The Rhinelander Daily News - Online news and information for the Rhinelander, Wisconsin region

James Lloyd Drake

James Lloyd Drake, age 69, of Laona, passed away unexpectedly at his home on Saturday, August 4, 2007. James was born in Laona on November 28, 1937 the son of Carter C. and Marie (Spencer) Drake.

After graduation in 1957, Jim joined the U.S. Marines Corps. serving for three years. After receiving an honorable discharge he returned to Wisconsin and settled in Kenosha where he worked for American Motors. In 1969, he moved to Plymouth where he worked for Borden Dairy Corporation. He was married to Joann Bingham for several years. After his retirement in 1981 he moved back to Laona. Recently he has lived with his mother whom he helped get around. He loved the outdoors especially hunting and fishing. He had a sense of humor and loved to tease his siblings.

He is survived by his mother, Marie Drake of Laona; daughter, Laura (Rodney) Holcomb of Montana; son, James C (Kimberly) Drake of Clintonville; sisters, Mary Sue (Dennis) Cantrall of Hubertus and Nila Fay Drake of Milwaukee; six grandchildren, Nicholas, Stephanie, Cody, Cory, Angel and Michael; and one great-grandchild.

He is further survived by nieces, nephews and special great-nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his father, Carter; sister, Linda; and brother, Doug.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, August 9 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at the Weber-Hill Funeral Home in Crandon. Funeral services will follow at 11:30 with Rev. Stella Sowder officiating. Interment will be at the Laona Cemetery.

Lawrence George Blasius Sr.

Lawrence George Blasius, Sr., age 90 of Crandon, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, August 1, 2007 at the AGI Health Care Center in Crandon. Lawrence was born in Plain on December 29, 1916 the son of the late Bernard and Mary (Mick) Blasius.

Lawrence served in the U.S. Army during WWII as a Staff Sgt. in Company I 310th Infantry Regiment Division. Lawrence fought during the Battle of the Bulge and was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

He moved from Round Lake, Ill., to Crandon 13 years ago.

He is survived by his wife, Donna Blasius of Crandon; son, Larry (Angela) Blasius of Crandon; sister-in-law, Lucille Blasius of Grace Lake, Ill.; and two grandchildren.

In addition to his parents, Bernard and Mary, he is also preceded in death by five brothers and one sister.

Graveside services were held on Friday, August 3 at 10 a.m. at Crandon Lakeside Cemetery with Pastor Bill Farr officiating. Weber-Hill Funeral Home in Crandon, 715-478-2322, assisted the family.

Florence “Florrie” Wilber Collins

Florence “Florrie” Wilber Collins, age 105, of Laona, joined her husband Elmer in eternal life and the peace of God on Wednesday, August 1, while a patient at Cherry Meadows Hospice Center in Appleton, surrounded by her granddaughters. Florence was born in the Town of Howe on December 10, 1901 the daughter of the late Frank Russel and Rosa (Prinz) Wilber.

Florrie grew up in the Neopit area and moved to Laona when she was 15. In 1918, she married Elmer Collins. He preceded her in death on October 6, 1975. During her lifetime she considered being a wife and mother her most important vocation. She also worked for other people in the community as a seamstress, housekeeper, laundress and nanny. The people she worked for considered her part of their families and the feeling was mutual. All the children called her Grandma and she would have it no other way. She was a substitute for custodial at Laona School District until she was 83 years old.

Besides being a much sought-after seamstress, Florence made clothes for her own children and grandchildren, designing her own patterns and was especially skilled at taking adult clothing and cutting them down to fit children. She loved to knit and crochet and every Christmas everyone received a new pair of mittens or slippers with their homemade pajamas. She was an excellent cook, baker and maker of canned goods from her own garden.

Her specialty was her home baked bread and all looked forward to her “Hounds Ears” (fried bread dough). Her greatest joy was her family and she loved being surrounded by them, the more the better. While raising her family, her door was always open to anyone in need whether or family or stranger. She was always a loving and giving person that extended to animals, tame and wild. Florence lived through many changes in her lifetime and had many stories to share of the “old days” from horse drawn wagons to model T cars and rocket ships to the moon. She experienced earthquakes and forest fires in California and found them exciting. She loved to travel and visit her many family members. Florence loved music, and taught her love of music to her family. All family gatherings ended in a songfest. She especially loved the old hymns and even sang them with her granddaughters from her hospital bed. Grandma never said good-bye, just “So Long,” and that’s all we are saying now. Not good-bye, just “So Long” until we meet again.

She is survived by daughter, Elaine Clouse of Milwaukee; son, Terry (Judy) Collins of Wabeno; daughter-in-law, Marge Collins of Laona; grandchildren, Pam (David) Deeds of Brown Deer, Gary (Chery) Clouse of Milwaukee, Sue (Leigh) Clouse of Milwaukee, Theresa (Tom) Balistreri of West Bend, Lana (Steve) Palowski of Menasha, Elaine (Denny) Cotherman of Menesha, Francie (Jim) Gilligan of Laona, Barbara (Pete) Moore of Neenah, Tim (Mitzi) Whitens of Menasha, Jean (Steve) Mertens of Laona, Sandy (John) Neddo of Laona, Darlene (Bill) Dault of Milwaukee, Debby (Joe) Postl of Germantown, Bob (Karen) Collins of Laona, Rory (Janet) Collins of Brownsburg, Ind., Cary Collins of Laona and Melissa (Jeff) Yunkers of Rhinelander; 33 great-grandchildren and 32 great-great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Elmer; son, Loyal; daughter, Jovelet; grandson, Michael; sons-in-law, Raymond and Jerry; grandson-in-law, Richie; sisters, Marie, Gertie and Suzie; brothers, John, Ervin and “Durf,” “Skinny” and Howard.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, August 9 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Weber-Hill Funeral Home in Crandon (715) 478-2322. Funeral services will be held on Friday, August 10 at 10 a.m. at the funeral home with her nephew, Pastor Travis Graf officiating. Interment will be at the Laona Cemetery.

