1952-2022 Walter G. Zander, age 70, of Reedsburg, passed away on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022 at Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital in Milwaukee. A memorial visitation was held on Wednesday, Sept. 7 from 12 p.m. until 2 p.m. at the Farber Funeral Home in Reedsburg. A Celebration of Walter’s Life and burial in Walnut Hill Cemetery will be held at a later date. He was born on July 22, 1952 in Wisconsin, the son of Henry and Frances (Niesen) Zander. He was a 1970 graduate of Middleton High School. On Feb. 26, 1982, Walter was united in marriage to Linda L. (Helmke) Reisdorf in Medford. He farmed in rural Medford for 13 years before the farm was sold. He also worked as a maintenance mechanic at Hurd Windows and Doors. In 2007, they moved to Reedsburg to be closer to family. Walter enjoyed fishing, hunting, watching Westerns, coffee with friends at McDonalds, Sunday drives and visiting friends and family at Dutch Hollow Lake. He is survived by his children: Nicole (Michael) Lisle of Verona, Scott Reisdorf of Medford, and Amanda (Luis) Paiva of Raleigh, N.C.; grandchildren, Andrew Lisle, Brooke Lisle, and Myla Reisdorf; brothers, Clarence (Vera) Zander, Dale (Jane) Zander; sister, Eileen Karre; sisters-in-law, Mary Zander and Alice Zander; many nieces and nephews, along with other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents; wife Linda on Oct. 25, 2018; brothers, Robert, Mel and Michael; and sister, Elizabeth. Paid Obituary 125974

1927-2022 Robert “Bob” E. Lucia, 95, of Westboro, passed away on Friday, Sept. 2, 2022 at Care Partners, under the care of Hope Hospice. A Funeral service for Bob will take place at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10, at Woodland Community Church in Westboro, with Pastor Bryan Regier officiating. Burial will follow at Mt. Olive Cemetery. Visitation will take place at Woodland Community Church on Saturday, Sept.10, from 9 a.m. until the time of service at 11 a.m. Military Honors will be performed by VFW - 7817 Premeau-Schauss. Bob was born on Jan. 10, 1927 to John and Anna (Pries) Lucia in Westboro. He attended Westboro schools. After school he joined the Army Air Corps and served in the Pacific Theater during WWII. He married Marcella Tallman on Feb. 22, 1964 at the Medford United Methodist Church; she preceded him in death on February 26, 2016. Bob owned and operated City Service Gas Station in Westboro. He was also a mail carrier and a logger. He loved being in the woods, hunting, riding side-by-side, and spending time with his dog. He enjoyed traveling to Hodag Festival in Rhinelander, Apple Festival in Bayfield, and going out to eat. Bob is survived by his son, Michael Lucia; grandchildren, Damian (Jeanna), Gunner (Amy), and Keesha Lucia; great-grandchildren, Olivia, Rylan, Timmy, Sawyer, Jameson, and Duke Lucia; close friend Heidi Heier. In addition to his parents and wife; he was preceeded in death by son, Robert J. Lucia, Jr.; and brother, John “Jack” Lucia. Hemer-Pickerign Funeral & Cremation Services of Medford and Rib Lake is serving the family. Online condolences can be left at www.hemerfuneralservice. com. Paid Obituary 126019

2022 Frances M. Soper, 95, passed away with family by her side on August 29, 2022 at Clark County Rehab & Living Center where she resided since 2020. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022 at St. Mary’s Polish National Catholic Church in Lublin, with Fr. Marian Talaga officiating. Visitation will be held at the church from 9 a.m. until time of service. Burial will follow in the parish cemetery. Pallbearers will be her beloved grandchildren. Frances Mary Jarocki was raised by her parents Andrew and Philomena (Zawacki) Jarocki. She graduated as valedictorian of her class from Gilman High School in 1943. Frances was united in marriage on Sept. 16, 1944 to Frank Soper who preceded her in death in 2012. They raised their family and farmed in the Town of Maplehurst. She worked at Clark County Rehab & Living Center in Owen from 1975 until she retired in 1997 as a Certified Nursing Assistant. She was a member of St. Mary’s Polish National Catholic Catholic Church, Lublin, serving on the Cemetery Committee for many years. She also served on both the Taylor County Board of Health and The Commission on Aging for many years. Frank and Frances traveled the world extensively. Her passions included dancing, education, sewing and cooking. But her foremost passion was her family, generously sharing her time, wisdom and resources. She will be most dearly missed by her four children: Marcella (Robert) Peach, Raymond (Anne) Soper, Carol Nosko and Lynn McGee; 10 grandchildren; 30 great grandchildren and four great-great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Frank Soper, two brothers: Edward and Peter Jarocki, a sister, Helen and (Walter) Staniec, two sons-in-law: Johnny McGee and Kelly Nosko, and a grandson-in-law, Jon Grunseth. Online condolences may be expressed at www. cuddiefh.com. Thorp Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements. Paid Obituary 125789

