1952-2022 Jeffrey “Jeff” W. Armbrust, 69, of Medford, passed away on Monday, Apr. 11, 2022 at Circle of Love, an adult family home in Weston. A Funeral Mass for Jeff will take place at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Apr. 23 at Holy Rosary Catholic Church, with Rev. Patrick McConnell and Father Joe Stefancin officiating. Burial will follow at Holy Rosary Catholic Cemetery. Visitation will take place at Holy Rosary on Friday, Apr. 22 from 4 p.m. until the time of a prayer service at 7 p.m.. Visitation will continue at the church on Saturday, Apr. 23 from 9:30 a.m. until the time of service at 11 a.m. Jeff was born on Dec. 2, 1952 to Robert and Ruth (Doctor) Armbrust in Medford. He attended Holy Rosary School through 8th grade and went to Medford High School. He received a residential design degree from Northcentral technical college and went on to receive a Bachelor of Science degree in Religious Studies and History from Viterbo College in Lacrosse. Jeff married Michele Noble on Sept. 22, 1979 in Milwaukee. They have been married 42 years. After college and marriage, Jeff lived in Milwaukee for four years working as a meat cutter in a local grocery store; in 1983 he moved back to Medford and was a meat cutter at Armbrust Meats, his family’s business. He then proceeded to work as the Religious Education Director/Youth Minister at Holy Rosary Church for 12 years. Jeff had an authentic joy and desire to introduce the Lord to young people in a deep and personal way. During that time, he also owned and operated Lickety -Split where he made delicious custard and great food. He ran that business for seven years. He was a mentor to many young people whom he worked with. He also worked as a sales associate for Klingbeil Lumber Company up until the time of his accident. Jeff had a strong work ethic and enjoyed all his career opportunities. Jeff’s ability to imagine, design and create was evident in his many remodeling projects, his intricate flower gardens, backyard pond, gazebo, and in his carpentry work. He was the organizer of family Brewer games and gatherings; he loved spending time with his family and friends at the cottage and at the family’s hunting shack. He enjoyed anything outdoors especially boating, camping and always having the latest WI Atlas and Gazetteer so he could take the back roads to any destination. He was an avid sports fan and often attended Badger, Brewer and Packer games. Most of all he loved spending time with his family. On July 1, 2011, Jeff took a fall and suffered a traumatic brain injury. His family was fortunate and blessed to have found his home away from home at Circle of Love, an adult family home in Weston where he has resided since 2012. His family could never repay the love and care that was shown to Jeff and his family. He also went to Aurora Day Center three days a week, where he socialized, worked on daily skills, and enjoyed outings. His roommates, Brenda, Millie, and Alaina and all the folks who gently cared for Jeff will always hold a special place in the family’s hearts. You have become their second family. Jeff was a member of Holy Rosary Catholic Church and Knights of Columbus. He is survived by his wife, Michele; children, Rachel (Luke) Dixon, Luke (Cathie) Armbrust, Anna (Andy) Strnad; grandchildren, Natalyn, William and Beatrice Dixon, Oscar and Francis Armbrust, and Elaine and Quinn Strnad; siblings, Michael (Sally) Armbrust, Tom (Mary) Armbrust, JoAnne (Don) Faust, Becky (Doug) LeClair, Susan (Rick) Knopp; father-in-law, Paul Noble; siblings-in-law Patrica Noble, Ron (Cathy) Gotzler, Clark Peterson. Jeff is further survived by lifelong friend, Dave LeClair and other family and friends. Jeff was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Mary Agnes Armbrust; mother-in-law, Charlotte Noble, and sister-in-law, Susan Peterson. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Holy Rosary School or Religious Ed. Programs. 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 119375

