Lillian Wilson's Obituary
Lillian (Windfeldt) Wilson, Buzz 94, went home to Jesus on Sat, Oct 30th, 2010 at Prairie Home Eldercare in Menasha, WI. She was born July 22, 1916 in Spirit, WI to John and Rose (Hertig) Windfeldt. When she was 3yrs old, her mother died in the 1919 flu epidemic. John re-married in 1923 to Martha Sternitzky, who was a loving mother to Lillian, her brother Lloyd and sisters, Velma and Mabel. In 1920 they moved to the Waupaca area, to what is now called Hartman's Creek State Park. Her father, John, was a buttermaker and cheesemaker by trade, so he purchased Spring Hill Creamery and sold his butter to the Wisconsin Veteran's Home in King, WI. He later bought a nearby farm and for many years combined dairying with the operation of 15 acres of apple orchards. John Windfeldt became well respected in central and northern Wisconsin for all the delicious varieties of apples he grew. Lillian loved sharing wonderful stories of growing up on the farm, which included picking a lot of apples. Lillian graduated from Waupaca High School in 1934 and married Gerald Wilson, Judd, on Jan 22, 1944, while he was home on leave from the Army during WW ll. They lived in Waupaca for the first few years and in 1954 moved back into the large, old Victorian farmhouse that she grew up in. The Windfeldt Farm was and still is considered home to our family and we love to bring each new generation there to share the beloved memories. Lillian's life was centered on her faith in Jesus Christ and her love of family and friends. She depended on the Lord, who gave her the quiet strength to take care of our dad through a lengthy illness. He loved and cherished her so very much. She looked forward to family get-togethers and enjoyed gathering information on family history. In 1977 she was fortunate to travel to Denmark where her father was born. Later that year, she saw a need in her grandson's school for someone to help tutor math skills and reading, so she became a teacher's aid. Her volunteer work grew into a job with Green Thumb as a school librarian. She loved working with children and remained there until her health caused her to retire. She continued to garden, growing beautiful flowers every summer. Her home was always open and occasionally her kids or grandkids would bring someone home who needed a place to stay for a while. They were always welcome, many called her grandma and some became like family. She shared her faith by love and example. Every morning and night if you passed by her room, you would see her reading her Bible and covering each of us in prayer. Lillian also had a heart for adventure. She loved airplanes and we always went by the EAA in Oshkosh to catch the airshow. For her 90th birthday, she wanted one last airplane ride, so her son, Jim, arranged a ride with Tim Buttles, a family friend. On a beautiful fall day, they went up in his Alaskan Bush plane. When they had flown a bit and came back in for a landing, one of the first things she said was that she wanted another ride next year! That was Mom! She will be greatly missed. Survivors include a Daughter: Cynthia (Michael) Zarter, Kimberly, WI; Son: James (Theresa) Wilson, Redgranite, WI; Grandchildren: Robert (Melissa) Hammond; Timothy Wilson; Michael Wilson; Michael (Janis) Zarter Jr.; Maggie Zarter; Great Grandchildren: Aleisha Hammond; Austin Hammond; Braeden Hammond; Sean Zarter; Great Great Granchild: Joseph Hammond. She was preceded in death by her parents John and Rose, her husband Gerald, two sisters Velma Pryse and Mabel D'Angelo, one brother John (Lloyd) Windfeldt and two nephews, Lenny and Alan D'Angelo. We wish to thank our Prairie Home family for lovingly taking care of our precious mom/grandma. We know you grew to love her too and that means so much to us. Thank you also to the lovely folks from Heartland Hospice. We felt Mom had a team of wonderful caregivers. We are grateful to her doctors at Affinity Medical Group who always took the time to listen and monitored medication that allowed her many years of quality time with us. Thank you to the pastors at Trinity Lutheran Church, who faithfully visited Mom over the years and to Pastor Chuck for helping us with the service. We also want to thank Matt and Mike at Holly's, who walked us through some unfamiliar territory. Your knowledge in answering all our questions and your kindness in working with us are so greatly appreciated. Funeral Services will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church in Waupaca at 2 PM on Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010, with Reverend Dr. Charles Tews officiating. Interment will be at Lakeside Memorial Park in Waupaca. Visitation will be held on Wednesday from 12:00 (Noon) until the time of the service at the church.
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