Wendell L. Hall
Wendell L. Hall, 83, of Titusville, N.J., passed away April 18, 2009, after a yearlong battle with advanced bladder cancer.
Born on Dec. 4, 1925, 1925, he grew up in Viroqua. During World War II, Wendell served with the U. S. Army Air Corps in Italy, and earned his B.A. degree in banking and finance at the University of Wisconsin in 1950.
That July, Wendell married UW graduate and classmate Betty Hansche, Racine, Wis. Betty and Wendell would have celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary this July. They have two children, Richard and Jane.
After 31 years, Wendell retired from General Motors Acceptance Corp. in 1981 as Vice President - Operations - Western U. S., with responsibility for 141 GMAC branch offices, 4,400 employees and nearly 2.5 million accounts. For many years, GMAC was GM’s most profitable division. Like all GMAC trainees, Wendell had started out as a field representative or "repo man." While in the Milwaukee area, the Halls were live-in caretakers of the historic Lowell Damon House museum in Wawatosa, Wis.
For 33 years, Betty and Wendell resided in Franklin Lakes, N.J. After 12 corporate moves in 20 years, Wendell found real estate a natural second career in northern New Jersey. He managed several realty offices before opening and co-owning his own office in Oakland, N.J. He was president of the Northwest Bergen (County) Board of Realtors and that board’s "Realtor of the Year."
The couple moved to Ti-tus-ville in 2003, and also own a winter home in Gil-bert, Ariz.
For 20 years, Wendell served as an EMT on the Franklin Lakes and Titusville volunteer ambulance corps - part of that time as captain and president of the Franklin Lakes squad. When he resigned at 81 years old, he believed he was "the oldest EMT in the state."
Wendell loved reading, restoring antique cars, refinishing country antiques and working in the yard. A lifelong Methodist, Wendell was an active member of the Titusville United Methodist Church.
Wendell is survived by his wife Betty, Titusville; son Richard Payton Hall, Princeton, N.J.; daughter-in-law Elizabeth Miller-Hall, Summit, N.J.; daughter and son-in-law Jane and Tony Lee and their daughters Betsy and Mandy, all of Titusville; brother-in-law Fred Brye, Middleton, Wis.; cousin Joan Sorensen, Shaker Heights, Ohio; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Coral and Harold Hall, Viroqua, and sisters LaRene Hall McCormick, Midland, Mich., and Maxine Hall Brye, Middleton, Wis.
A memorial service will be held at the Titusville United Methodist Church on Saturday, June 6, 2009, at 10 a.m., immediately followed by a luncheon there.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Wendell’s memory may be made to: Titusville United Methodist Church, 7 Church Road, Titusville, NJ 08560 (609-737-2622).
The family wishes to thank the doctors and staff at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center facilities in New York and Basking Ridge, N.J., and the Princeton HealthCare System’s Home Hospice program.
Robert “Bob” Whitney
Robert “Bob” Whitney, 66, formerly of De Soto and Viroqua, passed away Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008, at the Fair Acres Nursing Home in Du Quoin, Ill.
He was born Nov. 3, 1942, to Herschel and Ida (Baumer) Whitney in De Soto.
After high school, he worked for a while at the sawmill in De Soto. He then spent two years in Montana working on a ranch, and from there he was called into the Armed Forces, and after a year in the states, he was sent to Vietnam for two years. He was married briefly to Bonnie Dahl and they had one daughter. They later divorced. In 1994, he married Clara Heneghon in Chicago, where he worked as a mechanic for Pace Buslines for 22 years. He then moved on to Viroqua, where he worked for Howard Johnson’s for six years until his retirement, when they moved to Du Quoin, Ill.
Bob is survived by his wife, Clara; daughter, Dawn Dee and friend, John of Bellefonte, Pa.; grandson, Trevor Dahl of Viroqua; four step-daughters, Mary Ann Nesmith of Willow Springs, Ill., Debra (Tom) Lange of Cicero, Ill., Kelly (Bob) Kiminski of La Grange, Ill., Kathy (Scott) Jemenez of Muscle Shoaib, Ala.; 10 step-grandchildren; six sisters, Marian Whitney of De Soto, Bernie Higgs of Viroqua, Lorraine Longmire of Viroqua, Doris (Don) Blackburn of Janesville, Wis., Shirley (Ken) Hooverson of Viroqua and Sharon (Steve) Groves of Broadhead, Wis.; special friends, Ramono and Joan DiBenditoe of Du Quoin, Ill., Duane and Linda Adams of Benton, Ky.; several nieces and nephews; and his best friend, his dog, Baby C.
He was preceded in death by his parents; two sisters, Juanita and Judy; four brothers, Milo, Raymond, Charles and Melvin; two brothers-in-law, Bert Higgs and Roger Bakken; stepson, Kurt Dahl; two nieces, Rosy and Brenda.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 9, 2009, at New Hope United Methodist Church, rural De Soto. Pastor Bill Busch will officiate with burial in the De Soto Cemetery. Online condolences may be offered at www.vos seteigfuneralhomes.com
In lieu of flowers and plants, memorials may be made to cancer Relay for Life.
