Lake Mills Leader

Charlotte C. Silvers, 73, Lake Mills, died peacefully on Monday, August 1, 2022 at her home. She was born on April 28, 1949 in Wyandotte, MI, the daughter of the late Teddy and Helen (Pacos) Makuch. Charlotte married Peter Silvers on November 6, 1976 at the St. Pauls Catholic Church in Madison. She was a graduate of Mercy College in Detroit, Michigan. She had been employed as a medical records administrator for the Jefferson County Human Services Department and the former Countryside home. Following retirement, the past 5 years she had worked at the Wisconsin Department of Revenue. Charlotte was a member of the St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Parish in Lake Mills and the American...

Christin Ann Rothbarth, 47, of Fort Atkinson, died unexpectedly on Tuesday, July 19, 2022, at the Fort Atkinson Hospital. She was born on April 3, 1975, in Florida, the daughter of the late Everette "Rocky" and Joyce (Kent) Rothbarth. She was a graduate of the Lake Mills High School, class of 1994. Christin had been employed by Opportunities, Inc in Fort Atkinson. She enjoyed participating in Special Olympics. Survivors include her aunts and uncles, Cheryl Gard of Lake Mills, Steven (Sherry) Voight, Kathleen (Sherman) Lawson, Julie (Todd) Ripp; cousins, other relatives and friends. Also preceded by her step-mother, Christine Voight Rothbarth. Memorial Graveside services will be held...

Sandra L. Zimmerman, Lake Mills, died on Saturday, July 16, 2022, at Rainbow Hospice Inpatient Center in Johnson Creek. She was born on July 31, 1941, in Waukesha, the daughter of the late Howard and Louise (Krause) Sands. She graduated from Deerfield High School in 1959. She met the love of her life, Donald L. Zimmerman through friends and married him at the Deerfield Lutheran Church on October 21, 1961. He preceded her in death on August 9, 2015. Her greatest Joy was her son Richard. From his young age she encouraged him in life by serving as Cub Scout Troop leader, encouraging his love of band, and his enjoyment of computers. Sandra expressed her love for family, friends, and...

George A. Cowell Sr., 75, Lake Mills, died on Friday, July 15, 2022 in his home. He was born on July 12, 1947 to the late William and Edna (Durant) Cowell in Sault St. Marie, Michigan. George married Nova Jean Fallstich on October 31, 1964 in St. Ignace, MI. She died on October 17, 2016. He was a proud member of the United States Military. He was in the Army from 1964-1987. He served in Vietnam in 1970-1971. George truly enjoyed spending time with his family. He also liked to go hunting and fishing. He is survived by his children, Jean Cowell, Kelly (Art) Kore, Bill (Becky) Cowell; 8 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren; sisters Kay Bazinau and Florence Cowell; other relatives and...

Gerald "Jerry" White, 91, passed away on July 10, 2022. He was born on June 29, 1931 in Marshall WI to Ora and Evelyn White and was raised on a farm in the town of York where he attended grade school. He attended Waterloo High School where he started his music career playing in the High School band. After graduating from high school, he managed the home farm until entering the University of Wisconsin School of Music. He began playing in local dance bands in 1949, playing with Gib Untz, Kenny Plotz and Jimmy Hartwig. He married Ellen Topel of Lake Mills in 1955. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin with a degree of Bachelor of Music Education in 1958, he began teaching in the...

Erdman "Chip" Gerstner, 81, of Lake Mills, passed away on June 28, 2022. He was born on January 10, 1941, son of the late Erdman and Eleanor Gerstner. He was a graduate of Cambridge High School, Class of 1959 Chip married Joyce Kasten of Lake Mills on November 5, 1966, she died in 2008. He was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church and the American Legion. Chip enjoyed sports, especially bowling, going to flea markets and fishing. He is survived by his children, Todd Gerstner, and Cathie (Charles) Newman; two grandchildren Nicole and Ryan Newman; one sister Ruth Ann Perry; other relatives and friends. Also preceded in death by a son, Travis in 1992. A celebration of life will be held at...

LAKE MILLS - Martin David Miller, age 58, passed away at his home in Madison on Monday, June 20, 2022. Martin was born July 14 in Corvallis OR the son of Gerald, Sr., and Sharon (Sanders) Miller. He had lived in Oregon, Arizona, and Iowa during his youth. Martin moved to Lake Mills with his parents and attended Lake Mills schools, graduating High School with the class of 1981. Martin was a proud retired veteran of the U.S. Army serving two tours in Korea and other duty stations in the United States. He was the much loved son of Gerald, Sr and Sharon; brother of Julie (Jeff) Kube of Watertown, and Gerald F Miller Jr, deceased. At Martin's request, there will be no formal services. A Private...

