Life Events

Virginia Nell Lauer, age 89, of Milton, died January 4, 2023 at Huntington Place after a long illness.  She was born on August 7, 1933 to John and Lula (Hobbs) Godfrey.  Virginia married her high school sweetheart, Willis Lauer, on October 6, 1951 at North Lima Presbyterian Church.  Virginia enjoyed working outside in her yard and gardens.  She was a talented seamstress, was the clothing leader for Lima 4-H, and taught many young girls to sew.  She also enjoyed quilting and golfing.  Virginia was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.

Virginia is survived by her 3 children: Norm Lauer, Rod (Patsy) Lauer, and Laurie (Bill) Garbe; 9 grandchildren: Lee Ann (Rocky) Klitzke, William (Rebecca) Lauer, Beth (Ross) White, Lance (Kelli) Baker, Kristoffer (Candace Robbins) Garbe, Michael (Kris) Garbe, Trevor Garbe, Frank (Janice) Arnold, and Katie (Ryan) Nass; son-in-law: Lee (Rita) Arnold; 16 great-grandchildren.  She was preceded in death by her parents, husband: Willis Lauer; daughter: Christine Arnold; grandson: Timothy Lauer; 3 brothers: John Gordon Godfrey, Paul Godfrey, and Willard Godfrey; sister-in-law: Marian Godfrey.

Funeral services will be held at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 12, 2023 at the Albrecht Funeral Homes & Cremation Services, Milton.  Burial will follow at Milton Cemetery.  Visitation will take place on Thursday at the funeral home from 10:30 a.m. until the start of services.  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Virginia’s name to Agrace Hospice, MS Society, or the American Cancer Society.

The family would like to thank the Brooke and the staff of Agrace Hospice for the loving care given to their mother. www.albrechtfuneralhomes.com

Geraldine Blanche (Riedl) Brunner

November 8, 1930 – January 3, 2023 (age 92)

Geraldine Blanche (Riedl) Brunner, 92, formerly of Jefferson, WI, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, January 3, 2023, at Fairhaven Senior Services in Whitewater, WI.  Gerry was born November 8, 1930 in Helenville, WI, to Lothar and Elizabeth (Richter) Riedl.  She attended St. Lawrence Catholic School and was a graduate of Jefferson High School.  Gerry met Robert Brunner, of Milwaukee (the love of her life), in Jefferson, and they were married on June 27, 1953, at St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Jefferson. 

Gerry was a devoted wife to Bob for 69 ½ years.  She was a dedicated mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.  Her pride and joy were her family.  The Catholic faith was central to her life.  Gerry loved singing and sang in the church choir for many years.  Gerry was blessed to have the opportunity to stay at home for many years to raise their five children.  In 1970, she started working as a secretary at the Jefferson County Courthouse where she was employed for 26 years and gained life-long friends.  She was also in a euchre club for over 50 years with friends who were near and dear to her heart.  In the last few years of her life, Gerry suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia.  She fought a hard fight until the very end. 

Gerry is survived by her children: Barbara (Mike) Pretasky of Mindoro, Tom (Mary Kay) Brunner of St. Clair, Michigan, Patti (Del) Chmielewski of Jefferson, Tim (Kathy) Brunner of Brookfield, Alison (Glenn) Stoll of Whitewater; 17 grandchildren, lovingly referred to as her “17 gems”  Randy (Meri) Pretasky, Erin (Austin) Barborak, Brendan (Colean) Brunner, Ryan (Lindsey) Brunner, Laura (Peter) McCann, Lindsay (Zachary) Eisen, Michael (Amanda) Brunner, Kevin Brunner, Maureen Brunner, Nick (Karlie) Litterski, Emmy (Josh) Chaves, Kate (JC) Clay, Matt Brunner, Jake Brunner, Sarah Brunner, Brad (Sara) Stoll and Ben Stoll; 19 great grandchildren; Lincoln, Clara, Rosalie and Harriet Pretasky, Dalton and Emma Brunner, Hailey and Leah Brunner, Colin McCann, Olivia and Madeline Eisen, Elliana and Charles Brunner, Caroline Litterski, Isaac, Lily and Luna Chaves, Adler Stoll, Geraldine Clay, and brother Lyle (Carol) Riedl.

Geraldine was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Robert, and brothers Lothar Riedl and Stanley Riedl. 

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 14, 2023, at St. Lawrence Catholic Church, W4791 US-18, Jefferson, WI with Fr. Thomas Coyle officiating. Visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m. until the time of the service.  A burial will take place at St. Lawrence cemetery immediately following the service. 

