All Obituaries

Martha "Marcy" LaBeause, 57, of Bangor, passed away peacefully Friday, Jan 1, 2021, at her home surrounded by family. She was born on September 7, 1963, in Waukegan, ILL. Marcy grew up in the Janesville, WI, area.  After graduation Marcy held many occupations like EMT, security guard and a jeweler with Sheppard Jewelers but the one she loved the most was being a mother. In 2006 she was diagnosed with stage 4 renal failure, which required dialysis.  During this time she...

     Raymond W. Bulthuis, 75, of Sparta, died Thursday, January 7, 2021 at his home.      A memorial service will be held at a later time and will be announced by Lanham-Schanhofer Funeral Home, Sparta. 

     Ernest “Ernie” C. Nicholas, 68, of Black River Falls and formerly of Sparta, died Wednesday, January 6, 2021. He was born November 3, 1952, to John and Dorothy (Franks) Nicholas in Sparta.      Ernie graduated from Sparta Senior High School in 1970. He worked at All American Lumber for 30 years.      Ernie married Barbara (Buswell) Nicholas in 1977 in Sparta. They moved to Black River Falls in 1990. He was a member of...

Marie Catherine (Schieffert) Wacker of Sparta, passed away on January 4, 2021 at the Morrow Home Nursing Home at the age of 96.  Marie was born on April 18, 1924 to Edward and Anna (Herr) Schieffert in Brown County, (Sleepy Eye) MN.  Marie grew up on a farm near Sleepy Eye, MN.  She married Louis H. Wacker on October 10, 1945 at St. Mary’s Church in Sleepy Eye.  After their marriage they farmed the Wacker family farm on St. Mary’s Ridge near Norwalk. ...

Paul G. “Smedley” Brandau, 65, of Sparta, passed away Saturday, January 2, 2021, at Gundersen Health System, La Crosee. Paul was born on June 6, 1955, to Harold “Dick” and Emogene (DeWitt) Brandau in Sparta, WI. Paul grew up in Wilton, WI and graduated from Royal High School in 1973. In 1974 Paul married the love of his life, Kristi Klein of Ontario, WI. In 1978, they moved to Sparta, where he was employed by Dutch Mill Farms. In 1983, Paul worked for Martin Trucking...

Verdell H. Langrehr, 76, of Westfield and formerly of Sparta and Ohio, died December 26, 2020, at his home. He was born on November 27, 1944, in La Crosse, WI. Verdell grew up on the family farm in the Sparta area and moved to Onalaska at an early age. Verdell worked for several different farms throughout the years; he worked at McDonald’s in Sparta and worked maintenance for a hotel in Michigan. Verdell loved his meat and potatoes, his coffee, and his cat. Verdell is survived by his...

     Randy L. Verken, 71, of Sparta, died Friday evening December 25, 2020, at Rolling Hills Rehabilitation Center, Sparta. He was born on September 4, 1949 to Erwin and Nancy (Hendersin) Verken in Sparta.      Randy grew up in Sparta. He married Joan Zebell. They later divorced. He was a farmer, handyman, and also worked at Northern Engraving for many years. He served in the US Army. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, puzzles, and watching MASH and western...

     Alice Mae Zwiefel, 90, of Sparta, WI passed on Monday, December 28, 2020 at RBI Care Facility, rural Sparta. She was born on March 3, 1930 to Jesse and Mittie (Lamb) Downing in Ontario, WI. In 1947, she was united in marriage to Elwin Zwiefel in Ontario, WI.      Alice was a cook at Fort McCoy State Patrol. She then worked at Northern Engraving in Sparta, WI where she retired in 1990. After retiring Alice and her husband spent the summer in Kewanee...

     Dale J. Stockel, 79, of La Crosse, died Sunday, December 20, 2020, at Hillview Health Care Center, La Crosse.      Dale was born in Portland Township, WI, to Valery and Alice (Haugen) Stockel on February 21, 1941. He attended West Portland School until grade 8. He moved to Sparta in 1954 and attended St. Patrick’s School. He graduated from Sparta High School in 1959. Dale worked at the Sparta Bakery. He served in the US Army and then Okinawa. He...

     Max “Dusty” D. Barenthin, 75, of Cataract, died Saturday, December 26, 2020 at Tomah Nursing and Rehab Center. He was born on July 11, 1945 in La Crosse, WI to Erwin and Austa (Erickson) Barenthin. He grew up in the Galesville and Trempealeau area.      After high school, Max joined the US Navy and served during the Vietnam War. When he was honorably discharged, he started his own carpentry business. His last job was as a caretaker for Little...