1935-2022 It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Norbert F. Kaja on Apr. 4, 2022, born Jan. 17, 1935, the second son of John and Veronica Kaja in the city of Cudahy. Norb Kaja’s Celebration of Life is April 23rd at River of Hope Church, 1129 W. Broadway, Medford. Friends will be received from 1-3 p.m., Pastor Josh will speak at 3 p.m. He graduated from Cudahy High School in 1953. Norbert loved to watch the Packers, play golf, hunt, fish, play accordion and guitar and sounded like Elvis and Johnny Cash. The past few years his favorite morning hangout was breakfast at Uncommon Ground Coffee shop with China Heil (his best buddy) and his coffee clutch group. He was married in 1955 to Carol J. Herman, daughter of Agnes and Andrew Herman of Medford, then moved to Milwaukee where he started his career as a journeyman machinist for Allis Chalmers in West Allis and serving in the naval reserve at the Naval Station Great Lake in Northern Illinois. Ten years later they moved to Whittlesey where they purchased Norb’s Tap (later known as the high Chaparral Supper Club in 1969). Norb was one of the co-founders of the Chelsea Conservation Club as well as one of their first youth hunter safety instructors for boys ages nine and up. He was very active in the Whittlesey Catholic church and was the first choir director there (now Our Lady of Perpetual Help). His cremated remains will be buried at Whittlesey Catholic Cemetery at a later date. He was most remembered as the AFLAC salesman where he became district manager in 1977 and received many sales awards. He left that organization to work for the Prudential Insurance Company in 1979. After retiring from years of selling insurance he opened a used car lot and garage at his home location on Hwy. 13 (now the home of Royal Credit Union). What put a smile on his face the most was playing guitar and singing for his friends at birthday parties and celebrations. Norbert is survived by his ex-wife, Carol Kaja; son, David and (Deb) Kaja of Withee; son, William (Yvonne) Kaja of Gilbert, Ariz.; and daughter, Sandy Emmerich, Wausau as well as his grandchildren, Rindi (Justin) Boie of Big Lake, Minn,, Richell (Jordan) Dziak, Kiana Emmerich of Little Canada, Minn., Beau Emmerich of Wausau; sister, Carol (Brian) Kellogg; and extended granddaughter, China Heil of Medford and numerous nieces; nephews; other relatives; and many dear friends. He was preceded in death by twin daughters, Mary and Dorothy in infancy; brothers, Donald and Fabian Kaja; and parents Vernell and John Kaja. John J Buettgen Funeral Home & Mid Wisconsin Cremation Society of Schofield, Mosinee, and Wis. Rapids is serving the family. Online condolences can be left at MWCS.WS. Paid Obituary 119331

1961-2022 Dorothy Samolinski, 61, of Rib Lake, died Sunday, Apr. 10, 2022 at the Rib Lake Healthcare Center. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., Wednesday, Apr. 20 at Hemer-Pickerign Funeral Home in Medford with the Rev. Paul Woods officiating. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until the time of service at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Dorothy was born Mar. 7, 1961 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, Mary moved to the Medford area to be near family. Dorothy enjoyed playing video games and bingo, riding her bike, fishing 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, Mary Samolinski, John Jr. (Louise) Samolinski, Liz (John) Rich; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; and a brother, Jimmy 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 119342

1935-2022 Irene Mae Pearson, 86, of Abbotsford, died Saturday, April 9, 2022 at Abbotsford Health Center. A memorial service was held at 11 a.m, Wednesday, April 13 at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Dorchester. Interment was at Evergreen Cemetery II, Medford. Visitation was from 9 a.m. until the time of service at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the church. Irene was born May 28, 1935 in Medford to Leona (Scheueneman) and John Sauer. She graduated from Medford High School. On March 25, 1955, Irene married Charles “Chuck” Pearson in Dubuque, Iowa. They lived in Medford until 1976, then moved to Wausau. Irene worked many years in Medford and later in Wausau doing clerical work for a trucking company. In 2017, they moved back to the Medford area to be near family. Chuck preceded Irene in death on June 22, 2018. She enjoyed reading, golfing, bowling and was an avid gardener. Working in her flower beds brought many hours of enjoyment for her. All her life she loved to sew, embroider and enjoyed