Life Events

Edward “Ed” A. Ritter, 95, of Whitewater passed away on Wednesday, February 5, 2020 at the Rainbow Hospice Inpatient Center in Johnson Creek.

Ed was born on January 28, 1925, on the family farm in the Town of Lincoln, Forest County, Wisconsin, son of Ray and Clara (nee Patzke) Ritter. He was baptized and confirmed in St. Paul’s Ev. Lutheran Church in Crandon. Ed graduated from the Crandon High School in 1942. During World War II, he served in the army, discharged as a Staff Sgt., and later in the Army Reserve, discharged as a 2^nd. Lt.. In 1955 he married Joan Malchine, Wind Lake, in Norway Lutheran Church. Together they had three sons: Michael, Phillip, and Stephen.

He was a long-standing active member of First English Lutheran Church where he taught Sunday school and 7^th grade confirmation for many years, served two terms on the church council and as president of the congregation, and served one term on the Church Synod Council. He was a member of William Graham Post 0173 American Legion, Whitewater, past member of Kiwanis Breakfast Club of Whitewater, and member and officer of the former Kettle Moraine Poultry Club and the Whitewater Gourmet Club.

Ed received his BE degree from Whitewater State Teachers College and his ME degree from Marquette University. While attending college he was an active member of Chi Delta Rho (state) and Delta Kappa (national) social fraternities and Pi Omega Pi (undergraduate) and Delta Pi Epsilon (graduate) scholastic fraternities. Thirty-seven years of his life were devoted to education: seven years at Rochester, Wisconsin where he taught business education and English, thirty years with the Whitewater Unified School District where he taught business education and served two years at the first Business Manager of the district, and many years with Gateway Technical College evening program where he taught adult classes of accounting. During his teaching career, he was an active member of the Whitewater, Wisconsin, and National Education Associations, and the Wisconsin Business Teachers Association. Upon retirement in 1987, he became a member of the Wisconsin and the Walworth County Area Retired Educators Association, serving for thirteen years as treasurer of the County group.

His other interests were poultry and furniture refinishing. Since moving to the little farm on South Franklin Street, Ed had raised thousands of bantams, standard chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese. Hatching eggs and baby chicks were sent to fanciers throughout the United States and birds were exhibited at the Wisconsin State Fair and at various Poultry Shows.

Ed is survived by his sons, Michael Ritter of Whitewater, Phillip (Karin) of Menomonee Falls, Stephen (Camille) Ritter of Muskego; seven grandchildren, David, Nicholas, Bryan, Jacob, Bryce, Theodore, Lauren; sisters-in-law, Donna Hanson, Doris Malchine; many nieces and nephews-in-law, cousins and friends.

He is preceded in death by his wife, Joan; his first wife, Linda (nee Bjorstrom); his parents; sister, Margaret; father-and mother-in-law Johnalbert and Esther Malchine; brothers-in-law Donald Hanson and John Malchine.

Funeral services will take place at 11 a.m. on February 22, 2020 at First English Lutheran Church in Whitewater, with Rev. Steve Hanson and Rev. Jerald Wendt officiating. Visitation will be held at the church from 9 a.m. until the time of services. Burial with military honors will be at Hillside Cemetery in Whitewater following services.

Memorials can be made in Ed’s name to First English Lutheran Church.

The Nitardy Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.

www.nitardyfuneralhome.com

Vernon C. Greenquist, age 71, of Delavan passed away on Friday, January 24, 2020 at Mercy Hospital in Janesville.  He was born in Evansville, MN on September 13, 1948 to Conrad and Anna (Pederson) Greenquist.  Vernon was united in marriage to Mary Wallner in June of 2011. He proudly served in the U.S. Army, Air Force, and was a chaplain with the National Guard for over 20 years.  Vernon was a farmer in the Walworth County area and was also a beloved school bus driver with Nelson Bus Service in Whitewater.  He was also very active with the LaGrange Methodist Church and served on the Planning and Zoning Commission in LaGrange.   

Vernon is survived by his wife, Mary Wallner; a daughter, Jaclyn (Alan) Greenquist-Persinger, of Madison; a son, Joshua Greenquist, of Madison; three granddaughters, Svea, Maelyn, and Blythe; two sisters, Pat Greenquist, of AZ; and Kristi (Craig) Wanamaker, of MN; two brothers, Jerry (Janet) Greenquist, of NE; and John Greenquist, of Oslo, Norway; and many nieces and nephews.

Vernon is preceded in death by his parents; his first wife, Linda (Dallum) Greenquist; his son, Jason; and his daughter, Jessica. 

