Life Events

Carl J. “Joe” Lange Jr., age 63, passed away unexpectedly on February 7, 2024 at TriStar Skyline Medical Center in Nashville TN.

He was born on May 25, 1960 in Watertown, WI. to Carl J.T. Sr. and Arlene (Ward) Lange.

Joe was a lifelong resident of Fort Atkinson, WI. He attended Fort Atkinson High School.

On October 21, 2017, he was united in Marriage to Melissa Nelson.

Joe was a dedicated truck driver for W&A Distribution Services, Inc. of Fort Atkinson for 33.5 years. He has over 1.7 million miles logged during his career. He was very proud of his safe driving record of 32.5 years without an accident. 

Joe was happiest when he was relaxing and enjoying the simpler things in life. He enjoyed watching movies and gambling (especially scratch-offs). Joe was always willing to lend a hand and help others in their time of need. 

Joe is survived by his parents Carl and Arlene Lange of Fort Atkinson, WI. Wife Melissa Nelson of Fort Atkinson, WI. Son Corey Lange of Jefferson, WI. Daughter Kayla Doucette of Cottage Grove, WI.  Stepson Benjamin Pawlowski of Fargo, ND. Four grandchildren Archer Denault-Lange, Hailey Doucette, William Doucette, and Kyler Pawlowski.  He is further survived by his brother Jeffrey (Diana Bush) Lange Brooklyn, WI. Sister Kimberly (Mark) Gang Harshaw, WI. The mother of his children Jodi Lange of Fort Atkinson, WI. As well as many other relatives and friends.

A Celebration of Joe’s life will begin at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 02, 2024 at American Legion Post 166 Hall, 201 S. Water Street, Fort Atkinson, WI.

Nitardy Funeral Home is assisting the family.

www.nitardyfuneralhome.com

David (Dave) J. Schelb, age 72, of Fort Atkinson, WI passed away on January 27, 2024, at home with his wife by his side after a 10-year battle against Stage Four Prostate Cancer with Bone Metastases.

Dave was born on February 12, 1951, in Fort Atkinson to Marian (Obermeier) and Elmer Schelb. He married his soulmate Betty Wagie on August 25, 1984.

Dave (also known as Whale by his co-workers), worked at Jones Dairy Farm for 39 years, retiring in 2013. He served in the Army National Guard for eight years and was a member of Paul Frank Florine American Legion Post #116.

Dave and Betty enjoyed traveling throughout the USA as well as some destination vacations, visits to casinos, watching the Badgers, Packers, Brewers, and Milwaukee Bucks, going to the Whitewater Wm. Graham American Legion Post #173 Cabin in Lake Tomahawk, playing cards and spending time with family.

Dave is survived by his loving wife Betty of 39 years, daughter Heather (David) Neustadt, son Ryan (Jessica) Schelb, grandchildren Conner & Jamison Neustadt, brother Donald Schelb, Mounds View, Minnesota, brother-in-law Bill (Jane) Wagie, sisters-in-law Mary (Russ) Rogers, Eileen (Fred) Laatsch, Dorothy (Stan) Waga, several nieces and nephews, and bonus sister and brother Sandy and Ron Troemel.

Dave was preceded in death by his parents Elmer Schelb and Marian Lueder, sister Joan Laird, father and mother-in-law Walter and Jean Wagie, sister in-law Joan Wagie, and nieces Stacie Rogers, and Nicole Wagie.

Per Dave’s wishes a formal visitation will not be held, instead a Celebration of Life will be held on February 10, 2024 at the American Legion Dugout in Fort Atkinson from 11 to 2. A final farewell prayer and Military honors will take place at noon, followed by a luncheon.

In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to: Rainbow Community Care (formerly known as Rainbow Hospice), St Jude’s, Camp American Legion Lake Tomahawk, Wi, or a charity of your choice in Dave’s memory.

Dave’s family would like to thank family and friends for all the support through his cancer battle. Special thanks go out to Dr. Shannon O’Mahar and the staff at SSM Dean Oncology in Janesville, Rainbow Community Care, and Dr. Stephen Riggs and the staff at SSM Fort for the amazing and compassionate care Dave received throughout his ten-year cancer battle.

