L ogs Rib Lake Police Department August 29- 11:27 a.m., ambulance request, 650 Pearl St. Gilman Police Department September 1- 10:51 a.m., citizen assist, 805 S Webster Ln. Taylor County Sheriff’s Department August 28- 1:41 a.m., commercial alarm, 1100 E Main St., Gilman; 9:37 a.m., citizen assist, N1145 Clark Dr., Maplehurst; 4:25 p.m., agency assist, 524 N Second St., Medford;

Thomas J. Marshall, 84, of Medford, passed away on Monday, Sept. 4, 2023 at Aspirus Hospital in Medford. Funeral services for Thomas will be held at 1 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023 at Holy Rosary Catholic Church. Visitation will take place at Hemer-Pickerign Funeral Home on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023 from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. Visitation will continue at Holy Rosary Catholic Church on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023 from 12 p.m. until the time of service at 1 p.m. A full obituary will be placed in next week’s paper. Hemer-Pickerign Funeral & Cremation Services of Medford and Rib Lake is serving the family. Please visit www.hemerfuneralservice.com to share condolences online.

1932-2023 The Lord called Elaine Dowden, 91, home on Wednesday, Sept., 6, 2023 after a three year battle with colon cancer. A funeral service for Elaine will take place at 11 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 11, 2023 at 11 a.m. with Father Patrick McConnell officiating. Burial will follow at Holy Rosary Catholic Cemetery. Visitation will take place at Holy Rosary Catholic Church on Monday, Sept. 11, 2023 from 9 a.m. until the time of service at 11 a.m. Elaine was born to Anton and Kunda (Schupp) Molitor on June 13, 1932 in the town of Little Black. She attended Medford Area High School. On Aug. 7, 1954 she married the love of her life Joseph O. Dowden in Medford. They shared a total of 48 years together, before Joe’s death in 2002. They raised eight children and a niece on a modest mechanic’s wage. Her passions were her church, Holy Rosary Catholic Church and her ability to do so many crafts. She was an amazing seamstress and could sew anything. Her other many talents can be seen in the house, she always seemed to excel at any craft project. Her quick wit and snarky attitude always kept her going. Her eight children are Linda (Rusty) Dake of Stetsonville, Cheryl (David) Brandner of Medford, Joseph (Donna) Dowden of Stetsonville, Diane (Ricci) Prein of Edina, Minn., David (Lori) Dowden of Medford, Gail (Kevin) Baumgartner of Westboro, Mary deceased in 1988 and Richard (Tracy) Dowden of Medford; niece, Lori Erdman of Rib Lake; 14 grandchildren, Holly (Drew) Martin, Chad (Robin) Brandner, Amy (Erich Kliewer) Meyer, Mitchell (Mary) Brandner, Melissa (Adam) Pesola, Angela (Travis) Blume, Daniel (Cassandra) Meyer, Adam (Ashley) Dake, Rachel (Ryan) Kiefer, Travis (Ellie) Dowden, Molly Dowden, Micah (Brooke) Baumgartner, Alec (Briana) Baumgartner, and Easton Dowden; 24 great-grandchildren, Avery and Bodhi Martin, Kylie, Kaden and Kiana Brandner, Marlo and Norah Kliewer, Bridget Brandner, Nolan, Keenan, and Cameron Pesola, Chandler Brandner, Braxton, Delaina, and Cadence Meyer, Rylan and Phoenix Dake, Scarlett, Cameron, and a baby due in December Dowden, Blair, Bria, and Brylee Baumgartner, and Paisley and Greyson Baumgartner; greatgreat- grandchild, Lorelei Heier. Elaine was preceded in death by her parents; husband; four brothers; and one sister. In lieu of flowers or gifts, memorial donations may be given to Hope Hospice in Elaine’s name. Hemer-Pickerign Funeral & Cremation Services of Medford and Rib Lake is serving the family. Please visit www.hemerfuneralservice.com to share condolences online. Paid Obituary 141889

