Obit: Fenske, Bertha (1878 - 1952)

Contact: Dolores Mohr Kenyon

E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

 
Surnames: Fenske, Winscher, Terasa, Kurasz, Scholze, Harrington, Miller, Hanusa, Carmella, Galstad, Lehman, Sommerville, Hausa, Schmidt, Michael, Luck, Glendenning, Schewe

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI.) January 1, 1953

Fenske, Bertha (23 September 1878 - 25 December 1952)

Mrs. August Fenske, 74, of the Town of Grant died at 1:15 a.m. on Christmas day at the home of her daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Joe Kurasz, following an illness of several years.

The body lay in state at the Georgas Funeral Home until time of services on Saturday, when it was taken to the St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, where last rites were conducted.  The Rev. Alfred Schewe officiated.  Interment was made in the Town of Mentor cemetery, Humbird.

Mrs. Fenske, nee Bertha Terasa, was born September 23, 1878, to Adam and Susan (Winscher) Terasa in Germany.  At the age of five years she came to the United States with her parents. They located on a farm in southern Wisconsin.

On November 29, 1900, she was married to August Fenske at Reedsburg, Wis. They remained on the farm until they moved to Clark County in 1918 and lived there until 1938, when they made their home with their daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Kurasz.

 
Mrs. Fenske was a member of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church and of the Ladies Aid.

She is survived by four children: Mrs. Fred (Louise) Scholze of Melrose; Mrs. Steve (Ida) Harrington of Eau Claire; Mrs. Joe (Esther) Kurasz, Neillsville; and Mrs. Roy (Edna) Miller of Humbird; one brother, Fred Terasa of Madison; and three sisters, Mrs. John (Susan) Fenske of Madison, Mrs. Ed (Clara) Hanusa of Reedsburg and Sister M. Carmella of Mineral Point; also 18 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

 
Mr. Fenske preceded her in death on June 3, 1942.  One son, Raymond, was killed in an auto accident in June, 1938, and one grandson, Ronnie Kurasz, died in 1951.

Wilfred Galstad, the soloist, was accompanied by Victor Lehman at the organ. 

 
Pallbearers were: Ervin, Richard, Raymond and Paul Scholze, Wendell Sommerville and Gordon Schmidt.

 
Persons from out of town attending the rites included: Mr. and Mrs. Steve Harrington, Eau Claire, Mr. and Mrs. Roy Miller, Elaine, Emily and Ronnie, Humbird; Mr. and Mrs. Fred Scholze, Arlene and Lorraine, Raymond and Richard Scholze of Melrose; Mr. and Mrs. Paul Scholze, Mr. and Mrs. Wendell  Sommerville, Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Schmidt of Melrose; Mr. and Mrs. Fred Hausa and George of Reedsburg; Mr. and Mrs. John Fenske, Harold Fenske and Fred Terasa of Madison; Clarence Fenske of Indianapolis; Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Michael and daughter, Anita, Lodi, Wis.; Mr. and Mrs. Ervin Luck of Pittsville; Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Scholze, Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Scholze and hazel Glendenning, Humbird.