Charles "Charlie" M. Sopa, Jr.'s Obituary
Charles "Charlie" M. Sopa, Jr., age 76, passed away peacefully at his home on Wednesday, June 21, 2017 in Amherst, WI. He was born November 13, 1940 in Amherst, WI; son of Charles Sr. and Susan (Palash) Sopa. He attended rural Polley School, St. Mary of Mt. Carmel School, and graduated from Amherst High School in 1959. On June 8, 1968 Charlie married Janice Wysocki at St. Patrick Catholic Church, Town of Lanark. He lived his entire life on his Buena Vista family farm which he purchased in 1965. He farmed until his retirement in 2006. In his retirement, he continued to help his son, Bart, on the farm and remained living there. He also much enjoyed the summers operating pea and bean pickers for Del Monte until his health began to fail in 2014. He put up a strong fight against cancer.
Charlie, also known as Butch or Junior, did not have much time for anything beyond farming and his family. He was a 24/7 farmer. He also was a charter member in 1958 of the Portage Co NFO (National Farmers Organization). He sought to help organize farmers for "cost of production plus a reasonable profit". He enjoyed snowmobiling locally, riding the ATV for farming purposes, and riding his JD Gator. He loved polka music, the Packers and the Brewers. He most enjoyed his children and grandchildren at home, family events and their activities. He will be dearly missed by all of his loving family and many friends.
Charlie is survived by his wife, Janice Sopa of Amherst; five children, Charles III "Chuck" (Karen) Sopa, of Plover, Jill (Wallace) Nemeth of Plover, Kelly (fiancé, Javier Cipriano) Sopa of Stevens Point, Bart (Sarah) Sopa of Amherst, and Jolene (Ben Timdal) Sopa of Iola; eleven grandchildren, Brittany (Kip) Gutke of Almond, Tyler, Marissa and Kaitlyn Sopa of Plover, Haley and Hope Nemeth of Plover, Jazlyn Cipriano of Stevens Point, Xavier Cipriano of Wisconsin Rapids, Rebecca Hendrickson of Wisconsin Rapids, Rachel Kluver and Faith Sopa of Amherst; two great-grandchildren, Marley Gutke of Almond and Jayden Wallace of Wisconsin Rapids; three sisters, Lorraine Studinski of Stevens Point, Bernice (Steve) Haka of Plover, and Marian Donovan of Lodi; one brother-in-law, Ronald Kontney of Muskego; and one sister-in-law, Sharon Sopa of New Berlin. He is also survived by many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles Sr. and Susan Sopa; twin grandsons, Clayton James and Evan John Sopa; six brothers, Clarence, Harry (Phyllis), Myron (Maryann), Richard, Gregory (Joanne), and Donald Sopa; two sisters, Irene (Frank) Pogorzelski and Ernestine Kontney; and three brothers-in-law, Stanley Koziczkowski, Rhody Studinski, and George Donovan.
A Memorial Mass will be on Tuesday, June 27, 2017 at 11:00 AM at St. Mary of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church - Fancher. Father Dan Hackel will preside. A visitation will be held on Monday evening, June 26th, from 4:00 - 8:00 PM at the Jungers-Holly Funeral Home in Amherst with a Rosary Service to be at 7:30 PM. A visitation will also be held on Tuesday morning from 9:00 - 11:00 AM at the church. Burial of cremains will be at St. Mary of Mt. Carmel Catholic Cemetery following the Mass on Tuesday. The Jungers-Holly Funeral Home of Amherst is assisting the family with arrangements. In lieu of flowers memorial donations are encouraged.
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