1934-2020 Galen Frank Reinhart, 86, affectionately known as “Reinie”, passed away on Dec. 11, 2020 at the home of his daughter, Mary Berg of Marshfield. Due to concerns regarding the Covid 19 epidemic a celebration of life will be held at a later date. and lived in Colby until 1997 when they moved to Tomahawk, where they resided until 2018 when they moved to Marshfield to be closer to their family. Reinie was a firm believer in being involved in the community as he was a member of the Colby Fire Department and served as fire chief from 1971 to 1973. He was also a member of the Lions Club and St Mary’s Church in Colby and Tomahawk. He was a charter member of the Colby Trailblazers snowmobile club and was honored to be named the first Citizen of the Year of Colby in 1973. He and his colleagues and friends worked to improve the quality of life in Colby by involvement in events such as Cheese Days and the Colby Centennial of 1973. Reinie had a love of the outdoors, especially going deer hunting as his wife Esther was a hunting widow every November. He and a number of lifelong friends, founded the Somo River Retreat hunting camp in rural Tomahawk and was also involved in starting the Somo Area ATV Club. He felt fortunate to travel to British Colombia and Montana to hunt moose and deer. Reinie is survived by his wife, Esther; and their six children, Laurie (Gerald) Estrada of Kimberly, Susan (Ralph) Wrons of Albuquerque N.M., Julie (Mark) Johnson of Marshfield, Tom (Catherine) of Colby, Tim of Stevens Point, and Mary (Bill) Berg of Marshfield. He is further survived by his grandchildren, Brendan (Beth) Donovan, Erin (Josh) Bellile, Leah, Evan and Joseph Wrons, Ben (Jessica) Johnson, Justin Reinhart, Kelly (Justin) Meyer, Kirsten (Jason) Hitchcock, Samuel (Becky) Reierson, Christian, Kyle, and Stephanie Berg, and ten great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Hazel; and his mother and father-in-law, Joseph and Esther Jirschele. Reinie was known for his sense of humor and generosity and enjoyed the company of his family and friends. The family would like to thank Ascension Hospice and Jen Neville of JENerosity for their compassionate care during Reinie’s last days. Memorials can be made in his name to the Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation for cancer research. He was born in the Town of Browning on July 7, 1934 to Frank and Hazel (Rehbein) Reinhart and he graduated from Medford High School in 1952. He enlisted in the WI Army National Guard, attending basic training during his summer vacation between his junior and senior years. He would attend monthly training with the guard, attaining the rank of platoon sergeant, E-7. The highlight of his military commitment occurred in Oct. 1961 when he was deployed to Fort Lewis, Washington in support of the Berlin Crisis. Upon his return to Wisconsin he was honorably discharged in Dec. 1962. After high school graduation he started his career at Packaging Corporation of America in Colby, then known as Lewis Container. He was a charter member of the plant union and was promoted to foreman after five years as an hourly worker, becoming one of the youngest foreman in company history. He was later promoted to general foreman and held that position for six years before becoming production manager in 1973. During his tenure as production manager the plant was awarded the coveted Production Efficiency Award. He held the position of production manager until his retirement in 1995. In 2018, he was honored to be a guest at the opening of the new PCA plant in Marshfield. Reinie married Esther Jirschele on Mar. 10, 1956 in Tomahawk. They settled in Colby after their marriage, building a house in 1959 which was a block away from the plant allowing Reinie to walk to work every day until retirement. They had six children Paid Obituary 98469