Special thank you to her loving and devoted husband, Bob, who was at her side every day until his death in October. In addition, thank you to Dr. Roberta Wedl, Fairhaven Medical Director, Margie and Jamie, nurses, and the CNA staff at Fairhaven, and Rainbow Hospice (Kendra, Sarah, Steve and all of the CNAs) in Jefferson for the exceptional care they provided Gerry over the last two years. 

A message from her family:  To my mom, grandma, and great-grandma.  You will be deeply and forever missed but never ever forgotten!  We love you to the moon and back!  Heaven gained an angel today.  You are now free to spread your wings and fly.  Until we meet again…we love you!

A donation may be made in Gerry’s name to St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Jefferson, WI or Rainbow Hospice in Jefferson.

Schneider-Michaelis Funeral Home, Jefferson is assisting the family.  Online condolences may be made online at www.schneidermichaelisfuneralhome.com.

Loretta Frances Schrank, “Lori”, was three days shy of her 76th birthday when she passed away after a courageous battle with Alzheimer’s disease. She was born January 7, 1947 in Chicago, IL to Raymond and Helen (Pasternak) Burkhardt. The third of four children, Lori grew up in Chicago, IL before her family moved to Whitewater, WI. She graduated from Whitewater High School and earned her teaching Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from UW-Whitewater. She was a loving and devoted mother to her sons, Benjamin and Andrew. She married the love of her life, Bill Schrank on December 27, 1986 at St. Mary Catholic Church in Milton, WI.

Lori started her teaching career at the age of 19 with 36 fourth graders at St. Williams Catholic School in Janesville. She spent the majority of her years as a second-grade teacher at Milton West Elementary School where she poured all of her energy and passion into her work with her “kids.” Lori was very artistic and created magical things in her classroom for her students. How could they forget that they had to RSVP to come to Mrs. Schrank’s house for Christmas breakfast and to the end of the year pool party? Many of those students have called her their favorite teacher of all time.

Lori had a zest for life and lived by the phrase, “Treat your friends like family and your family like friends.” She treasured and nurtured each and every relationship with the ones she loved. She had a thousand-watt smile and anyone that ever met her fell in love with her immediately. She was a phenomenal wife, mother, sister, and auntie, but her favorite role was being “Grammie” for her grandbabies. She was always so proud of them all. Lori had many nieces and nephews that she loved and lived for as well. There never was a dull moment with her, and the kids enjoyed swimming in the pool and eating bomb popsicles after, going to the movies, playing cards and games, and seeing who could tell the best joke. She attended many of their games and concerts and they knew she was there when they heard her signature loud whistle to celebrate their achievements.

Lori was also very competitive and a terrific athlete. She loved to play softball for the Belles of St. Mary and was especially proud of the 1992 Monday Night Women’s League Championship. That was the year their team beat a team of young girls that had been at the High School State Girls Softball tournament the year before. They even went to St. Mary Church after the game, and asked Father McEnry to let them ring the bell. She loved to fish and enjoyed the many Canadian houseboat fishing trips over the years. Even though on many trips she was the only woman, she seemed to have the knack of always catching the biggest fish. Earning her the title, “The Boat Bitch.”

She was a true animal lover. Friends and family fondly remember her rehabilitating baby raccoons and calling them out of the woods like she was Dr. Dolittle, making friends at every chance with any dog or cat she saw, visiting Ben at his zoo jobs to see the lions and tigers, and loving up on her own dogs and kitties.

Lori is survived by Bill, her loving husband of 36 years, and sons Ben (Leah) Smejkal of Clintonville, WI and Andy (Ashley) Smejkal of Grand Junction, WI. She is also survived by her sister Mary Ann Burkhardt (Sue Hale) of Janesville, WI and Diane (Paul) Joseph of Delavan, WI, sister-in-law Susan Burkhardt, Tomahawk, WI and brother-in-law Bob (Sharon) Schrank, Milton, WI. Grandchildren Alyssa (Codi) Papcke and their son Finley, Austin (Amber Katz) Smejkal and their daughter Luna, Lily, Veda, and Nala Smejkal and Xoe Smejkal (children of Andy); Sami, Brock, and Alli Smejkal (children of Ben). Additionally, she is survived by several very special nieces and nephews.

Lori is preceded in death by her parents Raymond and Helen Burkhardt, father and mother-in-law Harold and Jeannine Schrank, brother Raymond Burkhardt, daughter Sarah Smejkal and niece Amy Schrank.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 14th, 2023 at St. Mary Catholic Church, Milton with Father David Wanish officiating. Burial will follow at Milton Lawns Cemetery. Visitation will be at the Albrecht Funeral Homes & Cremation Services, Milton on Friday, January 13th, 2023 from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. and again Saturday at the church from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the mass. Memorials can be made out to St. Mary Catholic Church.

