Surnames: Hemp, Su Lee, Spiegel, Lepke, Hanuszczak, Schafer, Pester, Staveness, Fitzmaurice

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI.) August 13, 2008

Hemp, Irene Margarette (8 January 1914 - 12 August 2008)

Irene Hemp, 94, Neillsville, died Tuesday, August 12, 2008, at the Memorial Medical Center in Neillsville.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 14, 2008, at the United Methodist Church in Neillsville. Pastor Dong Su Lee will officiate. Interment will be in the Neillsville City Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Gesche Funeral Home and from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m. Thursday at the church.

A full obituary will appear next week.

The Gesche Funeral Home is assisting Irene’s family with funeral arrangements.

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----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., Wis.) August 20, 2008

Irene Hemp, 94, of Neillsville died Tuesday August 12, 2008, at the Memorial Medical Center in Neillsville.

Irene Margarette Lepke, the daughter of Frank and Martha Amelia Margaret (Spiegel) Lepke, was born in her parent’s home at 211 Court St. Neillsville, by midwife, Johana Lepke, January 8, 1914. She graduated from Neillsville High School in 1932 then attended one year of teacher’s training. Irene helped her father farm with two cows and a few chickens and then married her high school sweetheart, Warren Frederick Hemp, July 21, 1943, in Neillsville. They moved to Madison to live while Warren taught radio mechanics at Truax Air Field Air Force Base. They moved back to Neillsville in 1946 and resided at 205 Court Street. Warren died in 1978.

Irene was a faithful member of the United Methodist Church in Neillsville. She was the Sunday school secretary and treasurer for 55 years. She loved gardening, her flowers, crocheting, knitting, crafting and coin and rock collecting. She enjoyed watching high school sports and the Green Bay packers, but most of all she loved her family and neighbors.

She is survived by her children, Melvin (Cindy) Hemp of Lodi, Jeffrey (Sara) Hemp of Poynette and Patricia (Lubo) Hanuszczak of Neillsville; two grandchildren, Jason (Nicole) Hanuszczak and Kyle Hemp; three step-grandchildren, Brian (Sarah) Schafer, Crystal (Fred) Pester and Serena (Dave) Staveness; and four step-great-grandchildren, Wyatt, Kayla, Michaela and Nick.

Irene was preceded in death by her husband, Warren; her parents; a brother, Wade Lepke; a brother-in-law, Marvin Hemp; and a daughter, Brenda Hemp.

Funeral Services were held at 11 a.m. Thursday, August 14, 2008, at the United Methodist Church in Neillsville. Pastor Dong Su Lee officiated. Interment was in the Neillsville City Cemetery.

Casketbearers were Jeff Fitzmaurice, Rick Fitzmaurice, Mark Hemp, Matt Hemp, Merlin Hemp and Michael Hemp.

Memorials may be directed to the United Methodist Church, Neillsville, WI 54456

The Gesche Funeral Home, Neillsville, assisted Irene’s family with funeral arrangements.