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Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com

Published - Saturday, May 10, 2008

Obituaries for Saturday, May 10, 2008

By Tribune staff

Sophie M. Arceo

WEST SALEM, Wis. — Sophie M. Arceo, 92, of West Salem and formerly of Chicago died Friday, May 9, 2008, at Mulder Health Care Facility in West Salem. Funeral services will be at 1:30 p.m. Monday at St. Adalbert Cemetery in Niles, Ill. Torkelson Page-Smith Funeral Home of Sparta, Wis., is assisting the family. Online condolences are available at www.torkelsonfuneralhome.com.

Arra Agnes Brenengen

TREMPEALEAU, Wis. — Arra Agnes Brenengen, 92, of Trempealeau died Thursday, May 8, 2008, at Marinuka Manor, Galesville, Wis. Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday in Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, Tremp-ealeau. Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery, Center-ville, Wis. Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday and from noon until the time of services Tuesday, both at the church. Zwickey Funeral Homes, Galesville Chapel, is assisting the family.

Shirley Fruechte

ELKO, Minn./WESTBY, Wis. — Shirley Fruechte, 80, of Elko and formerly of Westby died Wednesday, May 7, 2008, in Elko. Funeral services will be at 9 a.m. Friday at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Westby. Burial will be in Coon Prairie Cemetery, rural Westby. Friends may call from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Vosseteig Funeral Home, Westby, where there will be an 8:30 p.m. Eastern Star service, and from 8 a.m. until the time of services Friday at the church. A memorial service will be held in Eden Prairie, Minn., on Monday. A complete obituary will follow. Online condolences may be offered at www.vosseteigfuneralhomes.com.

Helen Leary Greenslet

MADISON — Helen Leary Greenslet, 94, died Thursday, May 8, 2008, at St. Mary’s Care Center, Madison.

She was born March 24, 1914, to Dr. Daniel Leary and Mae Dinsdale in Soldiers Grove, Wis. She was raised in Soldiers Grove, graduating from Soldiers Grove High School in 1932, and attended St. Mary’s School of Nursing in Madison, graduating in 1935 with a degree in nursing.

She married Milton Greenslet on Aug. 15, 1936, in St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Gays Mills, Wis. Milton preceded her in death in February 1984.

Helen worked all of her adult life in the field of nursing, first at St. Mary’s Hospital and then at the Dean Clinic, both in Madison. She did private duty nursing while at St. Mary’s Hospital, retiring in 1984. After retiring, she continued working as a volunteer for St. Mary’s Hospital and St. Mary’s Care Center. She was a member of Queen of Peace Catholic Church, St. Mary’s Auxiliary, the Catholic Woman’s Club and the Elks Club. She enjoyed playing cards with her friends and traveling. Many lives were touched by Helen during her lifetime.

She is survived by her brother, John R. Leary (Patricia) of Haslett, Mich.; sister-in-law, Marcella Leary of Viroqua, Wis.; (her brother, Dr. James D. Leary, preceded her in death in 2005). Surviving nieces and nephews include, Jane (Charles) Petit of Park Ridge, Ill., Susan (Luke) Koon of Tallahassee, Fla., Joseph (Tina) Leary of Decatur, Mich., James D. (Marcia) Leary of Gainesville, Fla., Julie (Frank) Vogl of Minneapolis, Brian (Darlene) Leary of Sacramento, Calif., Linda (Gary) Bowman of Fredericktown, Ohio, Patrick Leary of Gainesville and James Leary of Rochester, N.Y.

She will be greatly missed and fondly remembered by her family and good friends.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Mary’s Hospital, Madison, St. Mary’s Care Center, Madison, or the Apostolate to the Handicapped, Monroe, Wis.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church, 405 S. Owen Drive, Madison, on Tuesday, May 13, at 3:30 p.m. The Rev. Todd Van Natta will preside. Burial will be in Resurrection Cemetery. A visitation will be held from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the church on Tuesday.

Joyce-Ryan Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 5701 Odana Road, Madison (608-274-1000) is assisting the family. www.ryanfuneralservice.com.

Audrey Helen (Williams) Kinsey

VIOLA, Wis. — Audrey Helen (Williams) Kinsey, 96, of Viola died Friday, May 9, 2008, at Vernon Manor Nursing Home in Viroqua. Funeral services are pending and will be announced by Vosseteig Funeral Home’s Henthorn Memorial Center in Viola.

Nelda Amanda (Lamb) Marquardt

WYEVILLE, Wis. — Nelda Amanda (Lamb) Marquardt, 73, of Wyeville died Thursday, May 8, 2008, in her home. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Torkelson Funeral Home, Tomah, Wis. Burial will be in Pine Grove Cemetery, Mather, Wis. Family and friends may call from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday at the funeral home and from 10 a.m. until the time of services Tuesday at the funeral home. Online condolences are available at www. torkelsonfuneralhome.com.

Anne Elizabeth Poehling

Anne Elizabeth Poehling, 93, of La Crosse died Friday, May 9, 2008, in her home.