1961-2022 Craig Howard Willkom, 61 of Sheldon, passed away Friday, Aug. 26, 2022. A Memorial Mass will take place at noon, on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church Boyd with Father William Felix and Deacon Ned Willkom co-officiating. Inurnment will follow in St Joseph’s Catholic Church Cemetery - Boyd. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. until time of departure to the church at the Plombon Funeral Home in Stanley. He was born on March 13, 1961 to the late Howard and Dolores (Caswell) Willkom. Craig grew up in Boyd and graduated from Stanley-Boyd High School in 1979. He graduated from UW-Eau Claire in 1983. Three days after graduating from college, he left for the Cayman Islands to start his career in the ice cream business. On Sept. 23rd, 1995, he married Bonnie Gillot in Grand Cayman. They were married for 18 years, and had two children, Haley and Hunter. He worked there for 30 years and established his business, Island Opportunities Ltd. Craig retired in 2013 and returned to the Northwoods of Wisconsin. Craig was an avid outdoorsman, who enjoyed hunting and fishing. Great memories were created on his hunting trips to Alaska, Wyoming, Colorado and New Zealand. Craig cherished his annual fishing trips to Fireside, and hunting camp over Thanksgiving week. He also was able to travel to many places around the world. He is survived by his children, Haley and Hunter Willkom; his former spouse, Bonnie Willkom; his siblings, Diane (Dan) Reppert of Madison, Dwayne (Julie) Reppert of Shelton, Wash., Cindy (Brian) Wozniak of Stanley, Christine (Mary) Willkom of La Crosse and Carlene (Tim) Hochhalter of Manhattan, Ill.; many nieces and nephews; and the wealth of friends he developed along the way. He was preceded in death by his parents, Howard and Dolores (Caswell) Willkom; paternal grandparents, Peter and Emma (Schmidt) Willkom; and his maternal grandparents, Zeno and Lillian (Brandsness) Caswell. Paid Obituary 125655

1968-2022 Kevin “Hüsker” R. Jensen, 54, of Medford, passed away unexpectedly at home on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022. A funeral service for Kevin will take place at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 4 at Zion Lutheran Church in Stetsonville, with Pastor Richard Russow officiating. Burial will take place at Zion Lutheran Cemetery at a later date. Visitation will take place at Hemer-Pickerign Funeral Home on Saturday, Sept. 3 from 2-5 p.m. and also at Zion Lutheran Church on Sunday, Sept. 4 from 2-3 p.m. Kevin was a life-long resident of Medford. Following graduation from Medford Senior High School in 1987, he went out west to work for Lang Exploratory Drilling for a year and a half before returning to Medford. Here, he launched his two owner-operated businesses, Jensen Transport (1992) and West Side Materials, LLC (2003), which he poured his blood, sweat, and tears into up until the time of his death. On June 7, 1997, Kevin married his high school sweetheart, Rhonda Dietze. Kevin was a passionate outdoorsman who loved hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, driving his UTV, boating, and spending time at their cabin with their lab, Reo. He enjoyed watching and attending Packers and Badgers games, as well as live music performances, with his wife. What they enjoyed the most was spending time with their many friends where Kevin would always entertain them with his storytelling and infectious laughter. It was a rare occasion for Kevin to enter an establishment and not be greeted by someone he knew. He will be deeply missed by many, many people. Kevin is survived by the love of his life, Rhonda; mother, Jean Jensen of Stetsonville; sister, Kim Bunkleman of Medford; parents-in-law, Bruce and Doris Dietze of Medford; siblings-inlaw, Lindy (Barry) Spencer of Wauwatosa, Brenda (Scott) McKay of Rhinelander, and Randel Dietze of Gillett; nieces and nephews, Cody Bunkleman, Kelsey Vahl, Nicole Spencer, Shawn (Jensen) Spencer, Bailey (Blaine) Welch, Sam (Shelby) McKay, Marilla McKay, Josh (Abby) Dietze, Megan (Justin) Dietze-Fiedler, and Izaiah Dietze. Kevin is further survived by many other family and friends. Kevin was preceded in death by his father, Robert; paternal grandparents, Roy and Ann Jensen; maternal grandparents, Tom and Bernice Hartwig. Hemer-Pickerign Funeral & Cremation Services of Medford and Rib Lake is serving the family. Online condolences can be left at www.hemerfuneralservice. com. Paid Obituary 125785

