Marie Margaret (nee Kohlbeck) Wenzel, 100, of Stratford completed her earthly journey on June 28, 2023. Born June 3, 1923, to Joseph and Anna (Grall) Kohlbeck, she was the fourth of five children. She grew up on the family farm northeast of Hewitt in the Town of Marshfield. Marie attended St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Hewitt. Upon completion of her education, she first was employed as a domestic housekeeper and later at the Johnson Garment Factory in Marshfield.
Marie met the love of her life, Alfred L. Wenzel, through his brother, Leo, whom she had been dating. When Alfred joined the military service, they continued their courtship through letters and just on furlough. Alfred was so concerned that this pretty young lady would be taken from him that he sent Marie an engagement ring and proposed through the mail. She accepted and on May 29, 1946, six months after his honorable discharge from the Army, they were married at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Hewitt, a love story that lasted more than 69 years.
Following their marriage, Alfred and Marie farmed with his parents on an 80 acre dairy farm south of Stratford. When Louis and Anna moved to Stratford in 1948, Alfred and Marie purchased the farm where they continued to live until they retired and moved into a new ranch style home in Stratford in 1982. Their son, Dennis, rented the farm until the fall of 1984 at which time it was bought by Leick Farms, Inc.
Marie was a member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church Stratford, PCCW and the Rosary Altar Society. Her interests included gardening, cooking, baking, canning, playing cards, throwing darts, playing bingo and attending family athletic and academic activities. She was an avid Brewers fan. She enjoyed playing softball with the family, always hitting the ball for the kids to retrieve!
Her family thoroughly enjoyed her exceptional baking and cooking skills, often without the need of a recipe, especially her homemade bread, sweet rolls, doughnuts, cookies, pies, and everyone’s favorite, her Maple Nut Cake with penuche frosting. The basement shelves were lined with hundreds of quarts of canned goods every fall, and she was especially renowned for her sweet dill pickles.
Dad was known as a master story and joke teller, but Mom could hold her own in that category. Among some of her favorites were these: “What is in a honeymoon salad?” Answer: “Lettuce alone!” “What did the girdle say to the hat?” Answer: “You go on ahead; I’ll bring up the rear!” “What did the ceiling say to the wall?” (Dad’s answer): “I’ll meet you in the corner!” Mom outdid him with, “Hold me up. I’m plastered!”
After Dad’s passing on September 8, 2015, Mom continued to live in their home in Stratford until she could no longer carry on independently. In October 2017, she moved to an assisted living facility in Marshfield where she looked forward to almost daily visits from family, relatives and friends.
Marie’s 50 descendants include 8 children, 18 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren:
Dr. Edward Wenzel of Onalaska;
Richard (Judy) Wenzel of Rozellville and their two children, Jamie (Heather), Taya (AJ Schoenfuss), Daxtyn, Zayden and Kollyns of Hewitt, Julie (Matt) Schillinger of Rozellville and Macie of Eau Claire and Marah of Rozellville;
Mary Jean (Rodney) Passehl of Edgar, and their three children, Kelly (Chad) Erickson and Ashley and Preston, all of Edgar, Tracy (Christopher) Freund and Kayla and Dylan of Marathon, and Ryan (fiancée Karlin Stalder) and his son Trent, of McFarland;
Roseann (Forrest “Speedy”) Johnson and their three children, Patrick (Megan) and Averi and Mila, Michael (Kimberly) and Mason and Kennedi, and Kristi (Les) Ormond and Jackson and Jaegar, all of Stratford;
Dennis Wenzel of Stratford and his two sons, Ryan (Laura) and Jacob, Joel and Livia, of Machesney Park, IL, and Danny (Jodi) and Ellie and Henley of Stratford;
Karen (Terrance) Fischer of Marshfield and their two sons, Bradley (Lisa) of Neenah and Christopher of Marshfield;
Alice (Steven) Niehaus and their three children, Lisa (Bill) Frey, Benjamin (fiancée Ciara Heckel) and his children, Weston and Devyn all of Marshfield, and Chad (Hanna) of Brookfield;
Leon Wenzel of Medford and his three children, Matthew (fiancée Kayley Blaha) of Eau Claire, Brienna (fiancé Tyler Goltz) of Green Bay, and Cameron (fiancée Cayden Nuernberger) of Altoona.
Futhermore, Marie is survived by a sister, Margaret (late Edward) Grassl of Marshfield, sisters-in-law, Alice (late Sylvester) Fischer, of Marshfield, and Sr. Margaret Wenzel, FSPA, of LaCrosse, as well as many nieces and nephews. In addition to her husband, she was predeceased by a daughter, Carol Ann, in infancy in 1947 (a blue baby that lived for 5 days), one brother, Richard (Elsie), and two sisters, Helen (Lawrence) Strupp and Martha (Joseph) Steckler and in-laws, Raymond (Rose VandeLoo and Marie Mader Daul), Walter, Agnes (Victor Neuwirth and Peter Meyer), Marie (Ludwig) Grassl, Leo (Mildred Kurtzweil), Loretta (late Norman) Tritz, Sr Dorothy Wenzel, FSPA, and Donald (Rose) Wenzel.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 am on Monday, July 3, 2023, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church where a visitation will be held from 9:00 am until service time. St. Joseph’s Parish Council of Catholic Women will recite the rosary at 8:45 am. Fr. Sengole Vethamanickam will officiate. The service will be livestreamed online at www.facebook.com/rembsfuneralhomes. Burial will be in St. Joseph’s Cemetery, Town of Eau Pleine. The honor of serving as pallbearers belongs to her beloved granddaughters: Julie (Wenzel) Schillinger, Kelly (Passehl) Erickson, Tracy (Passehl) Freund, Kristi (Johnson) Ormond, Lisa (Niehaus) Frey and Brienna Wenzel.
In leu of flowers, the family will provide an opportunity for memorialization through donations at a later date in honor of their mother.
The family wishes to express their sincere gratitude to Father Sen and Mary Drexler for their compassionate visits, blessings, and invaluable end-of-life counsel.
The family also extends a heartfelt appreciation to the assisted living facilities that provided unwavering care for Marie. The staff at Promedica Hospice, including Miranda, Julie, and Donna, deserve special recognition for their kindness, professionalism, and outstanding service. Their unwavering dedication, exceptional caregiving skills, and genuine care brought immense comfort to Marie and her loved ones.
Online condolences may be sent by visiting www.rembsfh.com.