Anne was born in Dubuque, Iowa, to Catherine Agnes (Moore) and Harvey Lawrence Schwartz on Aug. 4, 1914. She graduated from Clarke College, in Dubuque on June 3, 1937. After a year of laboratory technology internship at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, Calif., she returned to Finley Hospital in Dubuque and worked in the laboratory. On Oct. 3, 1939, she married Gerhard George Poehling at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Dubuque. She set aside her own career to make her home in La Crosse raising her children, caring for her mother and supporting Gary in his management of La Crosse Plumbing Supply (now First Supply LLC). She and Gary shared 61 years together.

Anne was active in the La Crosse community serving as president of the AAUW, Catholic Women’s League and Diocesan Council of Catholic Women. She was a member of Blessed Sacrament Parish since 1939. Anne remained active in the Dialogue Group, a woman’s interfaith ecumenical discussion group, since its founding in 1967. Her activities focused on her love of church, family and education.

Her children include Cathy (Ed) Felten of Phoenix; Dr. Gary (Sandy) Poehling of Winston-Salem, N.C., Bob Poehling of La Crosse, Nancy (Tim) Haggerty of La Crosse, Jim (Xenika) Poehling of Coon Valley, Wis., Mary (Dave) Prahler of La Crosse, John (Dixie) Poehling of Madison and Joe (Kate) Poehling of La Crosse. She is also survived by 19 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Gary Poehling; and her three brothers, Ed, Ray and Emmett Schwartz.

A funeral Mass will be held at 1:30 p.m. today in Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, 130 Losey Blvd. S., La Crosse. Monsignor Bernard McGarty will officiate, and the Rev. David Olson will concelebrate. Entombment will be held in the St. Francis of Assisi Mausoleum, in Catholic Cemetery La Crosse. Family and friends may call from 11:30 a.m. until the time of Mass in the church today.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers memorials may be given to the St. Clare Health Mission, 916 Ferry St., La Crosse, WI; the Boys and Girls Club of La Crosse, WI, 1331 Clinton St.; Aquinas Schools Foundation, 521 13th St. S.; or the American Supply Association Foundation, 222 Merchandise Mart, Suit 1360, Chicago, IL, 60654.

Blaschke and Schneider Funeral Homes are assisting with the arrangements.

Elmer J. ‘Mort’ Prigge

DAKOTA, Minn. — Elmer J. “Mort” Prigge, 78, of Dakota died Wednesday, May 7, 2008, at Golden Living Care Center in La Crescent, Minn., with his family by his side.

Mort was born Feb. 17, 1930, in Winona, Minn., the son of Philip and Amanda (Ellinghuysen) Prigge. He married Lois L. Davis on May 1, 1954.

He honorably served his country in the United States Navy from 1948 to 1952, and especially enjoyed his time in the Mediterranean Sea. Mort worked on the railroad and retired from the Ironworker’s Union No. 512. He was a member of St. Martin’s Evangelical Lutheran Church and the VFW Club.

In his younger years, Mort was an avid fisherman and loved to hunt. His family was very important to him, and he always enjoyed family gatherings, especially the picnics at Merrick State Park.

Mort is survived by his former wife, Lois Prigge; children, Kathi (Bob) Blank, Debbie (Dave) Raudebush, Bonnie (Carl) Ask, JoAnn (Jeff) Demorest, Melinda (Vince Ristow) Prigge, Paul Prigge and Pamela (Ricky) Phillips; 14 grandkids; 10 great-grandkids; sisters, Mildred Palubicki, Elna Goodman, Edna Koria and Lillian Cada; as well as many other relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents; grandson, Anthony Prigge; sisters, Norma Fratzke, Elvera Allred and Bernie Brand; an infant sister, Doris; and brothers, Ray Prigge and Pete Prigge.

According to Mort’s wishes, he has been cremated.

A gathering to greet and support Mort’s family will be held from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. today at Watkowski-Mulyck Funeral Home, Winona, where a time to share memories will be held at 12:30 p.m. American Legion Leon J. Wetzel Post No. 9 of Winona will provide full military honors at the funeral home. Immediately following, there will be a luncheon held at the Eagles Club, 210 E. Fourth St., Winona.

A private family burial will be held at a later date.

Online condolences or memories may be left for Mort’s family at www.watkowski-mulyck.com.

Entrusted to our care — Watkowski-Mulyck Funeral Home.

John ‘Jack’ A. Rochester

John “Jack” A. Rochester, 43, of La Crosse died Friday, May 9, 2008, in his home. Blaschke & Schneider Funeral Home-Nelson Chapel, 1007 Caledonia St., La Crosse, is assisting the family. A complete obituary will follow.

Howard L. Thompson

Howard L. Thompson, 80, of La Crosse and formerly of Hustler, Wis., died Thursday May 8, 2008, at his home. Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday at St. James Catholic Church, Camp Douglas, Wis. Burial with military honors will be in Brewster Cemetery, town of Fountain, rural New Lisbon, Wis. Relatives and friends may call from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Hare Funeral Home, New Lisbon, and from 9:30 a.m. until the time of services Monday at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorials to Gundersen Lutheran Hospice would be appreciated. Online condolences and guest book available at www.harefuneral home.com.