1926-2020 Shirley H. Lindahl, 94, a Medford resident died on Sunday, Dec. 13 at Aspirus Care and Rehab, Medford where she had resided for the past 11 years. Funeral services for Shirley will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 21 at Zion Ev. Lutheran Church, Stetsonville with Pastor Richard Russow officiating. Interment will follow at Medford Evergreen Cemetery II. Pallbearers will be family members. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until the time of services at 11 a.m. on Monday at the church. Due to COVID concerns, masks will be required at both the visitation and services. Shirley was born on Jan. 15, 1926 in Goodrich, the daughter of Paul W. and Victoria (Slais) Kleist, Sr. She attended Goodrich elementary schools and was a 1943 graduate of Medford High School. Her marriage took place on Oct. 19, 1946 at Zion Ev. Lutheran Church, Stetsonville to Walter “Butch” Lindahl and he preceded her in death May 22, 2016. After her education, she worked in Chicago until her marriage. Then they resided in Stetsonville, in 1949 moved to the Town of Little Black and in 1957 purchased an 80 acre hobby farm in the Town of Medford. She worked most of her life as a housewife and mother. She enjoyed gardening, fishing, their cabin on Conner’s Lake and spending time with her grandchildren. She was a member of Zion Ev. Lutheran Church, Stetsonville and its Ladies Aid, charter member of the Medford VFW Auxiliary and past member of the Taylor County Extension Homemakers Club. Surviving Shirley are her son, Steven (Gloria) Lindahl of Medford; six grandchildren, six greatgrandchildren; and her son-in-law, Dale Schroeder of Stevens Point. She was preceded in death by her husband; parents; children, Lloyd in 2013 and Beverly Schroeder in 2018; daughter-in-law, Gail Lindahl in 2002; siblings, Wellington “Shorty” Kleist, Paul “Red” Kleist and Mary Lou Pernsteiner. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be given to Zion Ev. Lutheran Church of Stetsonville in her name. Hemer Funeral Service of Medford and Rib Lake is serving the family. For online condolences, please visit hemerfuneralservice. com. Paid Obituary 98494

1931-2020 Charles (Charley) J. Creaser, 89, of Cadott, passed away Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020 at his home. Charles was born on May 17th, 1931 the son of John and Minnie (Gobel) Creaser in Donald. Charles married Yvonne E. Couillard on Jan. 22, 1955 in Donald. Following marriage, they lived in Round Lake, Ill, Eau Claire, and moved to the Cadott area in 1967 Texas, Germany, and Panama. Charles worked in the autobody business for Madison Street Autobody, Trubuilt Autobody, and his own shop at home for many years. He was employed as a Civil Service Technician at OMS7 in Eau Claire. Charles is survived by sons, John (Mary Ann) of Cadott and Scott (Joanne) of Augusta; grandchildren, Jeffrey (Melita) Creaser of Al-Asad, Iraq and Andrew J. (Megan) Creaser, US Military stationed in Germany; six great-grandchildren; brothers-in-law, Rodney (Roberta) Couillard of Medford and Rocky (Jan) Couillard of Dousman, and Willis Couillard of Gilman; and sisters-in-law, Ardis (Vernon) Pernsteiner of Medford, and Doris Creaser of Mesa, Ariz.; also, several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Minnie Creaser; his wife of 63 years, Yvonne; brothers, Lewis and Russell; and sisters, Lucille Englebretson, Doris Hammon, Jean Lucas, and Kasy Couillard. A Committal Service with Military Honors will be held at the Northern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Spooner, at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorials in memory of Charles may be made to the English Lutheran Church of Bateman, Korean War Veterans Alliance or St. Joseph’s Hospice. Leiser Funeral Home of Cadott assisted the family. Express online condolences at www.leiserfuneralhome. com where he has since resided. He enjoyed hunting and fishing, especially time spent at Jump River and Brewster Island on Otter Lake. He enjoyed cutting wood and later in life feeding and watching “the birds”. Charles was a very active member of the English Lutheran Church of Bateman. Charles enlisted in the US Army in January 1951, serving in Germany (1951-1952) and in Korea with 2nd Gun Section, C-Battery 12th FA Bn, 2nd Division (1952-1953). Charles joined the Wisconsin Army National Guard in May 1964 serving until his retirement in May 1991. His many deployments included Fort Hood Paid Obituary 98466