Memorial Services will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Saturday, February 1, 2020 at First United Methodist Church, 145 S. Prairie Street in Whitewater.  Visitation will be held from 9:30 A.M. until the time of the service on Saturday at the church.  Memorials can be directed to Vernon’s family. 

Eugene J. Frodl, 81, of Whitewater passed away on Friday, January 24, 2020 surrounded by his loving family at Sunset Ridge in Jefferson.

Eugene was born on January 7, 1939 in LaGrange Township to Rudolph J. and Pauline T. (Kelley) Frodl. He spent his early life growing up on his family dairy farm. He graduated from Whitewater High School and joined the United States Air Force in 1957 until 1961. Eugene married Donna Stark in 1963, and together they had three children. In 1971, Eugene and Donna bought their dairy farm and farmed until 1999.

He enjoyed camping, woodworking, playing solitaire, watching westerns, and spending time with his family. He was a jack of all trades and master of none.

Eugene is survived by his children, Jim (Shelly Picknell) Frodl, Julie (Jeff) Frie, Dan (Colette) Frodl; grandchildren, James (Amanda) Frodl Jr., Randy Frie, Courtney Frie; great-grandchildren, Grayson Frodl, Lorelai Frodl, Ava Frodl; siblings, Marie (Howard) Glass, Bernice (Ernest) Klatt, Ken (Joan) Frodl; several nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Rudolph J. and Pauline T. Frodl; wife, Donna Frodl; siblings, Floyd Frodl, Marggee Frodl, and Stanley Frodl.

A memorial service will take place with military honors at 11 a.m. on Saturday, February 1, 2020 at the Nitardy Funeral Home, 550 N. Newcomb St., Whitewater, WI 53190. Visitation will take place from 9 a.m. until the time of services.

The family would like to give special thanks to Marquardt Hospice, Sunset Ridge, and Visiting Angels for their exceptional care over the last year.

Nitardy Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.

www.nitardyfuneralhome.com

Raleigh Jay Williams
06/10/1928 – 12/29/2019
SPRINGFIELD—Raleigh Jay Williams, age 91, died at home on December 29, 2019, after a long illness. The youngest of four brothers, he was born on June 10, 1928, in Lincoln, Nebraska, to Jay I. Williams and Joy Riggs Williams. He grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin, where his father taught strings and directed orchestra. From an early age, Raleigh showed musical promise. Blessed with a fine tenor voice, he received formal voice training and landed his first leading role (HMS Pinafore) while still in high school. As a young man, he sang solo tenor roles in opera, oratorios and musicals in the Madison area. A lover of early music, he also learned to play obscure instruments, including lute, viol da gamba, and recorder, many of which he built and designed himself based on pictures he found in art of the period. He also taught others how to build and play these rare instruments.

Raleigh won a music scholarship to UW Madison but took a detour through the U.S. Air Force. He was accepted as an aviation cadet during the Korean War and earned his pilot’s wings in 1953. After one year of service in Korea as a mosquito pilot, he trained army pilots for reconnaissance flying in San Marcos, Texas until completing his service in 1956. Upon resuming his education, he decided not to pursue music professionally, lest he spoil his delight in music by trying to make a living at it. He received his graduate degree in mathematics at the University of Wisconsin (UW) Madison and taught mathematics, followed later by computer science, at UW Whitewater for the rest of his career.

In 1957, he married the talented violinist, Rose Mary Pederson (Harbison). Until they parted ways, the couple lived on her mother’s farm which later became the site of the Token Creek chamber music festival. In 1968, Raleigh married Tiiu Rodima (Gray-Fow), who was on the history faculty at UW Whitewater. They first had a dog Buster, followed by a daughter Susan in 1969. Both Raleigh and Tiiu were camping enthusiasts and often spent their summers canoeing in the Quetico or backpacking in the national parks. They flew everywhere in a 1941 Luscombe plane that he kept at an airport in Palmyra. Raleigh co-founded an early music group at UW Whitewater and later sang in an acapella chamber choir, the Sanborn Singers, where he met many lifelong friends.

Raleigh retired in 1990 and moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he remodeled and sold houses with longtime friend JG, played viol in the Celtic Coyotes, and explored the area’s ruins and canyons. In 1993, he married Nena (Moreno) Williams of Baquag, Philippines, who joined him in Albuquerque along with her daughter Sheela. A few years later, they moved away for health reasons, selecting their new home in Springfield, Oregon, because nearby Eugene is a hotbed of early musical activity and hosts an international Bach festival. While Nena worked, Raleigh kept busy with home repairs, doing tricky math problems, and napping with their two dachshunds. He played in the Eugene Recorder Orchestra and performed Elizabethan favorites with vocalist Alice Davenport. He started building vihuelas and built and flew model airplanes, including his hybrid creation—the flying mandolin—which he said flew almost as poorly as it played. In 2017, he presided over the first Williams family reunion in forty years, and the following year, celebrated his 90th birthday with nieces, daughter and close friends.