William (Bill) Peter Kauer, 91, passed away peacefully at his residence on Monday, Aug. 22, 2022, with his significant other, Diane Ronek, by his side. A private memorial service will be held at a future date. Bill was born Oct. 27, 1930, in Rib Lake to Joseph and Mary (Schneider) Kauer. He was the oldest of five children and grew up on a dairy farm. He attended a one-room school in Mud Lake and graduated from Rib Lake High School. He spent the following year at home helping cut trees, saw lumber and build a new barn on the farm. He enlisted in the Navy in 1949 fulfilling many different duties on ships, sailing to many ports around the Persian Gulf and Mediterranean totaling 25,000 miles during his 3-1/2 years. He later joined the Seabees for 3 years. He married Jane Mahner on Sept. 12, 1951, and had six children and divorced after 17 years. He married Peg Brosseau of Florida Jan. 1, 1980, and divorced after 1930-2022 13 years. Diane Ronek has been his partner for the last 23 years. He owned Mr Bill’s tavern on Hwy 13 north of Stetsonville in the late 80’s/early 90’s. Throughout his life, Bill worked a variety of jobs, but always returned to truck driving. He could tell you names and details of many highways all across the country. He loved to strike up conversations with just about anyone he met and had lots of entertaining stories to tell. He drove a semi until age 85 and maintained an excellent driving record. He is survived by his children, Debra Kauer of Larned, Kan., Stephen (Amy) Kauer of Loyal, Terry Kauer of Stone Lake, Todd (Lynda) Kauer of Marshfield, and daughter Lisa (Michael) Dragan of Denver, Colo.; sisters, Doris Smith of Marshfield, Janet (James) Patrick of Pittsville, Nita Sotak of Glen Flora; and brother, Ivan (Sandra) Kauer of Rib Lake. He is further survived by 16 grandchildren, 19 greatgrandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. Bill is predeceased by his parents, a son David, granddaughter Jennifer, and brothers-in-law Rod Smith and Gary Sotak. Condolences may be sent online at www.ritchayfuneralhome. com Paid Obituary 125741

1940-2022 Mary Ann Kropp, 82, of Rib Lake, died Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022 at Aspirus Hospital in Wausau, surrounded by her loving family. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., Tuesday, Sept. 6 at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Athens with Fr. Graham officiating. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. until the time of service at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the church. Mary Ann was born March 13, 1940 in Athens to Edwin and Anna (Augustine) Plisch. She attended Athens schools up until her junior year of high school, then graduated from Merrill High School in 1958, after the family relocated. She continued to stay in contact with many of her high school friends over the years and enjoyed attending her reunions. On Sept. 17, 1960, she married Rodney Kropp at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Athens. They resided in Milwaukee for many years, where Mary Ann worked for Harley-Davidson. In 1971, they moved to the Rib Lake area where she worked for Tombstone Pizza, then Weinbrenner Shoes out of Merrill, then was a property lister for Taylor County. Somehow between working, raising her family and helping her husband on their farm, she also went back to school at North Central Tech and earned her degree in accounting. She then ran for Taylor County Treasurer and served for 12 years, until her retirement in 2006. Mary Ann enjoyed cheering on the Packers and the Brewers, crocheting, reading, and spoiling her grandchildren and her dog. She and Rodney loved to ballroom dance…they were amazing to watch as Mary Ann seemed to glide across the dancefloor. Mary Ann enjoyed traveling and went on many wonderful trips with her good friend, Carol. She would also follow her granddaughter, Jackie around the country to support her in her curling competitions, including Olympic tryouts. Her greatest treasure was her family and time spent with them was truly cherished. She is survived by her husband of nearly 62 years, Rodney of Rib Lake; two daughters, Karen (Jeff) Mueller of Medford, Laurie (Dave) Lavin of Stetsonville; siblings, Clarence Plisch, Clifton (Kathy) Plisch, all of Athens; sister-in-law, Lucy Plisch of Athens; stepsiblings, Sally (Matt) Greenblatt of Delavan, Le-Roy “Sonny” Becker of California; stepsister-in-law, Judy Becker of Athens; grandchildren, Dan Lavin of Medford, Jaclyn (Ryan) Lemke of Medford, Megan (Zach Mitchell) Mueller of Ingalls, Mich., Lauren (Corey) Paczkowski of Chippewa Falls; grandsonin- law, Simon Buechel of Stetsonville; great-grandchildren, Morgan and Jordan Lavin, Marshall and Brooke Buechel, Bella and Luke Lemke, Jerry Mueller- Roiger, Trytan and Sky Paczkowski, and one on the way; and her beloved and very spoiled, dog Zoey. She was preceded in death by her father, Edwin Plisch; mother, Anna Plisch-Becker; stepfather, Le-Roy Becker; brother, Wayne Plisch; sister-in-law, Judy Plisch; stepsiblings and their spouses, Donna (Jack) Smith, Frank (Arlene) Becker, Earl Becker, Helen Ives, Mary Ellen Wright; and her granddaughter, Nicole Buechel. Memorials in Mary Ann’s honor may go to St. Anthony’s Catholic Church or to Taylor County Moving For a Cure, a cancer fundraising organization. Hemer-Pickerign Funeral & Cremation Services of Medford and Rib Lake is serving the family. Online condolences can be left at www.hemerfuneralservice. com. Paid Obituary 125725