1949-2020 Beverly A. Meier, 71, of Athens, gained her angel wings on Friday, Dec. 4, 2020. Beverly enjoyed reading, breakfast at the café with the ladies, riding her three wheeled motorcycle, camping, viewing the night sky and toe tapping music, especially to Alan Jackson. She had a great passion and love for animals, especially dogs. Beverly trained and showed her dogs and also was a K-9 Ambassador and took her dogs to schools, nursing homes and hospitals. She was a member of the Red Hatters group and Paper Cities Kennel Club. She had many nicknames throughout life, but the one she was known for best was Bam Bam. Bam Bam had a knack for lighting up any room she walked into. She was fun, loving, and had a heart of gold. Her open arms were always filled with love. She gave the best massages, hugs and snuggles and was an amazing cook and baker. She always made sure the bellies of those she loved were full. She never turned down the chance to spend time with her grandkids. Family was very important to her. Besides her husband, Theodore, she is survived by her daughter, Patricia (Todd) Thurs of Athens; and son, Shannon (Cecile) Meier of Edgar; five grandchildren, Autumn (Mike) Ellenbecker of Edgar, Ryan Thurs of Athens, Sawyer Thurs of Athens, Carson Kline of Edgar, and Vienna Meier of Edgar; one great-grandchild, Emersyn Ellenbecker, Edgar; and one sister, Carol (Walter) Klimpke of Athens; nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents; her daughter, Pamela Meier and nephew, Wayne Klimpke. Family and friends may express condolences online at www.maurinaschilling.com A public visitation will be held from 9:30 a.m. until 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 19 at the Maurina Schilling Funeral Home in Abbotsford. A private funeral will be held for family following the visitation. Interment to follow at St. Thomas Catholic Cemetery in Milan. We encourage those in attendance to abide by the Covid-19 guidelines by sanitizing, wearing a mask (if able) and social distancing. There will also be a Celebration of Life Gathering on Saturday, July 17 at Erbach Park in Athens. Beverly was born Oct. 28, 1949, to the late Vernon and Oliva (Ruden) Westphal. On July 19, 1969 she married Theodore M. Meier, Jr. After high school, Beverly attended beauty school in Wausau. Following beauty school, she worked as a hair dresser at Vogue Beauty Salon, Marshfield and Lucy’s Beauty Salon, Athens. She and Theodore farmed in Athens until 1986. Beverly also was by Theodore’s side on his logging trips and helped him to scale the logs. Her mostimportantcareerwasthatof lovingwife,mother, grandmother and great grandmother. Paid Obituary 98464

1945-2020 Ronald “Ron” R. Wegerer, 75, Medford, a Township of Browning resident, died on Wednesday, Dec. 9 at Clark County Rehab Center, Owen where he had resided for the past day. There will be no services for Ronald at this time, however, the family is planning a celebration of life gathering in the future. South Dakota, and the Vietnam War. He was a helicopter maintenance man for rescue helicopters and later cross trained into a missile career field. After the service, in 1985, he returned to Medford and worked at Weather Shield Mfg. and drove truck for the U.S. Postal Service for periods of time until his retirement in 2007. He enjoyed fishing, shooting pool, shooting darts, and wrenching on old cars. He is survived by his wife, Judy Wegerer of Medford; sons, Rick (Kim Bunkelman) Wegerer and Victor Wegerer, both of Medford; a grandson, Arik Wegerer also of Medford; his siblings, Darla (William) Moquin of Ellsworth and Terry (Elaine) Wegerer of Leesburg, Texas. He was preceded in death by his parents; son, Keith Wegerer on Dec. 3, 2020; his siblings, Sherry Mueller and Arthur Lee Wegerer. The family requests that any memorial contributions be made to the family for a future celebration of life gathering. Hemer Funeral Service of Medford and Rib Lake is serving the family. For online condolences, please visit hemerfuneralservice.com. Ron was born on Nov. 14, 1945 at Stetsonville, the son of Arthur Louis and Hazel Anna (Brunner) Wegerer. He attended elementary schools in Milwaukee and was a 1963 graduate of Medford High School. His marriage to Judy K. Schupp took place on Oct. 17, 1964 in Medford. After his education, Ron entered the U.S. Air Force where he served for 20 years in North and Paid Obituary 98448