Beverly J. Spoehr, 79, of Watertown, passed away at Sylvan Crossings at Hunter Ridge, in Beaver Dam, on June 15, 2022. A Memorial Service will be held on Monday June 27, 2022 at 11:00 am at Hafemeister Funeral Home in Watertown, with Rev. Lance Hoff officiating. Relatives and friends may gather at the Hafemeister Funeral Home in Watertown from 10:00 am until the time of the service. Burial will follow at Glenview Memorial Gardens in Ixonia. Hafemeister Funeral Home and Cremation Service of Watertown is serving the family. Online condolences may be made at www.hafemeisterfh.com. Beverly Jean Spoehr was born on August 14, 1942, the daughter of Elmer and Helen (Lenius) Kube. She married...

Helen (Harrison) Nehring, 86, Watertown, formerly of Lake Mills, died on Thursday, June 2, 2022. She was born on October 24, 1935, in Mt. Horeb, WI. Helen married Ellery "Bud" Nehring on July 26, 1958. He died in 2009. She is survived by her children, Laura (Keith) Rosenthal, Pam (Steve) Radloff, Paul (Karen) Nehring, Scott Nehring, Tracy (James Hildebrandt) Nehring; grandchildren, Hannah Rosenthal, Miranda (Anthony) Schmidt, Michael (Sam Phillips) Radloff, Mitchell Nehring, Cole Nehring, Jacob Nehring, Andrew Nehring, Evelyn Nehring, Ben Hildebrandt, Lydia Hildebrandt, Sara Hildebrandt; one great-granddaughter Stella Schmidt; other relatives and friends. She was also preceded in death...

On Friday, May 27th, Bob Walrath, loving husband and father of two children, passed away peacefully at the age of 76 after a long battle with Lewy Body Dementia. And for the record, Bob did not lose his battle with Lewy Body Dementia. When he died, the Lewy Body Dementia died, so technically it was a tie! Bob fought valiantly until the end. Bob was born on April 14, 1946 in Beloit, Wisconsin to the late Don and Betty (Elsom) Walrath. He graduated from Beloit Memorial High School in 1964 and then obtained a degree in Economics from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Following a 6 year service in the Army Reserve, Bob dedicated over 30 years working within the Unemployment...

Shirley Ann Haglund passed away on May 13th 2022. She was born on June 1st, 1929. Back then, her name was Shirley Anne Hraha...her mother's name was Ann. She met Ev Haglund at Bethany Bible School in Mount Greenwood (now a suburb of Chicago). When he carried his violin to take lessons, she would tease him. They were married on September 4th, 1948. They had 3 children and moved to Lake Mills. The world has never been the same. Once the kids left the "nest" she became a charter member of the Volunteer Emergency Service, devoting many long hours to be certified. As an EMT, she would be "on call" (usually as crew chief) to respond quickly to all kinds of medical emergencies and accident...

Will Charles Forward, Lake Mills, son of John and Beth Forward. Born March 3rd, 1993 and died May 8th, 2022. Will was best at being a good friend. He had a kind heart and a great smile. If you needed something he was willing to help. In his short life he was troubled by his addiction to drugs and alcohol. It changed this kind man into a person people did not want to be around. Eventually his addiction became stronger than he could handle, taking his life in 2022 at the age of 29. In his life he struggled constantly with depression, which he tried to relieve by doing drugs. To anyone who cares, drugs will kill you. In remembrance of Will Charles Forward, please do not do drugs. He is...

Charlene Rindfleisch Powers, 67, of Ft. Atkinson, Wis., died Tuesday May 3 at University of Wisconsin Hospitals in Madison, Wis. She was being treated for throat and tonsil cancer. Known by her friends and family as Char, she was born on Jan. 26, 1955, in Watertown, Wis. to Howard and Lydia (Drews) Rindfleisch. Char grew up in Lake Mills, Wis., and attended schools there. She graduated from Lake Mills High School in 1973. Char worked at restaurants and convenience stores and was employed at Hamlin in Lake Mills for 20 years until the business closed. She was a hard worker and took pride in quality work. As a young woman she married and later divorced. The last nine years were...

Lois D. Johnson, age 87, passed away on Thursday, April 21, 2022 at her home. She was born on March 29, 1935 in Milwaukee to Madeline M. (Jacob) and Carl O. Prahl. Lois went to high school in Milwaukee where she met the love of her life, Aaron R. Johnson. They were married on January 16, 1955 in Milwaukee and enjoyed 66 years together. In 1969, Lois and Aaron moved to Lake Mills where they started a farming business. Lois was above all things, a loving mother and wife. She was a great cook - her granddaughters said, "Grandma Lois made the world's best pancakes, with crispy, buttery edges!" And she enjoyed going out to good restaurants. She loved all kinds of music (especially Frank...