1980-2022 Gwendolyn “Gwen” M. Jones, age 41, of Medford, passed away on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, at Aspirus Medford Hospital. A celebration of life gathering will be held on Sunday, Sept. 18, at The Grey Dog in Medford, from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. Inurnment will take place privately at the St. Ann Cemetery in Rib Lake. Gwen was born in her home in Rib Lake, on Oct. 18, 1980, to Rocky and Sheryl (Thums) Jones. Gwen was a 1999 graduate of the Medford High School. She later attended the University of Wisconsin Green Bay. After college, Gwen entered the workforce beginning employment at Mid-Wisconsin Bank and later the Taylor Credit Union. Most recently, she was employed as an office manager with Express Employment Professionals at both the Medford and Marshfield locations. Gwen was very goal driven in her position at Express, that is how she was able to earn trips and travel, including her recent trip to Belize. Gwen was a member of the Medford Chamber of Commerce. An avid reader, she had a large collection of James Patterson books and was a huge fan of the television comedy “Friends” and could quote most episodes. Gwen loved spending time with her many friends and family members, but nothing gave her more pride and joy than time spent with her son, Tristan. She looked forward to Sundays playing cribbage with her dad and loved going to the lake with her nieces and nephew, always finding an opportunity to enhance her suntan. Gwen’s contagious smile and wonderful sense of humor will be forever missed. Survivors include her son, Tristan Webb; her father, Rocky (Carolyn) Jones, of Rib Lake; her mother, Sheryl (Doug) Kenney, of Medford; one grandparent, Shirley Thums, of Westboro; one brother, Brett Jones, of Medford; one sister, Tanya (Kenny) Stickney, of Medford; and her step-siblings, Melissa Larson, Michelle (Shayne) Johnson, Mike (Karen) Larson, Tim (Peg) Makovsky, and Dale Makovsky. Gwen is further survived by many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins. She was preceded in death by her paternal grandparents, Leroy and Dorothy Jones; her maternal grandfather, Edward Thums; her grandparents, James and Eileen Kenney; and her stepmother, Joann Jones. Generations Funeral Home & Crematory of Tomahawk is assisting the family. You may view Gwen’s obituary and leave online condolences at generationsfuneral. com. Paid Obituary 125673

1949-2022 Mary B. Samolinski, 72, of Rib Lake, died Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022 at the Rib Lake Healthcare Center. A memorial service was held at 11 a.m., Wednesday, Aug. 31 at Hemer-Pickerign Funeral Home in Medford with the Rev. Paul Woods officiating. Visitation was from 10 a.m. until the time of service at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Mary was born Nov. 27, 1949 in Milwaukee to Eunice and John Samolinski Sr. She grew up in Milwaukee, where she also attended schools and graduated from high school. In 2006, she and her sister, Dorothy moved to the Medford area to be near family. Mary enjoyed riding her bike, coloring and listening to Elvis. She also loved her cat, Tiger who preceded her in death. She will be dearly missed by her siblings, Arnold (Karen) Samolinski, John Jr. (Louise) Samolinski, and Liz (John) Rich; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; and a brother, Jimmy Samolinski; and sister, Dorothy Samolinski. Hemer-Pickerign Funeral & Cremation Services of Medford and Rib Lake is serving the family. Online condolences can be left at www.hemerfuneralservice. com. Paid Obituary 125675