1969-2020 Sandy passed away on Dec. 8, 2020, taking away the light she brought to every room. Funeral services for Sandra took place at 4 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 11 at Hemer Funeral Home, Medford Chapel. Visitation took place at Hemer Funeral Home on Friday, Dec. 11 from 2 p.m. until the time of service at 4 p.m. The service was live streamed on Hemer Funeral Service’s Facebook decided that they should lock each other in, legally. Following their marriage, Sandy was up for every opportunity to expand their family with the love they could share. In 2002 Sandy and Mike joined each other in marriage with all of their hearts and souls. Sandy spent 20 years mastering window making between Semco and Weather Shield. She furthered her career at Nestle in 2008, while focusing on making all of the lives around her better. In 2018, Sandy and Mike settled into their new home in Holway, immediately becoming an integral part of local society. Sandy enjoyed her time bird watching, camping, traveling and flower gardening. When 2020 arrived, Sandy began working at Walmart in Medford, gathering new friends and family. She enjoyed life as Andrew finished off his high school career and Eric settled into his own life’s journey. As the year progressed, Sandy fought as her body betrayed her. She fought, and her will was strong, but she lost her battle. She is survived by her husband, Mike; grandmother, Lois Jaeger; mother, Judy Kleinschmidt; sister, Julie (Corey) Maschke; sons, Eric and Andrew; father and mother-in-law, Mike and Audrey Berger; many other relatives. Sandy was met at the gates by her grandfather, Butch; her father, Wayne; her father-in-law, Welly; and her brother-in-law, Doug. Sandy will be greatly missed by all of her family and friends. For online condolences, please visit hemerfuneralservice. com. page. She was born in Merrill, on Dec. 19, 1969, and brought joy and happiness to her family and friends ever since. Sandy enjoyed holidays, decorating her surroundings, and bringing joy in all of the seasons to everyone she knew. Sandy grew up in Merrill with love from her mom, Judy; her father, Wayne; and her sister, Julie. She graduated from Merrill High School in 1989, where she began working at Semco Windows. In 1995, Sandy welcomed her first bundle of joy, Eric. From then on, she was dedicated to family. While mastering window making, she met someone that would change her life forever, Mike Loucks. Mike and Sandy worked together, walked together, ate together, and loved together. They hunted, they fished, they motorcycled, they joked, and loved each other. When baby AJ arrived, Sandy and Mike Paid Obituary 98441

Reports of Area Deaths 1931-2020 Virginia Gehrt, 89, Rib Lake, died on Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020 at the Rib Lake Health Services where she had resided for the past seven years. Private graveside services will be held at the Neillsville City Cemetery, on Thursday, Dec. 10. Rev. Jacoba Koppert of the United Church of Christ, Neillsville, will officiate. where they owned and operated Gehrt’s Tavern. Gordon preceded her in death on Sept. 26, 1988. Known as “Virgie” to family and friends, she loved to play cards. There were weekly games played with friends, Mary, Betty, Donna, Darlene, Dorothy and Ben, and Larry. She would not leave the game until her pile of quarters was the largest on the table. A sense of humor, looking at old family pictures, and writing letters to family and friends, were constants in her life. She was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Rib Lake, and a past member of the Taylor County Tavern League. Survivors include one sister, Gladys (Wehrman) Tatalovich; many nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; sisters, Mary, Ida and Marian; and brothers, Henry, Alvin, Albert, Leo and Arno. Memorials may be sent to St. John Lutheran Church, 859 Fayette Ave, Rib Lake, WI 54470 or Rib Lake Lions Club, 806 Lake Shore Dr., Rib Lake, WI 54470. Hemer Funeral Service of Rib Lake is assisting the family with arrangements. For online condolences, please visit hemerfuneralservice.com Virginia Mae Wehrman was born on Aug. 12, 1931 in the Warner Township, Clark County to Otto and Elizabeth (Zell) Wehrman. When Virginia was three years of age, her mother died. Virginia along with her sister, Gladys, were then raised by their aunts, Caroline and Bertha Volk. She graduated from Greenwood High School in May 1949. After graduation she worked as customer accounts clerk at the Farmer’s Store in Greenwood. On May 15, 1954 she was united in marriage to Gordon Louis Gehrt at Zion United Church of Christ, Greenwood. After marriage, they lived in Milwaukee for a brief time. In Nov. 1958 they moved to Rib Lake Paid Obituary 98289

