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Obituary: John J. Newhouse, 90

John Joseph Newhouse passed away on February 2, 2022 at Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. He was born on December 4, 1931 in Rhinelander, Wisconsin as the beloved only child of Joseph and Mary (Stevens) Newhouse.

He graduated from Rhinelander High School in 1949. After graduation, he worked for the Chicago Northwestern Railroad before starting college at UW-Oshkosh. While at Oshkosh, he met Arlene Pankratz of Manitowoc and they were married on June 6, 1953 at St. Joseph’s Church in Alverno, Manitowoc County. During his time at Oshkosh, he played football for four years and was in the Periclean Fraternity. He graduated in 1954 with a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education. After graduation, he was drafted into the Army in 1954 and trained at Fort Riley, Kansas and served at the 7th Army Headquarters in Vaihingen, Stuttgart, Germany as an Intelligence Analyst before he was discharged in 1956. He began teaching and coaching football and basketball at Random Lake High School while working on his Master’s Degree in Secondary School Administration, receiving his degree in 1960 from UW-Wisconsin. Eventually, he taught at Brookfield Central High School and became assistant principal in 1960. In 1968, he became Principal of Whitewater High School, serving in that role until his retirement in 1987. For eight years, John was a member of the WIAA Board of Control and during his tenure, Title IV was passed. After his retirement, he continued his involvement in high school sports activities for many years.

Over the years, John was involved in many community activities. He was co-founder of the Whitewater Community Foundation. He was on the library board, involved with the Whitewater Historical Society, and was secretary of the Whitewater Breakfast Kiwanis for over 30 years. He was a member of the American Legion, the VFW, a volunteer for Fort Healthcare Partners, a poll worker for Whitewater elections, and an usher at Irvin Young Auditorium. In 2013, he traveled to Washington, D.C. with VetsRoll.

John was survived by his wife Arlene; seven children: Michael (Sally Esthay) of Lakeway, TX, James of St. Francis, WI, Thomas (Blu) of Madison WI, Steven (Jina) of Winter Garden, FL, Christopher of Waterloo, WI, Mary (Greg Weaver) of Milwaukee, WI, and Anne (Chris Cooper) of Milwaukee, WI; six grandchildren: Nicole (Steve) Cervantes, Brandon Newhouse, Sophie (Luke) Martell, Megan (Sebastian) Smith, Andrew (Haley) Newhouse, and Susannah; eight great- grandchildren: Cody Conrad, Madelyn Sislo, Emma and Peyton Williams, Genevieve and Gunner Martell, and Harrison and Emelia Smith.

John and Arlene are members of St. Patrick Catholic Church. At the present time, there will be no service but there will be a memorial service at a later date. Burial will be at the Veteran’s Cemetery in Union Grove, WI.

Memorials may be directed to the John Newhouse Memorial of the Whitewater Community Foundation or the Kiwanis Children’s Fund.

Lakes Dredging Update

Editor’s note: The following information was provided by the City of Whitewater.


Work Schedule for week of February 6 – February 13

  • Crews will work through the weekend (Feb 4-6), one crew on Sunday working Trippe Lake.
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  • No work is scheduled for Monday or Tuesday due to warmer temperatures and snow.
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  • Wednesday through Sunday, crews will plan to work 24 hours with most work occurring at night due to the cold temperatures.
    *All work is dependent on weather and the worksite conditions. The ground must be frozen by 18″ in order to allow large equipment to drive on and add dirt to loading trucks. Mats are laid on the ground that is not frozen enough to allow vehicles to drive on without sinking. If warmer temperatures and the sun begin to defrost the ground, work must stop to keep equipment from sinking and work can resume when the outdoor temperatures drop again.

Trippe Lake

Dredging started this past Wednesday and crews are working from the middle of Trippe Lake and moving south at this point. They will continue to remove sediment along the planned channel eventually moving north in the following week.

Cravath Lake

Dredging on Cravath started this past Wednesday, Feb 2nd. The dredge area is at the south end of the lake and they will continue to work north towards the park over the next week.

#FlashbackFriday with the Historical Society: First English Lutheran Church early 1900’s

It’s time once again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society.

This week we have a winter image of Main Street that can be dated to after 1903, since the White Memorial Library (to the right of the image), built in that year, is shown. Since the Scholl glass plate negatives, of which this is one, date to only around c.1910, this means this image is probably from c.1904 to c.1910.

The image also shows the First English Lutheran Church on the left. It may have still been the Baptist Church, constructed in the 1880s, since the Norwegian Lutheran Church (original name for First English) only acquired the church building in 1908. The original Norwegian Lutheran Church was located on the far east side of Whitewater, near the present-day modern water tower. Also note in the foreground there is a decorative hitching post, as this was still the “horse and buggy” era in the city.

