those memories of him in our hearts. Family and friends may express condolences online at www.maurinaschilling.com. Paid obituary 129818

Patricia “Pat” M. Miller, age 79, of Dorchester, passed away on Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022, at the House of the Dove in Marshfield under the loving care of her family and Compassus Hospice after a courageous battle with cancer. A Celebration of Life will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022, at St. Thomas Catholic Church in Milan. Father George Graham will preside. Family and friends are welcome from 9 a.m. until the time of service Saturday at the church. Burial will follow at the church cemetery. The Maurina-Schilling Funeral Home in Abbotsford is entrusted with the arrangements. Pat was born on September 7, 1943, in Marshfield, the daughter of Mary (Felzkowski) and George Pecher. She attended St. Anthony in Athens before transferring to Dorchester High School, where she met the love of her life, James J. Miller. After graduating in 1961, Pat married her sweetheart on January 6, 1962, at St. Louis Catholic Church in Dorchester. She created a lifetime of memories with him until his passing in 2021. Together they had five children: Renee (Tim) Hein of Athens, Chris (Steve) Zettler of Athens, Kurt Miller of Dorchester, Rhonda (Mike) Rudolph of Medford and Jeff Miller of Colby. Pat worked over 30 years at Marathon Cheese Corp. However, her pride and joy was her family. She always remembered and shared in the celebration of birthdays, holidays and all important events; many times bringing one of her tasty dishes to share. Many hours were spent on gardening but probably more designing and maintaining her beloved flower gardens. On weekends during the summer, though, you would find her in her camper up north enjoying the company of family and friends as they sat around the campfire sipping wine, sharing stories and creating lasting memories. In her later years, Pat cherished the companionship of her dogs, Toby and Sadie. She was a kind and loving person with strong determination that will be dearly missed. She is further survived by eight grandchildren: Matthew (Jessica) Hein, Melanie Hein (Brandon), Danny Hein (Pachee), Kelsey Zettler (Dan), Hailey Zettler, Hannah Zettler (Bryton), Megan (Noah) Waldhart and Mallory Rudolph; nine greatgrandchildren: Jacob, Emilie, Braxton, Kaden, Cooper, Corbyn, Landen, Greyson and Paisley; two brothers: Clem (Grace) Pecher and Duane (Pat) Pecher; a sister-in-law, Janet Pecher; nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; her brother, Urban Pecher and her sister, Rosemary (Harvey) Soczka. Family and friends may express condolences online at www.maurinaschilling.com. Paid obituary 129206

Thomas W. Cheney, age 54, of Colby, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022. As per Tom’s wishes, no services will be held. The Maurina-Schilling Funeral Home in Colby is entrusted with the arrangements. Tom was born on August 21,1968,inMassachusetts.He graduated in 1986 from Upper Cape Cod Technical High School for Culinary Arts. Tom entered the U.S. Army Reserves and then worked for MAP insulation and later went on his own and started TNT Insulation in Mass. He moved to Wisconsin in 2003 due to ill health. Tom loved working at County Market in Abbotsford until 2020. Tom was a loving father who enjoyed his children and had a big heart and will be deeply missed. His favorite thing to do was work in his garage. Tom also enjoyed playing horseshoes. Tom is survived by his wife, Loralane of Colby; threechildren:AshleyElizabethCheneyof Florida, Thomas Wayne Cheney II of Massachusetts and Sandra Marie Cheney of Wisconsin, and a stepdaughter, Jacquelyn Lemoi; three grandchildren: Jaiden Patrick Ikkela, Aubrey Elizabeth Boza and Josie Fons; siblings: Tara Cheney, Robin Edwards, Julie Cheney and Michael Cheney; three nieces and three nephews and a nephew: Christopher Michael Cheney. He was preceded in death by his mother, Sandra Cheney. Friends may send online condolences to www. maurinaschilling.com. Paid obituary 129109