Judith “Judy” H uggett 1947-2020 Judith “Judy” Ilene (Esterby) Huggett, 73, died peacefully Dec. 5, 2020 in Rochester, Minn. following a short battle with cancer. There will be a private family graveside service. Judy was born in Red Wing, Minn., on April 1, 1947. She grew up on the family farm in Cannon Falls, Minn. She was active in 4-H and Luther League through Urland Lutheran Church while growing up. Judy graduated from the Fairview School of Nursing as a Registered Nurse and had a long career caring for many throughout her years as a nurse in Hennepin County Memorial Center, St. Marys Mayo Clinic, Fairview in Minneapolis, and finally at Memorial Nursing and Rehab Center in Medford, for over 30 years until retirement. Judy married Tom Huggett in July 1969. They enjoyed 50 years of marriage together. They lived in Minnesota when first married and moved to Medford, for most of their lives where they raised their daughters, Jennifer and Teresa. She was a kind and loving grandma and enjoyed attending many school events, sports, and activities to cheer for and support her five grandchildren. Judy had a strong faith in God and held various roles within First Baptist Church in Medford. She loved to travel with family, friends, and her husband and enjoyed many destinations such as Norway, Israel, Hawaii, Nashville, and the family annual fishing trip north. Judy is survived by her two daughters, Jennifer (Kevin) Therriault of Green Bay, and Teresa (Kevin) Erickson of Rochester, Minn.; five grandchildren, Ava and Wil Therriault, Shawn, Cora, and Kullen Erickson. She is survived by brother, Gary (Avis) Esterby of Dennison, Minn., sister, Ann (Lars) Romo of Cannon Falls, Minn., and brother, Roger Esterby of Cook, Minn. She is also survived by many family and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, Andrew and Edith Esterby; her husband Thomas Huggett; and sister-in-law, Vicki Esterby. In lieu of flowers memorials may be directed to the American Cancer Society. Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Home is honored to be serving the Huggett Family. To share a special memory or condolence please visit www.ranfranzandvinefh. com Paid Obituary 98283

2020 Mary K. Melbinger (nee Gummerson) joined her forever loved ones in Heaven on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020. Due to the pandemic, private services will be held for the family at Prasser Kleczka Funeral Home, Bay View Chapel, 3275 S. Howell Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53207. When appropriate, there will be a memorial held in Medford later next year. In lieu of flowers please make a donation to Holy Rosary Catholic School of Medford. Loving mother of Christopher, Julie (Peter), Deborah (Joshua) and Brenda; grandmother to Ella, Claire and Andrew. Cherished daughter of Mildred and the late Jim Gummerson; sister of Judy, James and Donna. Mary was raised in Owen-Withee. She graduated from UW Eau-Claire with her Bachelors Degree in French and Social Work. During her education, she studied a semester abroad in France, furthering her passion for the French culture and language. Upon returning from France she engaged and married Lonnie Melbinger. Mary and Lonnie started their lives and business together in Medford, where they raised their children and lived for 47 years. Mary was passionate about giving to her community, friends, church and family. She was an integral part of starting Big Brothers Big Sisters along with managing her husband’s dental practice, educating and culturing her children, and volunteering for both United Way and the local school systems for those in need. She was constantly on the go; she loved to travel, read, do crossword puzzles, have lunch with all her dear friends and spend time with her family, especially her grandchildren. She touched the lives of all around her and will be very dearly missed. Prasser Kleczka Funeral Home Bay View Chapel is assisting the family. Paid Obituary 98284