1937-2023 Lillian Mae Hartzell, 86 of Gilman, passed away peacefully in the presence of family, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023 at UW Hospital Madison. A funeral service will be held at noon on Monday, Sept. 11, 2023 at the Northland Baptist Church-Hannibal with Rev. Richard Chromy officiating. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until time of service. Inurnment in Meadowbrook Cemetery will take place at a later date. She was born on April 22, 1937 in Eau Claire to the late Art and Della (Hodge) Ingles. Lillian grew up in the Cobban area near Cornell. She married Larry Hartzell on Oct. 18, 1958 at the Gilman Presbyterian Church. She enjoyed riding horses, snowmobiling, motorcycling, and camping. She loved gardening, cooking, and playing Skip-Bo. Most of all, she loved the Lord and enjoyed reading and studying the Bible. She worked at Zastrow’s nursing home for many years. Also was an EMT and Ambulance Coordinator, and most recently a Pilot car driver for oversize loads. She is survived by her children, Tammy (David) Wojcik of Hannibal, Shane (Dana) Hartzell of Gilman, Robin (Julie) Hartzell of Cadott and April (Jeff) Sauer of Thorp; 19 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and two brothers, Tom Ingles of Cornell and Jack (Sandy) Ingles of Stanley. Lillian was preceded in death by her parents, husband, Larry (2021), sisters, Darlene (infancy), Margaret Lange, Nancy Miller and Vicky Ingles and brothers, Charlie and Jim Ingles. Plombon Funeral Service is serving the family. Paid Obituary 141833

1952-2023 Clare Meier, 70, of Rib Lake, is singing psalms of praise in the presence of her Lord and Savior, following her final victory over the cancer that ravaged her earthly body these last few months. Clare was born the first of seven children to Clarence and Eloise (Szerlong) Nowobielski on Nov. 21, 1952, and died Sept. 3, 2023. She grew up on the family farm just outside of Thorp. She received a bachelor’s of science degree in biology from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire, a nursing degree from Northcentral Technical College, and a certificate in Bible and missions from Bethany College of Missions. Oct. 5, 1974, Clare married Wes Meier and moved to the town of Spirit. Clare and Wes started and ran a forestry consulting business from their home starting in the 1970s. Clare focused mostly on being a stay-athome mom from 1980 onward, when the first of their three children was born. Clare’s life changed drastically again in 1992, when Wes was diagnosed with colon cancer, which Clare and he fought together for almost two years, until Wes’ death in January of 1994. She completed her nursing degree in 1997 and worked for a few years as a nurse for Hope Hospice, but ultimately decided to follow her life’s dream of working on the mission field overseas. In 2005 she took a leap of faith and enrolled in Bethany Global University for a one-year mission training program. Following her time at Bethany, she began her search for her place on the mission field, ultimately ended up deciding to leave her home in Spirit and commit to spending a year in Chiang Mai, Thailand, sharing the Gospel. While in Chiang Mai, Clare was given the opportunity to spend a few weeks working among the hill tribes in Yunnan Province in China, and her memoir, “Where in the World is Yunnan Province?” culminates the telling of her life story with that time in China. After a year in Thailand, she returned to the US and to focus instead on combining her heart for care with her heart for missions by helping people in rural Price and Taylor Counties access basic care. Clare’s life was lived in the joy of the Lord, and though she endured many struggles, her faith in the free gift of salvation through Jesus’ death on the cross was the firm rock on which she stood. That legacy of faith will live on through the many, many lives that she touched in so many ways and so many places. She is survived by her seven grandchildren, Emma, Elijah, Josiah, Ezekiel and Philip Scott and Wesley and Marilyn Gray; as well as her children, Martha (Jordan) Scott of Spirit, Andy (Ania) Meier of La Crosse, and Debbie (Patrick) Gray of Chiang-Mai, Thailand. She is further survived by her mother Eloise; four brothers, Ed, John, Frank and Jerry Nowobielski, two sisters, Judy Conner, and Pat Jarocki, and by two sisters-inlaw, Marilyn Erickson and Marie Arneson. Clare was preceded in death by her husband of just 19 years, Wes, in 1994; and her father, Clarence, in 2016. The family would like to especially thank Hope Hospice & Palliative Care for being an invaluable support as we navigated these last months with Clare, and the staff at Rib Lake Health Services for providing care for Clare for her last week so the family could focus on saying goodbye. Heindl-Nimsgern Funeral Home is assisting the family. Paid Obituary 141834

