Obit: Richelieu, Chris (1866 - 1959)

Contact: Stan
Email: stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Richelieu, Severson, Rouse, Altenburg, Werth, Zenzel, Nixon

----Source: OWEN ENTERPRISE (Owen, Clark County, Wis.) 02/26/1959

Richelieu, Chris (12 APR 1866 - 21 FEB 1959)

Chris Richelieu, a man who served the city of Owen for 20 years as its street and water commissioner, prior to his retirement in 1939, passed away early Saturday morning.  Death came to him at Luther Hospital at Eau Claire and was attributed to complications of old age.

He was 92 years and 11 months of age.

Funeral services were held at 2:00 o’clock Tuesday afternoon from the Hoeper and Kraut Funeral Home.  Rev. Cecil Ward, pastor of the Methodist Church at Withee, officiated.  Burial was made at Greenwood.

Serving as pallbearers were Shurleigh Grimes, Pete Madsen, Roy and Lawrence Clark, Neal Laine and Harold Wendt.

Chris Richelieu was born April 12, 1866 in Jackson County.  Nov. 18, 1888 he and Gina Severson were married in a ceremony performed at Neillsville.  For many years he worked in the woods during the lumbering era as a logger and road builder.  Later he and his family settled on a farm in the town of Green Grove (Clark County, Wis.), where he farmed successfully until moving to Owen to become the city’s street and water commissioner.  He held this post for 20 years until his retirement in 1939, when he and his wife moved to Tony where they lived for 15 years prior to returning to Owen.  During his life her he also served a term on the Clark County Board of Supervisors.

He is survived by a son, Clyde of Cincinnati, Ohio; four daughters, Mrs. Beulah Rouse of Sparta; Mrs. A.C. Hazel) Altenburg, Owen; Mrs. Clifford (Grace) Werth, Eau Claire; and Mrs. Al (Elda) Zenzel, Tony; one sister, Mrs. Mary Nixon, Seattle, Wash.; nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

His wife preceded him in death about two years ago.