Shirley Kopitske, Bonduel… age 93, passed away on Sunday, June 4, 2023.  Shirley became a tree farmer with her husband, Virgil, starting in 1960.  Virgil served as WWOA’s President from 1999-2001.  Shirley served as Secretary and President of the WWOA Wolf River Chapter.  She was a committee member of two WWOA Annual Meeting planning committees. Her Shioc River Tree Farm was a member of the American Tree Farm System.

Funeral Services will be held on Friday, June 16, 2023 at 11AM at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 240 E. Green Bay St., Bonduel. Pastor Mark Palmer will officiate. Visitation will be held on Thursday, June 15 from 4-7PM at the Lewin Funeral Home, 210 W. Main St., Fremont and on Friday, at the church from 10AM until the time of service. Burial will be in Wolf River Cemetery, Fremont.

A memorial fund has been established for St. Paul Lutheran Church and School, Bonduel.

Patricia Burbach, La Crosse…age 81, died peacefully at her home on Tuesday, April 11, 2023, surrounded by her family, following a brave battle with cancer.  Patricia was wife of Dave Burbach, WWOA North Central Chapter chair and WWOA life member.

There will be a memorial Mass for Pat at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, April 28, 2023, at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 1333 13th St S, La Crosse, WI 54601 with the Reverend Rick Roberts officiating. A visitation will be from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday at Blaschke and Schneider Funeral Home, 1501 West Avenue South, La Crosse, WI 54601 and one hour prior to the Mass at the church. Burial will be in the Mormon Coulee Cemetery in La Crosse.

Originally from La Crosse, Patricia and Dave spent many years in Merrill while raising their children.  She was very proud of her role as administrative assistant for the UWEC School of Nursing at St. Joseph Hospital in Marshfield for nearly 20 years where she did much more than her title implies. Following her retirement, they moved back to La Crosse where Pat was able to enjoy her beloved Mississippi River.  She was a fun-loving grandma who enjoyed spending time with her grandkids joining in and watching many sword fights and nerf gun wars.

The family prefers memorials be directed to Catholic Charities for the Warming Center, Catholic Charities of La Crosse, Attn: Development, 3710 East Avenue South, La Crosse, WI 54601.

Harold Eichstadt, Oshkosh… age 106, peacefully passed away on Saturday, February 25, 2023.

He attend school through the 8th grade and was a self-taught, lifelong learner. Harold was very active in the community serving on numerous boards and committees. He loved spending time and having parties at the Winneconne cottage on Lake Poygan where he would entertain family and friends with his storytelling and jokes.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established for Ascension-Mercy Hospital, 500 S. Oakwood, Oshkosh, WI 54904.

Otto Waldbuesser, Menomonie…age 89, went home to his Lord on Friday, February 24, 2023. After living with congestive heart failure for over five years, Otto died at home surrounded by his loving family.

Otto’s focus his entire life was always on putting family first. His entire family –both immediate and extended– meant the world to him, and he was most satisfied with a day spent in their company whatever that may include. All of his other pursuits from hunting and fishing to traveling and piloting his Cessna 172–even tending to his treasured woodlands– took a backseat to his beloved family.

Memorial contributions may be made to Menomonie United Methodist Church (2703 Bongey Dr, Menomonie, WI 54751), Wisconsin Woodland Owners Association Inc., Forestry Leaders Scholarship Fund or a charitable organization of your choosing.

Robert “Bob” Fisher, La Crosse… passed away February 27, 2023, at his home.

He spent most of his professional career as a planner with the Mississippi River Regional Planning Commission in La Crosse, where he prepared harbor plans, bicycle trail plans, and land use plans for many local communities in a nine county area.  Bob served four terms on the Board of Directors of the Mississippi Valley Conservancy and placed his Genoa farm property in a Conservancy Easement with that organization.

In his later years Bob operated Nature’s Way, a tree and shrub care consultancy and tackled the Emerald Ash Borer Epidemic of the early 21st Century by being the first arborist company in La Crosse to inject trees with the appropriate insecticide. He was an International Society of Arboriculture Certified Arborist.

Charles “Chuck” Adleman, Luck… age 83, died February 12, 2023 at home in Luck, WI with family and friends by his side.  After teaching for 33 years in the Mound View School District, he retired to the land where his Swedish grandparents settled on Bone Lake near Luck, where he loved life in the woods.

Chuck was instrumental in getting the new Luck Museum and Library built and established as a source of local history. He was the President of the Luck Area Historical Society for 10 years. He also worked as a volunteer on the Ice Age Trail, in Polk County, for many years.  Each spring he was eager to make maple syrup and share it generously with others. Being at the lake with his children and grandchildren was a big part of his life.  A celebration of Chuck’s life will be held later this Spring.

Gary L. Krumenauer, Chippewa Falls…  age 72, died peacefully at his home under the care of St. Joseph’s Hospice on Friday, January 20, 2023.

Gary’s pastime passions were showing cattle, restoring tractors, and building hot rods. He and his daughter Emily traveled each year to Denver, Colorado, to show their award-winning Highland beef cattle. Over the years, they proudly won more blue ribbons than anyone else ever achieved! Gary also loved searching for old cars to buy, his most recent project was a 1956 Chevy Bel Air. Other pastimes that Gary enjoyed included hunting, fishing and farming. He loved the outdoors, exploring the woods, landscaping conservation projects, and traveling.

Gregory Potts, Hubertus…age 67, passed away on Thursday, December 8, 2022, while surrounded by his wife and two sons. Greg lived a life of generosity and had a deep love for nature.

Greg loved nothing more than spending time with his family. Greg was also a proud steward of the environment, dedicating himself with woodland management with his family’s land in central Wisconsin, growing and canning his own fruits and vegetables, and maintaining beehives at home.

In lieu of flowers, Greg requested that memorial donations be directed toward St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Natalie Witte, Madison … passed away on Thursday, November 3, 2022.  Natalie was wife of Ken Witte (deceased) an active, long-time WWOA member.   She was born in Menomonie and her parents took her home to the house she has lived in, visited or owned her entire life.  She was a registered nurse and was active in the Wisconsin Nurses Association and UW School of Nursing Alumni Association.  She enjoyed participating in a couple of Women of WWOA gatherings.  She greatly appreciated her natural surroundings and always wanted to learn more.

Service will be held at Roselawn cemetery in Madison, WI in the future.  Notice of the Memorial will be in the newspaper at that time.  In lieu of flowers, donations to the Madison Area Food Pantry Garden would be appreciated.

Carl Mueller, Onalaska…died in the arms of his Savior on Wednesday, October 19, 2022, from complications of cancer.

During his working years, he did research at UW-Madison, served as Assistant Superintendent at the Hancock Experimental Station, did research with Oconomowoc Canning Co. and was an instructor and head of the Agribusiness Department of Western WI  Technical College in LaCrosse, now Western Technical College.

Carl was appointed to fill a vacant position on the WWOA Board of Directors and he served in this role from 2002-2004. He served as the past President of WWOA’s local Chippewa Valley Chapter.  He also served as Chairman of the Wildlife Abatement Committee for LaCrosse County.

Memorials may be given to Good Shepard Lutheran Church, 1500 Sand Lake Road, Holmen, WI 54636 or Onalaska Food Basket, 735 Sand Lake Road, Onalaska, WI 54650 or Wisconsin Woodland Owners Association.