making all sorts of crafts. And she loved to knit. In later years she made hundreds of dishcloths for friends and family. She was a faithful member of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Dorchester. She is survived by two daughters, Linda (Jeff) Paul of Curtiss, Diane Solberg of Medford; grandchildren, Jason Paul, Tracy (Alan) Hanlin, Andrew (Courtney) Paul, Jessica (Jamie) Minton, Brianna Michlig, Jordan (Ashley) Solberg; 16 great-grandchildren, Dailyn, Jameson and Adeline Paul, Cole and Alivia Hanlin, Kaylee and Madison Paul, Chloe Roe, Hailey and Nolan Minton, Nevin, Ayden and Sidney Michlig, McKenna Schuller, Evelyn and Jace Solberg; and nieces and nephews She was preceded in death by her parents; siblings, Marian Pechstein, Lita Zuleger and Gordon Sauer; and her husband, Chuck. 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 119239

Tyler Richard (Yackie) Iacobucci of Plymouth, died unexpectedly on Friday March 25, 2022 in Dover, N.H. A Memorial Service will be held Saturday, Apr. 16, at 11:00 at New Hope Presbyterian Church, W14520 Cty M, Hannibal. Memorial donations may be made in his memory to Barbara’s Project at 340N 3rd Avenue, Gilman, Wis. 54433. This is a small organization his aunt developed to help women at a homeless shelter and domestic abuse shelter. Tyler was born in Plymouth on Aug. 6, 2000, the beloved son of Jennifer (Iacobucci) Rezendes and her husband, Brian of Plymouth and Dustin Blinn and his longtime partner, Kerry Ahern of Weymouth. Tyler 2000-2022 was educated in the Plymouth schools and later a graduate of Gilman High. He had been working in construction recently and fulfilling his dream of being a member of the US Army Reserves in which he has been proudly serving since 2019. Tyler’s favorite passions were hunting, buying wheels and working on trucks. Tyler’s favorite place was on his grandmother’s farm in Wisconsin with his dog, Bailey. He was a true country boy at heart. Tyler was always described as a respectful, polite, funny, and caring young man. He was always helping others smile. He will be missed by many. Besides his parents. he is survived by his brothers and sisters, Joshua Iacobucci of Plymouth, Sebastian and Victoria Rezendes of Plymouth, Veronica Littlefield of Carver, Tyler Ahern and Chase Ahern of Weymouth. Also survived by his grandparents, Beverly Thompson and Kenneth Henneman of Gilman, Kathy Iacobucci of Carver and Bernadette and Ronald Rezendes of Plymouth and many aunts; uncles; and cousins and his beloved dog, Bailey. Paid Obituary 118960

1954-2022 Steven H. Lageman, 67, of Medford, town of Whittlesey, died Monday, March 28, 2022 at Marshfield Medical Center in Marshfield. A celebration gathering will be held from 2-8 pm, Saturday, April 9 at the Chelsea Conservation Club. There will be a brief prayer service at 3 p.m., with lunch and refreshments following. Steve was born Dec. 27, 1954 in Medford to Arlis (Blasel) and Harold “Bud” Lageman. He graduated from Medford High School, class of 1973. On June 14, 1974, Steve married Karen Mohr in Medford. They resided in Whittlesey where Steve worked at WeatherShield for nearly 40 years, and spent 30 of those years driving truck. He loved being outside, working in the garage, fishing, hunting with the Sharpshooter Crew, and woodworking. He loved building wooden toys for his grandchildren, especially trains and trucks. He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Karen of Medford; his mother, Arlis Lageman of Medford; children, Keith (Sara) Lageman of Dorchester, Kris (Brian) Floyd of Medford, Kelly Lageman of Tomahawk; siblings, Ken Lageman of Medford, Nancy (Ardin) Wiitala of Westboro; six grandchildren, Austin, Tyler, MacKenzie, Hunter, Zander and Ivan; one great-grandchild, Kason; and numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives and many dear friends. He was preceded in death by his father, Bud Lageman; and daughter, Kathy in infancy. 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 119028