Raleigh had many talents and interests, but none who knew him can forget his sense of humor, raucous yet gentle, and often inappropriate. He was a born storyteller, spinning yarns for his nieces and daughter and delighting his friends with his fanciful tales. Wherever he went, people were drawn to his humor, resilience and charm. He confronted old age and its limitations with deliberate resolve, shedding old interests when necessary and focusing on what life could still offer him. He was a strong and cheerful spirit.

He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers Robert, Stanley and Donald; cousins Joan Rall and Leonard Williams; and nephew Charles. He is survived by his wife Nena; daughter Susan Williams (Bryan James) of Madison, Wisconsin, and step-daughter Sheela of Melbourne, Australia; nieces Catie Weldon, Sidney (Peter) Hulin, and Barbara Neri; nephews Chip, Dan, Bruce, Mark, David and Kim Williams; and cousin-in-law Frank Rall. The family would like to thank the caring staff at the VA home-based program; his companions Sonia, Vinny, Ashley and Sofia who brightened his last days; and his early music friends, including Lynne Coates, who did so much to help him stay active in music.

Donations in his memory can be made to the University of Wisconsin Foundation, payable to Madison Early Music Fund. To be notified when his memorial service is scheduled, please email Susan at raleighmemorial@gmail.com. For online condolences, visit forevermissed.com.
Please sign the guest book at www.registerguard.com/legacy

Harold Miles, age 89, of Whitewater, WI passed away on Friday, January 24, 2020 at St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison, WI. He was born in LaGrange, WI on May 15, 1930 the son of Ruben and Norma (Green) Miles. He went to Whitewater College High. He served in the Army from 1947 to 1950. On September 9,1950 he married Darlene Cramer. He was employed at Hawthorn Mellody Dairy for 36 years. He was a member of the Whitewater Fire Department for 20 years.

Harold is survived by Darlene, his wife of 69 years. He is also survived by his son Jerry (Linda) Miles, and daughter Judy (Dennis) Fero all of Whitewater. He will be dearly missed by his grandchildren Stacy (Charles) Wendt of Cottage Grove, Shelly (Scott) Gaffner of Palmyra, and Scott (Lisa) Fero of Stoughton. He was a wonderful papa to his great-grandchildren Hailey (Brently) Bohn, Kristina (Chet) Trimborn, Sophie Wendt, Sadie Wendt, and Micayla (Kyle) Fero-Stauff. He recently was told that he would become a great-great papa later this year. He is further survived by his brothers Bill, Ray (Waverly), David (Joanne), Jim (Donna), sister-in-law Marilyn, brother-in-law Ronald Aarstad, and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, sister Margaret Aarstad, brother Robert, sister-in-law Dorothy Miles, nephew Gary Miles and a great-grand daughter.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday January 30, 2020 at Nitardy Funeral Home in Whitewater. Visitation will be from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. with services to follow. Burial will be held at a later date.

Harold’s family would like to express a special thank you to the Whitewater Fire and Rescue Squad and Davita Dialysis Center in Fort Atkinson.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Harold’s name be given to the Whitewater Rescue Squad.

Nitardy Funeral Home is assisting the family.

www.nitardyfuneralhome.com

Dorothy Louise Nelson, 86, of Whitewater passed away on Monday, January 6, 2020  at Fairhaven Retirement Community.

Dorothy was born on January 26, 1934 to Harold W. Trewyn and Blanche Louise Zimmerman. She was a graduate of College High in 1951 and remained close friends with many from her small class.  Dorothy married Lawrence F. Nelson, M.D. in 1955 and together they had 3 children, Lori, Ryan and Lynn.  She was the devoted longtime secretary for the Congregational United Church of Christ in Whitewater. 

Dorothy was a world-traveler; her photo albums are replete with pictures and mementos from her many adventures with family and her best friend, Donna Stevenson. 

Survivors include her children, Lori Nelson-Schmidt, Whitewater, Ryan Nelson, Bellingham, WA and Lynn Miller, Fort Atkinson. Grandchildren include Megan (Schmidt) Milgrim, Anthony Schmidt, Kelli Miller, and Annie Nelson. Dorothy is also survived by one brother, Ron Trewyn (Marcia) of Manhattan, KS. 

Dorothy is preceded in death by her parents and sister, Nancy (Trewyn) Prosser.

A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, January 14, 2020 at the Congregational United Church of Christ in Whitewater, WI. Visitation will take place from 3 p.m. until the time of services at the church.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Fairhaven Retirement Community in Whitewater.

Nitardy Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.

www.nitardyfuneralhome.com