Obit: Rizzi, Irene Evelyn (1918 - 2008)

Poster: Robert Lipprandt

Email: bob@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Brown, Flink, Griswold, Kirsch, Monson, Rizzi, Rusch, Simek, Winkel

----Source: The Star News (Medford, Taylor Co., Wisconsin) Thursday, November 20, 2008, online edition

Rizzi, Irene Evelyn (October 2, 1918 - November 11, 2008)

Irene Evelyn Rizzi, 90, Medford, died Tuesday, Nov. 11 at Memorial Nursing Home in Medford, under the care of Hope Hospice.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, Nov. 22 at 2:30 p.m. at Woodland Community Church in Westboro, with Pastor Grant Brown officiating. Interment will be on Sunday, Nov. 23 at 2 p.m. at Lakeview Cemetery in Rib Lake. Please meet at the cemetery.

Visitation will be held at the Dallmann-Kniewel Funeral Home in Rib Lake on Saturday from 1 to 2 p.m.

The former Irene Johnson was born October 2, 1918 in Westboro to the late William and Eleanor (Flink) Johnson. She attended Westboro Graded School and was a 1936 graduate of Rib Lake High School.

On June 15, 1938 at St. Ann's Catholic Church in the Town of Greenwood, she married Frank Rizzi, who preceded her in death in 2003. They owned and operated a dairy farm in the Town of Greenwood until 1969. She also worked at Gem Products in Rib Lake for 17 years and later at the Rib Lake Nursing Home for five years.

She was a member of Woodland Community Church. She enjoyed sewing and upholstering, seamstressing for other people, gardening and doing puzzles.

Survivors include a son, Gene (Sandy) of Rib Lake; a daughter, Shelvie (Paul) Griswold of Kingsport, Tenn.; four grandchildren, Steven (Donna) Griswold of Rogersville, Tenn., Daniel (Debbie) Griswold of Kingsport, Lynette (Allen) Kirsch of Howards Grove and Pamela (Steven) Winkel of Wausau; and eight great-grandchildren.

In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by a brother, Willard (Nadine); and five sisters, Florence (Ed) Rusch, Joyce Johnson in infancy, Melva Johnson, Muriel (Bob) Monson and Lillian (Carl) Simek.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be given to Hope Hospice.