1934-2023 Darlene Jean Drager was the last of 12 children of Henry, Sr. and Bertha (Barkow) Dassow to enter into her Eternal Home on Friday, September 1, 2023 Darlene was born Nov. 14, 1934 in Medford, baptized on Jan. 6, 1935 and confirmed Oct. 31, 1948 at Trinity Lutheran near the Dassow homestead. She was the 11th of 12 children who grew up on the farm knowing the hard work of chores, gardening, preparing meals not only for the family but for those who came to help during planting and harvesting seasons. She left school after her eighth grade year to help on the farm. She often told stories of the long walks to school and the bull that chased them, and the lunch pails that held lard sandwiches and other farm grown foods. On Jan. 23, 1954, she and Richard Drager, Sr. were married. They had four children, Shirley (Kelvin) Ruesch, Eau Claire; Nancy (Tim) Shannon, Colby; Richard, Jr. (deceased 2019); and Gary, Medford. Preceding her in death were her husband, Richard Sr.; her son, Richard, Jr.; her parents; her brothers, twin Donald, Hilbert, Henry Jr., Harold, Ralph, Clarence, Robert, Alvin, Arnold; and her sisters, Elaine Gumz and Ardella Dohrwardt; along with nephews and in-laws. Darlene loved to kid, play Rummy 500, dunk cookies in coffee, bake cookies and coffee cakes, and make fry cakes. When visiting you always had to take with you some of her homemade goodies. Her biggest joy was spending time with her family. She enjoyed short trips to Bayfield, Wausau, Marshfield, Eau Claire, and Stillwater. She loved flower gardens and berry patches. Her joys included gardening and canning, putting up decorations for every holiday, hanging out sheets for the fresh air smell, and making sure the babies were totally spoiled with gentle cheek pinches and hugs. Darlene had many hardships in her life. After a horrific car accident in 1986, she was the superb caregiver for her husband until his passing in 1993. Between 1993 and 2019, she cared for others in the family. In 2020 Darlene moved to Eau Claire to be taken care of by Shirley and Kelvin. In April, 2022 she returned to Medford and lived at Vita-Care Assisted Living until her passing September 1 under St. Croix Hospice care. She enjoyed her residential family, George, Tom, Barb, Eileen, Helen, Rosie, Mary, and Doris. When they blew kisses at her, she blew them back. Residents let her know that she took such wonderful care of her baby doll which made Mom smile. Her grandchildren are Walter (Amie) Marzinske, Alisa Marzinske, Amanda Geiger, Jeremy Lapp, Kurtis Drager, Sara Drager, Bradley Ruesch, Elizabeth Ruesch; great-grandchildren, Montana, Sierra, Chantelle, Riely, Abby, Abbie, and Mia; and greatgreat- grandchildren, Arianna, Octavia, Callie, and newly born twins, Laiklynn and Oaklynn. A special thank you to Diane Anderson, APNP, Aspirus Medford Clinic, and Dr. Kristina Schuldt, Mayo Clinic Health System, Eau Claire for their compassionate care and kindness during the years Darlene was seen by them. Visitation will be held at Hemer Pickerign Funeral Home (Medford) on Friday, Sept. 8 from 5-7 p.m. with a prayer service by Rev. Russow and eulogy by daughter Shirley. On Sept. 9, visitation will be at Zion Lutheran Church (Stetsonville) an hour before the service at 11 a.m. Lunch to follow after the service. Committal will be at a later date. Memorial donations can be made to the family of Darlene Drager. Hemer-Pickerign Funeral & Cremation Services of Medford and Rib Lake is serving the family. Please visit www.hemerfuneralservice.com to share condolences online. Paid Obituary 141867