Linda Lou Snyder, age 66, of Milton passed away on Sunday, February 4, 2024 at Mercy Hospital and Trauma Center, Janesville.  Linda was born on October 12, 1957 to Kenneth and Joyce (Mitten) Snyder in Janesville, Wisconsin.  She graduated from Whitewater High School in 1976 and went on to work in the agricultural field.

She enjoyed bowling, playing pool, trap shooting and darts.  She was very involved with her family and loved her extended family with Mike for the last 32 years.

She enjoyed her flower gardens, knitting and crocheting.  She loved her Yorkies, and especially her gold Trans Am.

She is survived by her son Justin (Tina) Snyder, her significant other Mike, Brother Dale (Patty) Snyder, nieces Dawn (Dan Spell) Snyder, Jamie (Kyle Schnitzenbaumer) Snyder, Corey (Marcus Olson) Snyder, three great-nieces, three great-nephews and many great friends.

She is predeceased by her parents and one great-niece.

Memorial services will be held 11:30 a.m. Saturday, February 10, 2024 at the Albrecht Funeral Homes & Cremation Services, Milton. Visitation time will be from 10:00 a.m. until time of services at the funeral home.  The Albrecht Funeral Homes & Cremation Services, Milton is assisting the family with arrangements. www.albrechtfuneralhomes.com

Born to Tom and Joan Bray in Schenectady, New York on August 6th, 1956, Susanne “Sue” (Bray) Siebert burst into heaven with a boisterous laugh on January 25, 2024.

Sue grew up in Clay, NY, a suburb of Syracuse. She loved her childhood there and would reminisce about times on the Finger Lakes and in the Adirondacks. In her teens, she sang and played guitar in the band The White Hat Special, something she talked about throughout her life.

In 1972, Sue’s family moved to Brookfield, Wisconsin with her father’s job transfer. She attended Brookfield East High School, graduating in 1974. While there she competed in gymnastics in the vault. After high school she briefly attended UW Whitewater, studying art.

In 1976 she married John Siebert, also of Brookfield, Wisconsin. Shortly after they began having children — Nate, Ben, and Luke. Sue was a stay-at-home mom when her children were younger, while also taking on commissioned paintings, selling crafts at fairs, and working jobs as a housekeeper and cleaner. She was quite active in several different churches, singing and playing guitar, and held VBS (vacation Bible school) in the backyard complete with puppet shows. As the boys got older, she worked as an administrative assistant, salesperson, and customer service rep. She made friends everywhere she worked.

Sue had an infectious laugh, often coupled with a quick snort, that brought energy to any room she entered.

She enjoyed traveling (but mostly to visit family) crafting, sewing, painting, cooking, playing guitar, growing flowers, watching birds, watching Hallmark movies, cousin sleepovers with the grandkids, talking to her dogs, and of course, the Packers.

She absolutely adored and loved her family and friends. The stories she told were almost always about them, and her favorite times were with them. She welcomed everyone into her home, always wanting to share a meal or have a party to celebrate just about anything.

She is credited with heroically saving her husband John’s life, being trained in and performing CPR after a massive heart attack from which he recovered completely.

Sue is survived by her husband, John Siebert of Brookfield; her parents Thomas Bray and Joan (Weaver) Bray; her boys Nathan (Natasha) Siebert, Benjamin (Nichole) Siebert, and Luke (Yazmily) Siebert; her grandchildren Loken, Jonas, Finn, Esten, Mason, Maddox, Grace, and Noah; her aunts Colleen Reddy and Kathy Markley; her siblings Mary (Bray) Walker, Tom (Kathy) Bray, Steve (Beate) Bray, Julie (Dick) D’Agostini, Lynn (Pete) Dickinson, Nancy (Ron) Epling; siblings-in-law; many nieces and nephews; and dear friends from all over.

She is preceded in death by her in-laws Glenn & Joan Siebert, uncle Jack Bray, brother-in-law Bob Walker, brother-in-law Dan Siebert, her niece Melissa Bray, and nephew Daniel Bray.