Join us soon for the last of our Scholl glass plate negative winter images.

(#3836GP Whitewater Historical Society)

Obituary: Ardyth Albertson, 76, of Armstrong, MO

Ardyth Albertson
1945 – 2022

Armstrong resident, Ardyth Albertson, 76, passed away peacefully at her home on February 2, 2022.

Ardyth Virgean Albertson was born August 7, 1945 in Whitewater, WI, a daughter to Gilman and Matie (Sanders) Hagen. She attended and graduated from Whitewater High School in 1963. On July 21, 1973, she married the love of her life, Roy Albertson in Beloit, WI. Together they’ve enjoyed over 48 years of marriage. For her professional career, Ardyth worked at Parker Pen Company in Janesville Wisconsin, and Besly Cutting Tool Company in Beloit Wisconsin as manager of employee relations. Ardyth was a devout member of Sharon Bible Church in Armstrong, MO, and had a strong relationship and love for her Lord and Savior.

Survivors include her husband of the home, Roy Albertson; nephew, Sam (Kathleen) Stroup; three nieces, Vickie (Mark) Gassman, Penny (Pete) Brown and Tammy (Bill) Verner. She is also survived by 11 great-nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by four sisters.

A funeral service honoring the life of Mrs. Albertson is 1 PM, Wednesday, February 9, 2022 at Friemonth-Freese Funeral Home in Fayette, with Rev. Harold Young officiating. Visitation will be held an hour before the service starting at noon. Private burial will be held at Sharon Cemetery in rural Armstrong, MO.

Memorial contributions are suggested to Sharon Bible Church or Hometown Homecare, in care of Friemonth-Freese Funeral Service, 174 Hwy. 5 & 240 N., Fayette, MO 65248.

Whippets Fall to Jefferson in Girls’ Basketball

The Whitewater Girls’ Basketball Team traveled to Jefferson for a conference match up on Thursday, February 3. We played aggressively on defense but struggled to stop Jefferson’s Johnson in the paint in the first half, giving her 20 of her 24 points. At half we were down 20-28. 

Danielle DePorter (file photo)

We kept the game close in the second half, holding Johnson to 4, but we needed to foul at the end and came up short, losing 39-51. 

Nine Whippets contributed in scoring. Danielle DePorter led the Whippets with 12, going 6 for 7 from the free throw line. Kindyl Kilar contributed 7 points, going 4 for 4 from the free throw line. Gwen Truesdale added 5, Calli Grosinske scored 4, and Josie Treder contributed 3. Two points each were scored by Mayte Navejas, Aidyn Amundson, and Cali Kopecky. 

Article Submitted by Kristen Lippens
Whitewater High School Head Girls’ Basketball Coach
klippens@wwusd.org
File Photo Courtesy of Bob Mischka

St. Patrick Church Fundraiser “Subs To Go” for the Super Bowl on Feb. 13; “Submarinos Para Llevar”

Editor’s Note: The following information was provided by St. Patrick Church in Whitewater.

St. Patrick Catholic Church, 1225 W. Main Street, will be holding a fundraiser to benefit the Young Adult Mission Trip to New Orleans. “Subs To Go for the Super Bowl” will be held February 13. The form at the bottom of this post may be used for advance orders.

League of Women Voters – Whitewater Area Inaugural Book Club

Editor’s note: The following information was provided by The League of Women Voters-Whitewater.

League of Women Voters – Whitewater Area Invites All to Conversation on Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI)

The League of Women Voters-Whitewater Area invites its members and the public to participate in its newly formed book club. To become more informed advocates, the club will explore the League’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policy through meaningful discussions of current notable books dealing with public policy issues of interest to the League.

The inaugural book will be “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents” by Pulitzer Prize winning author Isabel Wilkerson. In “Caste” Wilkerson “examines the unspoken caste system that has shaped America and shows how our lives today are still defined by a hierarchy of human divisions.” The book will be discussed via Zoom over two meetings, Thursday, March 10, and Thursday, March 31 from 6:30 pm-8:00 pm. The League has made special arrangements with the Irvin L. Young Memorial Library for those who need to reserve a copy of the book.

Books will be available to check out beginning February 17. Contact Deb Gamble at shebagam@gmail.com or (262) 458-0077 with questions, to reserve a book, or to sign up for the Zoom meetings. Remember, you do not need to be a member of the League (or a woman!) to join the book discussions. We look forward to beginning this new adventure with you!

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy. Visit our website at https://my.lwv.org/wisconsin/whitewater-area and like us on Facebook!