The Albrecht Funeral Homes & Cremation Services, Milton is assisting the family with arrangements. 

William Gerald Albrecht was born on May 4th, 1943 in Chicago, Illinois to William and Essie Albrecht and welcomed by older sister, Jean. He was known to his friends, and anyone else he met, simply as Bill. Bill unexpectedly passed early in the morning on January 5th, 2023. Bill is survived by his loving wife of 58 years, Joyce. Together they raised a daughter, Royce, and welcomed son-in-law, Luke, into their family. Luke and Royce have three children – Jacob, Marcella (Ellie), and Lydia – who all adored their grandfather.

Bill spent his childhood into his adult years in Chicago. Growing up, Bill began his lifelong passion for baseball. He would play every chance he had, even persevering through the wool uniforms. This love followed him into adulthood, where he was the pitcher on the park district and church teams for many years. As a teenager and young adult, Bill’s time off of the baseball diamond was spent exploring his talent for drawing and photography.

Bill spent his working years in the construction industry. He began as a rodman in the Technical Engineering Union and was a diligent and honest worker. Over the years, Bill’s attention to detail never faded. This is especially true as he finished his career as a Senior Superintendent at Pepper Construction.

His love of baseball followed him into retirement where he watched every major, minor, and little league game that he could. This love was joined by an enjoyment of golf. In the summers, Bill would golf at least once a week at different courses near his home in Whitewater, WI. When Bill wasn’t watching baseball, golfing, or spending time with his family, he could be found in his workshop creating. Many of those who had the pleasure to know Bill have been blessed by the handmade wood items he made for them.

Bill will be remembered for his sense of humor, desire to serve others, love for those around him, and dedication to Christ. A visitation will be held by the family on January 14th, 2023 at Briggs Road Evangelical Free Church in Elkhorn, Wisconsin from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made in Bill’s memory to the Gideons International or your favorite charity. Nitardy Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.  Online condolences can be made at www.nitardyfuneralhome.com

Adelaida Vasquez, age 94, of Orange City, Florida passed away peacefully at her home surrounded by family on Wednesday, December 21, 2022. Daughter of the late Juan Vasquez and Sostena Mata and born October 16,1928 in Lockhart, Texas. She grew up with four siblings Juan, Lauriano, Fernando and Julia.

She married Jose Dolores Rocha in 1942 in Mexico and was a housewife for many years. In 1966 she came to Brownsville, Texas as a migrant worker, working on the fields from sunrise to sundown. Then, in 1969 she came to Palmyra, Wisconsin as a migrant worker at Gumz Farm (now known as Kincaid Farm). In 1972 she moved permanently to Palmyra with six of her youngest children. She remarried in 1976 to Juan Aranda.

Adelaida had a passion for flowers and plants. Anyone that would visit her, she’d made sure that they would see all her flowers. Beside shopping at different stores, she also loved rummage shopping, and would say, “I will use this sometime.” She also loved dancing, the casino, cooking, especially her famous burritos and was all about family and loved helping others. She always had a great smile.

She is survived by her sister Julia, her children Ricardo, Roberto (Maria), Amelia (Pedro), Consuelo (Alberto), Ramon, Juan (Rosa), Rosa and Lupe (Anne). Adelaida is further survived by numerous other relatives, grandkids, great-grandkids, great-great-grandkids, and many dear friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents, three brothers Juan, Lauriano and Fernando, her children Victoria, Candelaria, Guadalupe, and Arnulfo.

An evening visitation will take place from 6 p.m. until 7 p.m. on Thursday, January 5, 2023 at Nitardy Funeral Home, 550 N. Newcomb St., Whitewater, WI 53190.  Guests are asked to stay for a time of family reflection after the visitation at 7 p.m.  The time of reflection service can be attended virtually at https://client.tribucast.com/tcid/5385866526. 

A mass of Christian burial will take place at 12 p.m. on Friday, January 6, 2023 at Saint Patrick Catholic Church, 1225 W Main St., Whitewater, WI 53190.  Visitation prior to mass will take place from 10 a.m. until the time of mass.  Guests may view mass virtually after services at https://client.tribucast.com/tcid/7487178932.  Entombment will take place immediately following mass at Milton Lawns Memorial Park, 2200 Milton Avenue, Janesville, WI 53545.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Adelaida Vásquez, de 94 años, de Orange City, Florida, falleció pacíficamente en su casa rodeada de familiares el miércoles 21 de diciembre del 2022.Hija del difunto Juan Vásquez y Sostena Mata y nacida el 16 de octubre del 1928 en Lockhart, Texas. Creció con cuatro hemanos Juan, Lauriano, Fernando y Julia.

