Obit: Novak, Rev. Fr. John J. #2 (1883 - 1958)

Contact: Dolores Mohr Kenyon

Email: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
 

Surnames: Novak, Tracey, Hartung, King, Kaim, Schuh, Seilak, Finucan, O’Reilly, Knauf, Hemmersbach, Passehl, Koopman, Heindle, Shulz, Leketas, Zinthefer, Schmizke, Urbic, Knoop, Schulist, Francel, Perovsek, Perushek, Gosar, Mrzlikar, Debevec, Lindner, Kohlnhofer, Brzic, Snedic, Gregorich, Dabiels, Thomas Multerer, Gielle, O’Shaughnessy, Brady, Mertens, Dockendorff, Brady, Pritzl, Baumann, Henry, Steinhauser, Hoffmann, Raschke, Disher, Agnew, Schreiber, Dillenburg, Hardy, Geissler, Comiskey, Wohlmuth, Udulatch, Rossiter, Bornbach, Crubel, Timmerman, Yandoesevits, Eisenmann, Muller, Brockman, Berg, Grassel, Eichman, Mullen, Karlhenn, Schumchak, Oberwinder, Ronbolski, Kegan
 

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI.) February 27, 1958
 

Novak, Rev. Fr. John J. (21 June 1883 - 21 February 1958)
 

Priest Served in Holy Family Church 16 years, in Greenwood for 14 years
 

A solemn Pontifical Mass of requiem was read Tuesday morning at 11 a.m. by the Most Rev. John P. Tracey, Bishop of La Crosse, at St. Mary’s Church in Greenwood for the Rev. Fr. John J. Novak, 74.  He died February 21 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Dubuque, Ia., following a lingering illness.
 

Father Novak was born June 21, 1883, in Dobrova, Yugoslavia.  He came to America at the age of 16. After preliminary schooling he studied for the priesthood at St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee, and then entered St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., for his theological courses.
 

He was ordained to the priesthood at Lead, S. D., on December 18, 1908.
 

He did mission work in South Dakota, and then furthered his education at Catholic University in Washington, D. C.  
 

In 1917 he was appointed to the Diocese of La Crosse, serving Holy Family parish in Willard.  He became pastor of St. Bernard’s Catholic Church in Abbotsford, in September, 1933, and on January 16, 1937, he assumed duties as pastor of St. Mary’s Church of Greenwood, where he remained for the next 14 years.
 

Following a brief leave of absence he was appointed to St. Michael’s in Junction City on November 15, 1951.
 

He retired from active parish work on June 4, 1955, and spent his time in Willard and Marshfield until last November, when he was injured in an automobile accident near Waupaca.
 

A rosary was said Sunday afternoon at the Bergemann Funeral Home in Neillsville, and Monday the body was taken to Greenwood, where rosaries were said at 8 and 8:30 p.m.  The Rev. Fr. Edward Hartung offered a requiem Mass Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. and the Pontifical Mass was read at 11 a.m.  
 

Burial was made in the Holy Family Cemetery at Willard.
 

The Most Rev. John P. Treacy, Bishop of La Crosse, offered the requiem Mass and gave the final absolution.  Other officers for the Pontifical Mass were: Assist. Priest, Rev. N. E. King, Loyal; Deacon of Honor, Fr. E. Kaim, Junction City; and Fr. G. Schuh; Sub-Deacon of mass, Fr. Jerome Seilak, O. F. M., Willard; Master of Ceremonies, The Very Rev. Monsignor James P. Finucan, La Crosse; Assist. Master of Ceremonies, Fr. Edward Hartung, Greenwood; Thurifer, Fr. Don O’Reilly; Mitre, Fr. E. Knauf; Gremial, Fr. A. Hemmersbach; Book, Fr. George Passehl; Candle, Fr. L. Koopman; Acolytes, Fr. F. Heindle and Fr. Schulz.
 

Priest pallbearers were: Fr. Peter J. Leketas, Fr. A. Zinthefer, Rev. Schmizke, Rev. R. Urbic, Rev. F. Knoop and Rev. J. Schulist.
 

Honorary pallbearers were: Frank Francel, Frank Perovsek, Ludwig Perushek, Anton Gosar, John Mrzlikar and Anton Debevec, all of Willard.  Those from Greenwood were: Andrew Lindner, John Lindner, Joe Kohlnhofer, John Brzic, John Snedic and Joe Gregorich.
 

The following Very Rev. Monsignors attended: William Dabiels, Norman Thomas, A. N. Schuh, W. Multerer, Charles Gielle, Thomas O’Shaughnessy, Francis J. Brady, and the following Rev. Fathers: Michael Mertens, Carl Dockendorff, Charles Brady, John J. Pritzl, A. F. Baumann, B. F. Henry, Joseph Steinhauser, Herbert Hoffmann, R. Raschke, F. s. Disher, John J. Agnew, B. Schreiber, Walter J. Dillenburg, George Hardy, Walter J. Dillenburg, R. J. Geissler, Eugene Comiskey, Carl Wohlmuth, Joseph Udulatch, Richard Rossiter, Raymond Bornbach, H. L. Crubel, L. H. Timmerman, Robert Agnew, Philip Yandoesevits, M. S. C., Joseph Eisenmann, G. J. Muller, Francis J. Brockman, Donald M. Berg, Joseph Grassel, Dominic Eichman, Thomas E. Mullen, Fred Karlhenn M. S. C., S. Schumchak, R. J. Oberwinder, R. Ronbolski, L. B. Kegan.