Shirle
Rose Rothamer, 80, of Medford, town of Little Black resident died Friday, July
21, 2017 at Hospice House in Wausau, Wisconsin surrounded by all six of her
children and other loving family members.Shirle was born June 19, 1937 in Kennan, Wisconsin to Leo and Cleo Smrstick. She was the oldest of 6 children, 4 brothers and 1 sister. She lived in Kennan until 1947, when she moved to Vesper, and attended grade school, and middle school. In 1950, at the age of 13, she moved to Westboro, where she finished high school and graduated in 1955. She very much enjoyed school, especially history.
Shirle
met her husband Eugene “Gene” Rothamer, at a dance in Dorchester. They were married on October 8, 1955 at
Assumption of our Lady Church in Chelsea.
They lived in an apt. on Clark Street, in Medford until 1957 when they
moved to Reisch’s Farm, in Dorchester where they resided for two years. In 1959, they moved to Holy Rosary Parish where
Gene served as a custodian until 1963, when they bought their first home, a
dairy farm in Little Black. They farmed
for 37 years until they sold their dairy herd on July 1, 2000. In addition to
dairy farming, Shirle worked at the Ideal Café for many years.
Shirle
was a long time member of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church, and belonged to a homemakers
club for years. She took pride in keeping
a beautiful home for her family. She was
very creative and artistic. Her talents included sewing, cake decorating, Artex
paints, wall murals and a beautiful plaster wall sculpture of Scarlett O’Hara
and Rhett Butler from her favorite movie, “Gone with the Wind”. She loved square dancing with Gene and
rummage sales. She also had a passion for reading and M&M’s.
Their
children surprised them with a 25th anniversary celebration at the
VFW in Medford in 1980, and a 50th anniversary celebration in 2005
at Molitor’s Steak House where they arrived “in style” in a limo and were
greeted by family and friends. In June,
2017 Shirle celebrated her 80th birthday with a small gathering at
the family farm.
Shirle
and Gene enjoyed traveling with their kids. Their vacation travels included: Washington DC, South Dakota, Canada,
Colorado, and Florida (Disney World).
After
nearly 60 years together, Shirle lost her loving husband on September 18, 2015.
She was a devoted wife and mother, whose dedication to her family was her
greatest purpose in life. She will forever be missed and treasured dearly.
Shirle
is survived by her six children, Judith (the late Russell) Hosler of Owen, Victoria (Richard) Schaetzl of Athens, Pamela
Philipp of Wausau, Randall (Donna )
Rothamer of Glen Burnie MD, Ryan (Pam
Nelson) Rothamer of Medford, Melissa (Terry) Pernsteiner of Champlin
MN, 15 grandchildren and 15 great
grandchildren , 3 brothers, Leon (Elaine) Smrstick of Arpin, Gary (Ida)
Smrstick of Arpin, Gale Smrstick
of Arpin, and 1 sister, Sharon Lieble of
Marshfield. She is also survived by many
nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
In
addition to her husband, Shirle is preceded in death by 1 grandchild, Chad Rothamer, 1 brother, Kim
Smrstick, and 1 son-in-law, Russell Hosler.
Funeral
services for Shirle R Rothamer will be at 11:00 AM, Tuesday July 25th,
2017 at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Medford with Father Michael Hayden
officiating. Burial will take place in
Holy Rosary Catholic Cemetery, Medford.
Visitation will be held at Hemer Funeral Home on Monday July 24, 2017 from
4:00-7:00 PM with a Rosary Service at 7:00 PM.
Visitation will continue on Tuesday July 25 at 10:00 AM until the time of service
11:00 AM at the church.
Grandchildren
will serve as pallbearers: Nicholas and
Jacob Pernsteiner, Jacquelyn Schaetzl, Teneille Savka, Matthew Philipp, Amanda
Rothamer, Chelsea Rothamer, and Chrystal Schoenborn. Honorary pallbearers: Jennifer Tagg, Shauna
Rothamer, Samantha Pernsteiner, and Shalaya Rothamer.
In
lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Shirle’s family to be designated at a
later date.
The
family of Shirle would like to thank the staff at St Clairs Hospital and
Hospice House for their compassion and caring support.
Hemer
Funeral Service of Medford and Rib Lake has been entrusted with arrangements.
Online condolences can be left at www.hemerfuneralservice.com.