Marvin "Mike" E. Latsch, 90, of Port Washington, formerly of Lake Mills passed away peacefully on Thursday, April 14, 2022 at his home surrounded by his loving family. Mike was born on October 5, 1931 in Watertown, the son of Charles and Viola (Freeman) Latsch Jr. He married the love of his life Mary Menzel on May 31, 1949 in Dubuque, IA and the couple enjoyed 72 years of marriage. In his younger days he enjoyed playing baseball, fishing, and hunting, especially deer hunting, in the Beans Lake area. He was a former Boy Scout leader for many years; he enjoyed the outdoors and camping. Above all he enjoyed spending time with his family and friends. Mike is survived by his wife, children...

Terry passed away peacefully in his sleep from a massive stroke at the young age of 35. Terry's genuine smile, fun antics and contagious laugh will be missed by everyone who was blessed to know him. Terry's children were the light of his life. He was the infamous middle child and always knew how to be noticed with jokes and wit. Terry grew up in Waterloo and graduated high school in 2005. He attended Bay de Noc College in Michigan. Terry loved and excelled in all sports; but wrestling was his favorite. Terry had many friends who consider him a brother. He cherished his friendship with Blake, Seth, Hunter, Jake, Aaron, Austin, Dan, Duane, Danny, but everyone held a special place in his heart....

James E. Jacobsen, 76 of Waterloo, passed away on Friday, April 8, 2022, at St. Mary's Hospital of Madison. Jim was born June 14, 1945, in Racine, WI, the son of Leslie and Mae (Nielsen) Jacobsen. He graduated from Horlick High School in Racine in 1964. Jim also earned an associate degree from Gateway Technical in 1966. He served his country for two years in the Army as a medic in Vietnam. Jim later returned to school, graduating from UW Platteville in 1979 with a degree in Building Design. He worked designing skylights and most recently as a cabinet maker/CNC operator with Auburn Ridge in Marshall, WI. In late June of 1992, Jim was united in marriage with Alida Rompelman. In his free...

Andrew Bork Anderson "Andy", 85, of Lake Mills, WI, passed away peacefully on April 4, 2022. His loving wife Wendy and brother Nolan were by his side. Andy was born on May 20, 1936 in Springfield, WI to Arnie B. and Esther (Bork) Anderson. He served as a teletype technician in the US Army, in Japan and Washington DC. While in Japan he married Sueko Kojima. After separation from the Army, he worked for Barber Coleman Co and retired in the early 90's. He was also an active member of the Moose Lodge. He later settled in Lake Mills, WI where he met and married Wendy Ruebenbauer. Andy is survived by his wife Wendy, Sister-in-law Louise Anderson, brothers Donald, Halvor (Sarah), and Nolan...

Marjorie Ann (Negus) Johnston, 81, loving wife of Glenn Johnston, passed away in her sleep on April 3, 2022, at Lilac Springs Assisted Living Community. Marge was born September 15, 1940, in Clinton, Iowa, to Paul and Helen (Dermody) Negus. The family moved to Watertown, Wis., in 1949, where Marge attended St. Bernard's Elementary School and Watertown High School. Upon graduation in 1958, Marge started her work career, holding a variety of positions before retiring in 2001 from Orbis Corp., having worked in sales and marketing. Marge loved participating in a variety of activities throughout her life, including bridge club, Jazzercise, golf, and travel across the country with her husband...

Joyce H. Mortensen, age 83, of Lake Mills (Reedsburg), WI, passed away on Monday, March, 28, 2022. She was born on Nov. 20, 1938, in Hillpoint, Wis., the daughter of Chancey and Louise (Friede) Mylrea. Joyce graduated from Reedsburg High School with the class of 1956. She lived in Reedsburg for over 50 years working at Hankscraft Corp for the most of her career, retiring in 2001. Joyce was united in marriage to Harry Mortensen on Feb. 16, 1957, in Reedsburg. They were blessed with four children, Dan, Marv, Gary and Ron. Joyce was a devoted wife and mother, talking fondly of her grand-kids and great grand-kids. She enjoyed cooking, cards, family, friends, and food. She was preceded in...

Zaeske, Kim Longtime resident of East Troy, found eternal peace Sunday, March 27, 2022 surrounded by her loving family at the age of 55yrs. She was born in June of 1966 to her parents: Raymond and Carol (nee Weinberger) Brey at St. Joseph's hospital in Milwaukee. Kim was raised in the Muskego area and is a graduate of Muskego HS. She married her husband Dan Zaeske August 27, 1988 at St. Leonard's, in Muskego. East Troy has been their home, where they raised their 4 children. Kim worked for numerous local businesses throughout her years: Citizens Bank, Alpine Valley, East Troy Community Schools and very near and dear to her heart, Booth Lake Memorial Park. Kim found pleasure in reading,...