The Vosseteig-Larson Funeral Home of De Soto is serving the family.
Carl R. Christianson
Carl R. Christianson, age 68, of De Soto, died Wednesday, April 29, 2009, at Gundersen-Lutheran in La Crosse.
He was born on Feb. 17, 1941, in Viroqua, to Norman and Darleen (Turner) Christianson. On Aug. 6, 1985, he was united in marriage to Deborah L. Beahm. Carl worked at G. Heileman Brewery in La Crosse for many years. Following his retirement, he worked part time at Wonder Wash in La Crosse, in addition to other jobs. He enjoyed hunting, fishing and gardening. Carl loved to feed and watch birds and also had a home business sharpening saws.
In addition to his wife, Deb, he is survived by two sons, David and Dan; two stepchildren, Will Fillback and Tracy Fillback; a special “adopted daughter,” Stacy Peterson; two brothers, Verlin (Teresa) Christianson of Genoa and Merlin Christianson of Genoa; a sister, Doris (Millard) Ray of Baytown, Texas; a sister-in-law, Donna Farrington of Fall River, Wis.; one special aunt, Lucille Cooper of Muscoda; many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents; sister-in-law, Bonnie Christianson; mother and father-in-law, Wilfred and Esther (Jacob) Beahm; one brother-in-law and one sister-in-law.
Friends called on Monday, May 4, 2009, and there was a prayer service at the Vosseteig-Larson Funeral Home in Viroqua. Online condolences may be offered at www.vosseteigfuneralhomes.com.
The Vosseteig-Larson Funeral Homes of Viroqua and De Soto are serving the family.
Larry L. Holt
Larry L. Holt, age 69 of Coon Valley and formerly of De Soto, died Saturday evening, May 2, 2009, at his home in Coon Valley surrounded by his family.
He was born on Aug. 4, 1939, in Viroqua, to Reuben and Velma (Mellem) Holt.
On June 28, 1958, he was united in marriage to Edith Johnson in De Soto, and together they celebrated 50 years of marriage. Larry was a farmer all of his life and had a small engine repair business, which he operated for more than 10 years from his home. Larry had served on the Wheatland Town Board and the De Soto Lutheran Church Council. Antique tractors were a favorite of Larry’s, and he also enjoyed polka and country music. Larry loved conversation and coffee.
In addition to his wife, Edith, Larry is survived by his six children: Dawn Holt (David Salmon) and daughter Maya Salmon, Cheryl Holt (Joe Cyrowski) and her children Marla Peterson and Lucas Peterson, Steven Holt (Andrea) and son Cole Holt, Gary Holt (Lisa Woodard) and his children Layce Holt, Daniel Holt, and Jessi Gulley, Mary-anne Chro-ninger (Curt) and dau-ghter Cailey Chroninger and Christine Windsor and children Cody Snitker and Shelby Harwick; brothers and sisters-in-law, family and friends, and his beloved dogs, Beavis and Patches.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
Services will be held on Thursday, May 7, 2009, at 1 p.m. at the Vosseteig-Larson Funeral Home, 320 Main (Hwy. 82) in De Soto. Friends may call on Thursday from noon until the time of service at 1 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org), American Diabetes Association (www.dia betes.org) or the charity of the donor’s choice. Online condolences may be offered at www.vosseteig funeral homes.com.
The Vosseteig-Larson Funeral Home of De Soto is serving the family.
Albon “Stub” Wayne Seymour
Albon “Stub” Wayne Seymour, 91, passed away surrounded by family on Saturday morning, May 2, 2009, at the Hillview Healthcare Center in La Crosse, where he had been a resident since Feb. 18, 2009.
He was born on June 23, 1917, in Vernon County to Benjamin and Sarah Ellen (Parr) Seymour. He served in the U.S. Army as a MP in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater for nearly four years. On March 9, 1946, he married Normadean Hanson. They farmed at Retreat, rural De Soto. Normadean died on June 21, 1989. He was a member of De Soto VFW Post No. 8123 and Coon Valley American Legion Post No. 116. He was quite musical, enjoying playing the guitar and singing. He also was an avid reader and a big fan of baseball. He will be remembered for his good sense of humor and his quick wit.
Stub is survived by two daughters, Lynn (Terry) Nelson of Retreat, rural De Soto, and Joan Seymour of La Crosse; a son-in-law, Luther Froiland of Viroqua; one granddaughter, Amy Froiland of Viroqua; four grandsons, Berent Froiland of Eden Prairie, Minn., Kevin (Laura) Nelson of Stewartville, Minn., Jason (Nicole) Nelson of Holmen and Jeff Nelson of Retreat; two sisters-in-law, Mardell (Reginald) Briggs of Baraboo and Shirley Hanson of Viroqua; one brother-in-law, Warren (Mary) Bidwell of Baraboo and two nephews, Robert (Jer-ine) Brown and Don-ald (Mag-gie) Sey-mour, both of St. Louis, Mo. He is further survived by other relatives and many friends, especially his new friends at Hillview Healthcare Center, where he received outstanding care.