She will be greatly missed.

On February 26th, a visitation will be held at 2 p.m., followed by a memorial service at 4 p.m. at Krause Funeral Home, 21600 W. Capitol Drive, Brookfield.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Heritage Christian Schools (New Berlin) attn: Business Office – Sue Siebert Memorial.

Gregg Godfrey, 79, of Fort Atkinson, passed away February 1, 2024 at Meriter Hospital in Madison.

Gregg was born on October 25, 1944, to Spencer and Norma Godfrey. He graduated from Whitewater High School in 1962. Gregg married his high school sweetheart, Jane (Henze), on April 10, 1965 in Whitewater. They had two children, Gregg M. and Darren. He worked at Chrysler for 30 years, raised calves, owned and operated many businesses including: Godfrey Dredging, A&W in Broadhead, a small resort on Lake Koshkonong, an amusement game vending route and the Owl’s Club.

Gregg loved spending time with his children, grandchildren, family and friends. He was kind, compassionate, caring, smart, resilient and a prankster who loved to make people laugh. Gregg was a true patriarch, a role model and his strength and wisdom helped to guide all of us through life.

He will be deeply missed by his family; sons, Gregg M. Godfrey of Texas and Darren (Mindy) Godfrey of Lake Mills; grandchildren, Carron (Gregg M.), Silver & Cole (Darren), great grandchildren, Jacksen & Landen, sister and brother. Gregg was preceded in death by his wife, Jane Godfrey and his parents, Spencer and Norma Godfrey.

A memorial service will take place at 4 p.m. on Saturday, February 10, 2024 at Nitardy Funeral Home, 1008 Madison Ave., in Fort Atkinson. A visitation will take place from 2 p.m. until the time of service, followed by a celebration of life and luncheon at Lucy’s Hideaway (formerly known as Owl’s Club), 5847 E. County Road N, Milton, Wisconsin 53563. All welcome. Online condolences can be made at www.nitardyfuneralhome.com

Shirley Sebranek passed away peacefully Thursday, February 1, 2024, at Fairhaven Retirement
Community in Whitewater, Wisconsin.

She was born on December 15, 1933, in Wiota Wisconsin, daughter of Orlean and Orpha Wahl. Graduated from South Wayne High School. She married Adolph Sebranek on August 19, 1956. They lived most of their lives and raised their family in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. Shirley worked at the Pharmacy in Fort Atkinson for several years before it closed and then 27 years at Walmart in Whitewater in the clothing department.

She loved spending time with family and friends, especially with the grandchildren (playing games and spoiling them); as well as going to coffee with friends, bowling when younger, going out for dinner on Fridays, watching sitcoms (Raymond, Fraser, and the Golden Girls) and reality shows (The Bachelor, Dancing with the Stars, and Survivor), and going to church and brunch on Sundays.

She is survived by children Alan Sebranek, Ron (Dawn) Sebranek; grandchildren Jacob, Dayne, Christa, Lukas, Trevor, and Eli; sister in-laws Nancy Sebranek and Sheryl Sebranek; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. She was preceded in death by husband Adolph Sebranek, daughter Barbara, parents Orlean and Orpha Wahl, brothers Roger (Ruthie) Wahl and Sammy (Vivian) Wahl, sister in-law Bessie (Joe) Fawcett, brother in-law Duane Sebranek, brother in-law Maynard Sebranek, and god-daughter Dawn Wirth.

Shirley just loved everyone. Always smiling and willing to help if she could. She will be deeply missed.

Funeral will be at Trinity Lutheran Church, 314 Barrie Street, Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, on Monday, February 12th . Visitation at 10:00 a.m. and funeral to follow at 11:30. Memorials can be made to Fairhaven Retirement Community Christmas fund for all the wonderful nurses and staff that care for the residents of Fairhaven. We greatly appreciate all the care and assistance they provided for Shirley.

Betty (Guge) McManaway passed on peacefully on January 29th, 2024.