Gamblers Anonymous Whitewater Meets on Mondays

Men and women gamblers!  Are you a constant loser because of your gambling?  Are you losing your income, self-respect and loved ones?  Compulsive gambling is an addictive, progressive disease.  If you want help for you or someone you love, you are welcome to attend:

Gamblers Anonymous Whitewater

First United Methodist Church—In the Library

145 S. Prairie St.

Whitewater, WI

Mondays from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m.

For information, call (608) 283-5800.

There is no cost to attend G.A.

Gymnasts Host Triangular with Co-op Teams

The Whippets Gymnasts took on their last home meet of the season in a triangular against Badger Co-op and Union Grove Co-op on Tuesday, February 1. We had some new skills performed along with a few season best scores to make it a great night! We had our highest team score of the year with 107.875.

Izzy Dieter and Nola Coburn both had season best scores on Bars while Myia Cobbs and Estefany Reyes-Saldana had season best scores and no fall routines on Beam. Nola also improved her All-Around Score with a 24.075.  

Two of our girls tried the Vault for the very first time and scored quite well! We’re very proud of Miyu Tekeda and Jackie Franco for working so hard to be able to compete on the Vault! Adding these two vaults to our lineup improves our JV Team score, which scored nine points higher Tuesday night!

We had a great night of firsts. Beyond our two new vaulters showing their new skills, Lexi Kuhnke added a roundoff back handspring to her Floor routine, and her fans got crazy loud cheering for her. Maritza Vidales added a front handspring to her Floor routine, which was awesome to see. Makayla Bazeley added a 720 pirouette as well as a straddle jump to the end of one of her tumbling passes, to improve her difficulty in her Floor routine. We love seeing the girls incorporating new skills into their routines as they head into their post season meets.

Halee Peters got 3rd in All Around with a 31.95, 2nd on Vault with an 8.3, 5th on Bars with a 7.55, 5th on Beam with an 8.2, and 6th on Floor with a 7.9. 

The Whitewater Gymnastics Team will be heading to Dodgeville on Saturday, February 5th, for an invitational, and then their last dual meet is next Tuesday, February 8th.

Article Submitted by Shawnda Peters
Whitewater High School Head Gymnastics Coach
speters@wwusd.org
Photo Courtesy of Bob Mischka

Common Council Meeting: Prominent Downtown Building to Get New Look

By Al Stanek
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

One of downtown Whitewater’s most prominent buildings is likely to get some major renovations and improvements including an entirely new outside look. Greg Aprahamian, the owner of the building at the corner of W. Main and S. 2nd Street, and the City of Whitewater have agreed to a Development Agreement that could lead to an over $2 million improvement to the building most recently known as “The White Elephant.”

The Whitewater Common Council approved the agreement Tuesday, February 1 which will allow Aprahamian and the Whitewater Community Development Authority (CDA) to proceed with an application for a $250,000 WI Economic Development Authority (WEDA) grant to assist the developer. Plans call for the creation of new retail space on the ground level along with twelve “higher end” one and two bedroom residential units.

Specified improvements call for restoration efforts to get “…closer to its original appearance as an important and historical building in Walworth County.” The agreement calls for removing the existing stucco covering on the front and side elevations and replacing it with an “historic fitting” facade, opening of window spaces and replacement of existing windows with modern windows of the same size and appearance of the original structure along with repair and replacement of all mechanical systems to meet current code requirements.

Once referred to as “Bower’s House,” the property dates back to the 1850’s according to documents contained in a Facade Improvement Loan that the Whitewater CDA is offering as an additional incentive to the developer. Additional financing for the project will come from First Citizens State Bank of Whitewater.

CDA Director Cathy Anderson told the Common Council that the assessed value of the building will likely increase to over $2 million after completion compared to the current assessed value of under $200,000.

The Common Council also was informed that dredging of the city’s two downtown lakes is scheduled to accelerate to a 24 hour per day schedule through Saturday,February 5 and scheduled a review of a long awaited City of Whitewater Housing Study on February 9. Whitewater’s status as a relatively small community with a medium sized college campus makes it unique in that it reportedly has the lowest statewide percentage of owner-occupied homes.

In addition the Council approved the issuance of over $5 million of borrowing to support previously approved Capital Improvement Program projects. The list of projects includes contribution toward the replacement of a WWFD Inc. ladder truck, street reconstruction and stormwater improvements projects, payment for the Lakes Drawdown Project and other miscellaneous items.

Wisconsin prohibits municipalities from incurring debt that amounts to more than 5% of
a community’s equalized valuation and the Whitewater policy is to not borrow more than 70% of that figure. After this bond issue, which could be retracted if financial conditions are not favorable, the City will have borrowed up to an estimated 58% of its limit.