Stub was also preceded in death by two sisters, Doris Brown and Pearl Devenport and a daughter, Hope Elaine Froiland, on Aug. 9, 2005.
Funeral services were held on Tuesday, May 5, 2009, at the Thorson-Reetz Funeral Home in Viroqua, with Pastor Bill Busch officiating. Burial took place at Walnut Mound Cemetery, Retreat, rural De Soto. Honorary casket bearers were Ray Pederson, Don Pederson, Gerald Marks, Ronald Brudos, Don Rodda, Bob Sandy, Jerry Nelson, LaVon Crum and Gary Nummerdor. Casket bearers were Amy Froiland, Berent Froiland, Kevin Nelson, Jason Nelson, Jeff Nelson and Gary Robertson. Military Honors accorded by the De Soto V.F.W. Post No. 8123, Coon Valley American Legion Post 116 and the United States Army Honors Team. A visitation was held the evening prior at the funeral home and again prior to the service on Tuesday.
Blessed be his memory.
Wendelin C. Seidel
Wendelin C. Seidel, 84, of rural Viroqua, was called to his eternal rest Wednesday, April 29, 2009, at his home surrounded by his family.
He was born at home Feb. 28, 1925, to Frank and Alida (Johnson) Seidel in Vernon County. He was baptized and confirmed at the Lower Coon Valley Lutheran Church. Wendelin worked for Kramer for two years before farming became his life. He also drove school bus for the Viroqua School District for two years while farming. He married Margaret Mitchel on Sept. 29, 1951, at the Middle Coon Valley Lutheran Church. Together they farmed his home farm before moving to the current farm, where he lived the rest of his life. After retiring, he enjoyed woodworking and transporting Amish to town. He was a member of the Middle Coon Valley Lutheran Church and the NFO (National Farmers Organization). Wendelin enjoyed having a large family and spending time with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Survivors include his wife, Margaret; 10 children, Allen (Lucinda) of Richland Center, Raymond (friend Lisa) of Viro-qua, Kathy Peter-son of Vi-roqua, Doug-las (Patty) of Holmen, Cheryl (Mike) Rumppe of Sparta, Steven (friend Heather) of Viroqua, Marilyn Seidel of Soldiers Grove, Marion (Nick) Ligtenberg of Viroqua, Mark of Westby and Brian (Cathy) of Viroqua; 15 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; two step-great-grandchildren; one brother, Franklin (Lois) Seidel of Chaseburg; one sister, Arlene Jacobson of New Albin, Iowa, and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; one brother, Ferdinand; a great-granddaughter, Maria Dank and a son-in-law, Michael Peterson.
Funeral services were held Saturday, May 2, 2009, at the Middle Coon Valley Lutheran Church. The Rev. Dan Wollman officiated, with burial in the church cemetery. Friends called on Friday evening at the Seland Funeral Home in Coon Valley and at the church on Saturday until service time.
Burton F. Morris
Burton F. Morris, 83, of La Crescent, Minn., formerly lockmaster at Lock and Dam No. 7, passed away Sunday, May 3, 2009.
He was born on Feb. 28, 1926, in La Crosse, to Freeman and Gertrude (Alexander) Morris. On June 16, 1951, he married Joyce McLees in Stoddard, and they were married 57 years.
Burton served in the U.S. Navy from 1944-1946 and was a member of the La Crescent American Legion. He enjoyed a career with the US Army Corps of Engineers and served in various capacities, retiring in 1986 after 41 years of service. Thereafter, he enjoyed 20 plus years of traveling and watching his grandchildren grow.
He was a 46-year member of First Evangelical Lutheran Church of La Crescent, serving on the council and numerous committees. He was honored to be selected as the 1985 Riverfest Commodore, and most recently was privileged to be a member of La Crosse’s first Freedom Honor Flight.
Survivors include his wife, Joyce, of La Crescent, and their children, Scott (Sue) Morris of Whitehall, Wis., Julie (David) Bieneck of Colby, Wis., and Carolyn (Peter) Manz of Hatfield, Wis.; four grandchildren, Trevor Yeske of Marshfield, Wis., Derek Morris and Brock Morris of Whitehall, Wis., and Amber Bieneck of Colby, Wis.; two brothers-in-law, Ken (Judy) McLees of Viroqua and Gary (Kathy) McLees of Cashton, Wis.; five sisters-in-law, Irma McLees of La Crescent, Minn., Carol McLees of Viroqua, Sharon McLees of Genoa, Wis., Ethel (Tom) Frey of La Crescent, Minn., and Donna (John) Shepherd of Genoa, Wis.; and many nieces, nephews and extended family.
He was preceded in death by his parents, a brother, Jackie Morris and sister, Winifred McLees.
A memorial service was held on Wednesday, May 6, 2009, at First Evangelical Lutheran Church, 401 Main St., La Crescent. Pastor Paul Ibisch officiated. Burial was in Riverside Cemetery, Genoa. A visitation was held at the Schumacher-Kish Funeral Home of La Crescent, on Tuesday, May 5, 2009.
In lieu of flowers, memorials in Burton’s name are preferred.