Karen Louise (Wahl) Olson, 76, of Chelsea, lost her three year courageous battle with pancreatic cancer on Sunday, April 3, 2022 at her sister’s house, under the care of Hope Hospice. A funeral mass for Karen will take place at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Apr. 7 at Holy Rosary Catholic Church, with Father Patrick McConnell officiating. Burial will follow at Chelsea Community Cemetery. Visitation will take place at Hemer-Pickerign on Wednesday, Apr. 6 from 4 p.m. until the time of a Rosary service at 7 p.m. Visitation will continue at the church on Thursday, Apr. 7 from 10 a.m. until the time of service at 11 a.m. Karen was born Jan. 8, 1946 in Medford to Ignatius and Abbie (Bishop) Wahl. She graduated from Westboro High School in 1964 and Taylor County Teachers College in 1966, she taught at Pittsville and Westboro. She married Tom Olson on Oct. 17, 1970 at St. Theresa Catholic Church in Westboro. Karen then went back to school in Minneapolis to be a lab technician. She worked at Hospitals in Eau Claire, Medford and Merrill. She then worked at the Rib Lake Nursing Home for 20 years. Later she worked at the Rib Lake Schools as an aide for special need students and in the bakery at County Market, retiring early because of health issues. She was the first treasurer of the Chelsea Sanitation District. Karen’s faith was always important to her; she served as a Lay Minister at Assumption Catholic Church and Holy Rosary for over 30 years. She was active in the Ladies Sodality, the choir and was a Religious Education Teacher. She was a Hospice volunteer for over 30 years. She was a volunteer at the Little Store for over 25 years serving as its treasurer for many years until her health forced her to resign in January. Karen was the founder and promoter of the All School Reunion for Westboro High School. She spent countless hours tracking down graduates, updating addresses planning and coordinating the venue, and preserving obituaries of deceased graduates. She had plans for a reunion this July, but had to cancel when her health deteriorated. Karen was honored in Medford as A Hero Among Us in 2017. Karen was always thinking of others. She made and gave away hundreds of Tied Fleece Blankets, 1946-2022 anyone she knew that was battling cancer or other illness was given a blanket to comfort them and keep them warm. She never forgot an anniversary, birthday, graduation, shower, wedding, special event, anyone in need or just thinking of you, she sent hundreds of cards to people letting them know someone cared. Don’t be surprised if you still get a card, she always had them ready a month ahead so they would be on time. If you were ill she would be at your door with a blanket and food. She had a pan of bars for every funeral. She spent hours every year making small blankets and pillows for the Kids Korner in December, so the kids would have something to buy for their parents. Giving was her passion; every year she bought school supplies for numerous children of family, friends or those in need. She had Christmas gifts for many nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews, and God-Children. She was affectionately referred to as Auntie Clause. Her Christmas shopping was usually done by Valentine’s Day. Karen spent her time praying the rosary, doing puzzles, playing cards, making blankets and working in one of her many puzzle books. Karen is survived by her twin sister, Sharon (Francis) Coenen, Westboro; sisters, Lucille Sauder, Racine, Delores (Dolly) (Robert) Feira, Wausau, Colleen (David) Knott, Westboro; brothers, Andrew (Shirley) Wahl, Brandon Bernard (Mary) Wahl, Marshfield, and Michael (Sandra) Wahl, Westboro; 37 nieces and nephews, 79 great nieces and nephews, great-great nieces and nephews and God-children; two special great nephews, Merrick and Zach Olson and God-daughter Joleen Zychowicz; brother-in-law, Larry Olson, as well as many friends. Karen was preceded in death by her husband, Tom, in 2008; her companions Smokey and Goldie; her parents; Tom’s parents; in-laws, Elmer Sauder, Doretta Olson, Rita and Charles Eisner, Pat Faude; nieces and nephews, Bob Sauder, Sandra Brandner, Charles Eisner and Tim Olson; and great nephews, Matt Olson and Wyatt Zychowicz. Special thanks to Father Patrick McConnell, Dave Kalmon, Hope Hospice, and all those who brought her a meal, stopped for a visit, said a prayer for her, gave her a ride, mowed her lawn, or helped in any way. Memorials can be made in her name to Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Hope Hospice or the Little Store. 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 119037