She was born on May 16th, 1938 to Walter and Dorothy Guge of Elgin, Illinois as the first of five children. She married the love of her life, Ray (Ed) McManaway on February 16, 1957. In the months following their wedding, the two of them had quite the adventures. The week after their wedding they drove to California for Ed’s Army heavy vehicle training for 6 weeks. Upon finishing his training, they had less than a week to drive back to Chicago so he could catch a flight for him to begin his 18 months of active duty in Germany. Betty then worked for a few months to be able to afford to travel to Germany to join him. While over there, Ed had little time off, but they were able to road trip to various places. Their favorite trip was when they went to Paris and then the 1958 World’s Fair in Brussels, Belgium. After Ed’s service they returned to Wheeling, Illinois to start their family. They built their own home that was not completed until the day they moved out. In 1974 they moved to Whitewater, Wisconsin to start the next chapter of their life, farming and enjoying the country life. Upon moving to Whitewater, Betty held multiple different part time jobs, but her favorite one was as a mother and grandmother, always going to every game, concert, or event. She was able to do all of this while managing the books for the farm and keeping Ed in line.

Anyone who knew her knew she loved to be busy and always had to be doing something. She loved cooking, cleaning, golfing, gardening, and going on walks around the farm, even during the winter months.

She was predeceased by her brothers Joe and Leonard Guge; and is survived by husband, Ed; sons, Wally (Gina) and Gordy (Omlay); grandchildren, Erin and Thomas McManaway; brother, Al Guge, sister, Marilyn Bassler; and many nieces and nephews.

We wish to thank Stephanie and Jess from Hearthstone for their help over the past two years, John and Nancy Hoffmann for their life-long friendship and support and the numerous other friends, family and neighbors that visited or left an impact on her life.

A private family service will be scheduled for a later date. Nitardy Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences can be made at www.nitardyfuneralhome.com

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Grant Eugene Rice. He was surrounded by his children and loving sister. A remarkable individual whose life was marked by unwavering dedication to family, service to his country, and entrepreneurial spirit. He touched the lives of many with his kindness, resilience, and the love he shared with his family.

A devoted father, Grant leaves behind a lasting legacy through his children. Surviving him are Bryan (Mary) (Arlington, Virginia), Brad (Cambridge, Maryland), Hailee (Korea), and Anjolee (Fitchburg, Wisconsin), along with grandchildren Melina (Norfolk, Virginia) and Jerry (Cambridge, Maryland). His role as a loving and guiding presence in their lives will forever be remembered, as will the cherished moments spent together as a family.

Grant often spoke of his favorite adventures with his children; flying in Bryan’s single engine Cessna from Alaska across Canada to College Park, MD; joining Brad on a “tiger cruise” during his service in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS WASP (LHD-1); Bringing Hailee back from China; and most recently in 2022 riding on a dog sled with Anjolee in northern Minnesota.

As a private pilot Grant was often found in the airways doing what he loved.  He had served with honor in the United States Air Force where he had developed a keen interest in flying. 

Grant is also survived by his sister Linda (Jerry) Miles from Whitewater.  Their close bond forged from growing up on a farm in Cold Spring, Wisconsin, which served as a foundation for a beautiful relationship throughout their lives.

As a graduate of Whitewater High School (Class of 1964) and the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater, Grant cultivated a passion for knowledge and excellence. His academic achievements reflected a commitment to lifelong learning and set an example for those who knew him.

His entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to providing quality water to the community exemplified his commitment to service. Together with his beloved spouse, Susanne, they proudly owned and operated Culligan of Central Illinois in Peoria, while residing in Morton, Illinois for nearly four decades.

Having experienced the loss of Susanne in 2022, Grant faced life’s challenges with grace and strength. His resilience in the face of adversity and his ability to find joy in the moments of life are an inspiration to all who knew him.

As Grant was a life-long dog and cat owner and advocate, the family requests recognition or donations be made to the Humane Society of Jefferson County      (https://hsjc-wis.com/donate/) in Grant Eugene Rice’s memory.

May he rest in eternal peace, reunited with his beloved spouse and family, and may his memories bring comfort to those who mourn his passing.

A private service will be held at a later date. Nitardy Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.  Online condolences can be made at www.nitardyfuneralhome.com