Obit: Greisch, Mathias #2 (1863 - 1938)

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Surnames: Greisch, O’Hara, Reuter, Leason

----Sources: THORP COURIER (Thorp, Clark County, Wis.) 09/15/1938

Greisch, Mathias #2 (30 DEC 1863 - 5 SEP 1938)

Mathias Greisch, 74, a resident of this community for the past thirty-seven years, died at St. Mary’s Hospital, Wausau, on Monday morning, Sept. 5, 1938, at 3 o’clock. He had not been in good health for the past twelve years and on July 25 entered St. Mary’s Hospital. Throughout his long illness, he bore his burden cheerfully and without complaint.

The deceased was born in Milwaukee Co., Dec. 30, 1863, the son of Nicholas and Angeline Greisch. He grew to manhood on a farm in the town of Sherman, Sheboygan Co., near the village of Adell.

He was married to Mary Jane O’Hara at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Adell, on June 25, 1889. For the next three years the couple resided in Adell, where Mr. Greisch operated a grain elevator.

In 1892 they came to Clark County and settled on a farm near Neillsville, Wis. While residents of that community he learned the pump and windmill business from A.S. Leason and Son.

On May 25, 1901 they moved to Thorp, where the deceased was engaged in the pump and windmill business, and later the lightning rod business. He followed this occupation until 1927, when he retired because of ill health. Following his retirement they left the farm, where they had resided for twenty-three years and moved to this village, where they built a modern home.

For twenty years he served as chairman of the town of Thorp, representing his town on the Clark County Board of Supervisors. During this period he served on the county auditing committee. He served as treasurer of the local school district when the new high school building was erected and also was a member of the building committee of St. Bernard’s congregation when the new church was built in 1914. For several years Mr. Greisch was a director of the Farmers Exchange Bank. He represented the Lynn Mutual Insurance Co., as well as other insurance companies for a number of years.

He is survived by his wife; son and daughter-in-law, Cletus J. and Lydia, and two grandsons, Jerome and John, of Edgar; one brother, Peter of Prairie du Chien, Wis.; two sisters, Mrs. Peter Reuter of Hollywood, and Mrs. W.A. Leason, Neillsville, Wis. One son, Leander, died at the age of four.

Funeral services were held at St. Bernard’s Catholic Church at nine o’clock last Wednesday morning. The solemn requiem mass was celebrated by the Rev. A.M. Muckerheide, pastor, assisted by the Rev. H. Luther, Boyd, as deacon, and the Rev. S. Frye, Edson, as sub-deacon. Burial followed in St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery at Neillsville, beside the grave of his deceased son.

The pallbearers were: W.A. Wilhelm, John Hickman, Anton Velcheck, Frank Smitke, Alfred Kass and Jake Smith.