Christopher L. Stauber

Christopher L. Stauber, age 24, of Marshfield, died on Sunday, August 5, 2007 in the Town of Fremont as the result of a motorcycle accident.

Chris was born on March 25, 1983 in Marshfield, the son of Steven and Julianne (Cleereman) Stauber. He was a 2001 graduate of Marshfield Senior High School and a 2003 graduate of Mid State Technical College in Wisconsin Rapids.

Chris was a wonderful son, brother and friend. Chris lived life to its fullest. He made the most of every day. He loved spending time with his family and friends and was always there for anyone who needed help. He loved spending time “up north” with his grandparents where he enjoyed hunting with his uncles and cousins. He was very proud of his gun collection. Chris was dedicated and hardworking. He took great pride in his work at A & B Process Systems.

He is survived by his parents, Steve and Juli Stauber and three brothers, Nick, Joe and Steve Stauber, Jr., all of Marshfield. He is also survived by his maternal grandparents, Robert and Joan Cleereman of Newald and his paternal grandparents, Norbert and Lucille Stauber of Laona. He is further survived by several aunts, uncles and cousins.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Thursday, August 9, 2007 at 10:30 a.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Marshfield. Rev. Peter Manickam will officiate. The visitation will be held on Wednesday from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. at Rembs / Kundinger Funeral Home in Marshfield and on Thursday from 9:30 a.m. until service time at Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

Condolences may be sent on-line to www.rembsfh.com.

Richard Schaumann

Richard Schaumann, 88, long-time resident of Armstrong Creek, died Friday, August 3, 2007, at Dickinson Memorial Hospital in Iron Mountain, Mich. Born August 29, 1918 in Goodman, the son of John and Augusta (Brozio) Schaumann, he lived in the Goodman / Armstrong Creek area all his life.

On January 3, 1939, he married the former Evelyn McLain in Fence. She preceded him in death on October 15, 1990. He retired as a logging supervisor from the Goodman Mill. His hobbies included fishing, hunting, trapping, woodworking and gardening.

He is survived by two sons, Robert (Carma) of Armstrong Creek, Lee (Arlean) of Fence; one daughter, Janis (Robert) Nelson of Fence; 10 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and a sister, Helen Sternhagen of Casa Grande, Ariz.

In addition to his wife and parents, he was preceded in death by his son, Stewart; his brother, Walter; and his grandson, Francis.

Visitation was held at Fence Bible Church Monday, August 6, 2007, from 9 to 11 a.m. The funeral service followed at 11 a.m. with Pastor Tim Smith officiating. Burial is in the Hillside Cemetery in Fence.

Messar Funeral Home of Wausaukee assisted the family with arrangements.

Lester Carl Clifford Borgwardt

Lester Carl Clifford Borgwardt, 78, of Pickerel died July 30 at Langlade Memorial Hospital in Antigo.

Mr. Borgwardt was born in Milwaukee to the late Harold and Ruth Borgwardt January 5, 1929. He attended Mt. Zion Lutheran Parochial School and Hillcrest School in Greenfield. He served in the US Marine Corp from 1946 to 1949. After military service he worked at Wisconsin Electric Power Co. as a truck driver. In September of 1950, he was recalled by the Marine Corps Reserves to Camp LeJune, NC until October 1951. He retired from Wisconsin Electric Power Company in February 1991 as a line foreman. During fair weeks, he worked at State Fair Park for a number of years.

On June 10, 1950, he married Dolores E. Knutson at Mt. Zion Lutheran Church in Greenfield. In September 1991 they moved to Pickerel where he enjoyed fishing and hunting. He took up wood working and welding in his retirement years. He was a member of the Tombstone-Pickerel Snowmobile club and enjoyed watching the birds and animals. He volunteered with weed harvest and aeration programs on Pickerel Lake.

Mr. Borgwardt is survived by his wife; daughters, Diane Borgwardt of New Berlin and Dawn Borgwardt of Black River Falls; sons, Gary (Kay) of Waterford, Greg of Hixton, Duane (Donna) of West Allis, and Dean of Black River Falls; grandchildren, Kelly (Michael), Ryan (Maggie), Troy, Kaitlin, Kira, Mara, Ashley and Anna Marie; and great-grandchildren, Michael and Lance. He is also survived by brothers, Harvey and Norbert (Darlene); sisters, Shirley Mueller and Joyce (Harvey) Luther; brother-in-law, Keith Knutson; God children, Lori Mueller and Bradley Arrowood and many nieces, nephews and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents; grandparents; sister, Gayle; great-grandson, Darian; and aunts and uncles.

Respecting his wish of cremation there will be no funeral. A brief interment service given by Rebecca J. Hosteler, M.Div. was at 2 p.m. Saturday, August 4 at Sechlerville Cemetery (Hixton Township) near Black River Falls. The cemetery is located on Sechlerville Rd just south of Highway 95.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donations in his name to Pickerel Fire & Rescue Squad, N9062 State Rd 55, Pickerel, WI 54465; Adoptive Sportsmen, Inc., 8727 W. Coldspring Rd, Greenfield, WI 53228 or a charity of your choice.

Strasser-Roller Funeral Home in Antigo assisted the family, (715) 623-6799.

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