Se casó con José Dolores Rocha en 1942 en México y fue ama de casa durante muchos años. En 1966 llegó a Brownsville, Texas como trabajadora migrante, trabajando en los campos desde el amanecer hasta el atardecer. Luego, en 1969, vino a Palmyra, Wisconsin, como trabajadora migrante en Gumz Farm (ahora conocido como Kincaid Farm). En 1972 se mudó permanentemente a Palmyra con seis de sus hijos más pequeños. Se volvió a casar en 1976 con Juan Aranda.

Adelaida tenía una pasión por las flores y las plantas. Cualquiera que la visitara, se aseguraba de que vieran todas sus flores. Además de hacer compras en diferentes tiendas, a ella también le encanta andar en rumajes: “Usaré esto en algún momento”, decía. También le encantaba bailar, el casino, cocinar, especialmente sus famosos burritos, se preocupaba por la familia y le encantaba ayudar a los demás. Ella siempre tenía una gran sonrisa.

Le sobreviven su hermana Julia, sus hijos Ricardo, Roberto (María), Amelia (Pedro), Consuelo (Alberto), Ramón, Juan (Rosa), Rosa y Lupe (Anne). A Adelaida le sobreviven muchos otros parientes, nietos, bisnietos, tataranietos y muchos queridos amigos.

Le precedieron en la muerte sus padres, tres hermanos Juan, Lauriano y Fernando, sus hijos Victoria, Candelaria, Guadalupe y Arnulfo.

El jueves 5 de enero del 2023 se llevará a cabo una visita de 6:00pm a 7:00pm en Nitardy Funeral Home, 550 N. Newcomb St., Whitewater, WI 53190. Se pide a los invitados que se queden para un momento de reflexión familiar después de la visita a las 7pm. El servicio de tiempo de reflexión podrá ser atendido de manera virtual en https://client.tribucast.com/tcid/5385866526

Se llevará a cabo una misa de entierro Cristiano a las 12:00pm el Viernes 6 de enero del 2023 en la Iglesia Católica de San Patricio, 1225 W Main St., Whitewater, WI 53190. El velorio antes de la misa se llevará a cabo desde las 10:00am hasta la hora de la misa. Los invitados pueden ver la misa virtualmente después de los servicios en https://client.tribucast.com/tcid/5385866526. El entierro tendrá lugar inmediatamente después de la misa en Milton Lawns Memorial Park, 2200 Milton Avenue, Janesville, WI 53545

Robert “Bob” LeRoy Douglas, age 87, of Janesville, WI, passed away on December 24, 2022, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison, WI. Bob was born on October 15, 1935, in Whitewater, WI, the oldest son of LeRoy and Mary (Swan) Douglas. Bob married his high school sweetheart, Virginia Wilken, on April 13, 1957, and they raised their family in Janesville, WI. Bob is survived by son, David and wife Pamela of Concord, MA (and their children Madison, Cameron and wife Annika, and Halley); and son, Peter and wife Stephanie of Barrington, IL (and their children, Charlie and Drew); and brothers, James and wife Pat Douglas, Richard and wife Betty Douglas; sister, Dorothy Hughes; and many extended family members and friends. He is preceded in death by his brother, Kenneth Douglas.

Bob was an engineer, artist, scholar, and dedicated family man. Bob earned his B.S from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and M.S. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, both degrees in Physics. He served in the US Army in Huntsville, AL and helped develop the Redstone rocket which put the first American in space. Bob worked for many years in Janesville at Parker Pen and Gilman Engineering, where he served as President.  Later, he worked at Litton Industries and Advanced Assembly Automation in Dayton, OH.

Bob was an avid reader and enjoyed tinkering with mathematical problems. Following Virginia’s interest in President Lincoln, she and Bob became amateur Lincoln scholars and members of the national Lincoln Forum. They traveled widely in the US and abroad. Bob was also an accomplished watercolor artist; family and friends looked forward to his annual Christmas card.

Bob and Virginia cherished spending time with their children and grandchildren in their lake house in Three Lakes, WI. They were dedicated fans of Badger basketball and football.  Bob was deeply involved in the Janesville community, serving on several local boards, including Cedar Crest, and was a member of the Blackhawk Golden Kiwanis. He was strong in his faith and active in the Cargill United Methodist Church.

A funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, December 29, 2022 at CARGILL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH; with visitation from 4:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 28, 2022 at SCHNEIDER FUNERAL HOME & CREMATORY, 1800 E. Racine St., Janesville, WI. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Cargill United Methodist Church or Gifts men’s shelter.  A private burial will be held at the Hillside Cemetery in Whitewater, WI. For online condolences and guestbook, please visit: www.schneiderfuneraldirectors.com.