Sandra Lee Bush Gravunder, age 78, of Abbotsford, ended her journey in this lifetime on Monday, Nov. 7, 2022, at her home surrounded by loved ones. Sandy was born in Bellefontaine, Ohio, on July 22, 1944, to the late Edward “Perry” and Carol Juanita (Snyder) Bush. She lived in Pleasant Lake, Ind., Dayton, Ohio, Conrath, Bloomer and Eau Claire, and ended up living in Abbotsford. In 1969, Sandy graduated from UW-Eau Claire with a degree in business and earned a Master’s Degree in Business Technology. For 32 years she taught at CVTC in Eau Claire, retiring in 2000 to care for her significant other, Arthur W. Schmidt. She enjoyed her students. Sandy always loved her animal pets and treated them like family. A special dog was a papillon named Spirit given to her by a friend who passed. Spirit became a therapy dog who loved her work at Sacred Heart Hospital where her spirit lives on. Sandy had one horse in her lifetime, Cheyenne, who she did a lot of ground work with and developed a special relationship with. Moving to Abbotsford let her be closer to family. Part of that family included a special great grandson, Jaxton Darwin Boushon, whom she was always happy to be with. Sewing became a major hobby in retirement which included involvement in the American Sewing Guild where she met and interacted with members. These members, too many to name, became great friends. Sandy is survived by her daughter, Joy (Bill) Klimpke; son, Alex (Renee) Gravunder;grandchildren:LucasWamhoff (Carrie Rosenthal) and Baily Gravunder; great-grandson, Jaxton Boushon; brother, William Edwin (Louann) Bush; sisters: Susan Roberta Tylee and Rebecca (Jerry) Ebert; special friend and caregiver, Zach; her devoted dachshund, Adeline; many nieces, nephews, other family members and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband, Arlyn Gravunder; significant other, Arthur Schmidt; her parents; and brother-in-law, Michael Tylee. A special thank you to St. Croix Hospice for their care. A memorial service was held at 12 noon on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Eau Claire with Reverend Tom Westcott presiding. Visitation was 2 hours prior to service. Interment was in Lakeview Cemetery in Eau Claire. Evergreen Funeral Home and Crematory in Eau Claire is serving the family. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be given to Trinity Lutheran Church https://trinityec. org/give/ or the Arlyn and Sandra Gravunder Scholarship at UW-EC https://connect.uwec.edu/ donate. To send your condolence and/or share a story of Sandy with the family, please visit our obituaries at www.evergreenfuneralhome.com. Paid obituary 128928

Cecelia A. Schindler, age 99, of Curtiss, passed away Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022, at her home surrounded by her loving family under the tender care of Aspirus Hospice. A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 12 noon at St. Bernard Catholic Church in Abbotsford on Friday, Nov. 18, 2022. Father Timothy Oudenhoven will preside. Interment will follow in the Abbotsford Public Cemetery. A visitation will be held from 9 a.m. on Friday until the time of service at the church. The Maurina Schilling Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements. Cecelia was born on April 29, 1923, the daughter of Fred and Anna (Tautges) Koplitz in Withee. She graduated from Withee High School. Cecelia was united in marriage to Fred Schindler at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Withee on October 14, 1942. Fred preceded her in death on January 8, 2012. Together they farmed in the Town of Mayville and raised nine children. Cecelia was a member of St. Bernard Catholic Churchandamemberof thePCCWwhereherfaith life was very important to her. She was a founding member of the Curtiss Corners Quilt Club, of which she was a member for over 30 years, and also a member of the Clovernook Homemakers. Cecelia enjoyed quilting, crocheting, baking and cooking, gardening, playing cards, especially Sheepshead, and fishing up at the cottage on weekends. Most importantly, she cherished and loved being with her family. Cecelia is lovingly survived by her eight children: Patricia (Greg) Krause of Prentice, Marie (Ted) Hoffman of Lake Mills, Fred (Linda) Schindler of Curtiss, Jayne (Julian) Jannene of Colby, Leonard (Diane) Schindler of Colby, Peggy Rauof Abbotsford,Tim(Lisa)Schindlerof Curtiss and Tom (Robyn) Schindler of Marshfield. She is further survived by 28 grandchildren; 43 greatgrandchildren and 1 great-great-grandchild; a daughter-in-law, Pam (Randy) Runge of Medford; many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Fred; her son, Michael; two sisters and two brothers: Inase Dabler, Lucille Koplitz, Alfred Koplitz and Melvin Koplitz. Family and friends may express condolences online at www.maurinaschilling.com. Paid obituary 128931

Loren H. Venzke, 89, passed away October 26, 2022, at the Wausau Manor. He was born to Herman and Johana (Abitz) Venzke on January 12, 1933, on the family farm, Fence Road, Athens. He went to school through the eighth grade. His father had died when Loren was one year old, and his oldest siblings had left home, so he quit school to help his mother work the farm. He married Doris Remus in April of 1954. They purchased the farm from Loren’s mother and farmed together until they retired in 1999. He was a dedicated farmer who worked hard to provide for his family. He loved the Lord and was devoted to raising his family for the Lord. After Loren’s heart attack in September 2020, he lived his remaining two years at The Wausau Manor. Loren is survived by his three daughters: Sandra Stensgard of Eagan, Minn., Sherryl (Tom) Zillman of Janesville and Susan (Scott) McCumber of Honduras; seven grandchildren: Christopher (Nicole) Zillman, Jonathan Zillman, Lauren Zillman, Aaron Stensgard, Shauna (Ben) Mitchell, Samuel (Emma) McCumber and Seth (Melody) McCumber; and seven greatgrandchildren: Brayden, Sophia, Lyla, Benson, Saylor, Cadence and Theodore. He was preceded in death by his wife, Doris, his parents, and his siblings: Ernest, Freida, Alvin and Martin. Loren’s memorial service will be Saturday, Nov. 26, at Crossroads Assembly of God, 1930 County Road XX, Rothschild, WI. Visitation will be at 10 a.m. with the service following at 11 a.m. A special heartfelt thanks to the staff of the Wausau Manor for their kind and excellent care of our father and grandfather over the past two years. Paid obituary 129012