Obit: Benzmann, Paul (1875 – 1957)

Contact: Stan
Email: stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Benzman, Kempfert, Hoeft, Zahorka, Buss, Habeck, Venzke, Hamann, Schupsky, Ellingson, Pagel, Fitzlaff, Bremer, Johnson, Woempner, Bobbe, Skoog, Lindner, Marquardt, Blank, Harry, Krueger, Paul

----Source: Colby Phonograph (Colby, Clark County, Wis.) 12/05/1957

Benzmann, Paul (16 Dec. 1875 – 3 Dec. 1957)

Paul Benzmann of Milan died Tuesday at 6:50 P.M. at the age of 81 years, in the Marshfield hospital where he had been a patient since November 23. The body is at the Lulloff Funeral Home in Colby.

----Source: Colby Phonograph (Colby, Clark County, Wis.) 12/12/1957

Paul Benzmann of Milan died Tuesday evening, December 3, at the Marshfield hospital where he had been a patient for eleven days. Funeral services were held Saturday afternoon, December 7, at the Milan Bethlehem Lutheran church, Rev. Frederick Kempfert officiating, and internment was made in the church cemetery. Pall bearers were Emil Hoeft, Wenzel Zahorka, Chester Buss, John Habeck, Clarence Venske, and Reuben Hamann.

Mr. Benzmann was born December 16, 1875, in Pommeria, Germany. He came to the United States with his parents when he was seven years of age, and settled on a farm near Dorchester. He attended the local country school in the town of Mayville, and graduated from the Spencerian Business College, Milwaukee, in 1895, after which he was employed by the Ellingson Logging enterprise at Stetsonville, as time-keeper and bookkeeper until 1903.

In 1901 he came to Milan and joined partnerships with Martin Ellingson and Mike Shupsky in the formation of the Milan Store Co., dealers in hay, wood, and merchandise, of which he was general manager.

He was married on September 27, 1903, to Miss Martha Pagel of Dorchester. They were married at Sturgeon Bay and returned to Milan to make it his permanent home residence.

During his life at Milan he saw and was part of the transformation that took place, from complete forest, wilderness, and sparsely populated farms to the present time. He delighted in telling the modern hunters of today about the many bear and deer that were killed from the general stores front steps or on his biweekly trips to the first post office in the vicinity at Bushman, one mile west of Milan.

He retired from the Milan Store Co. in 1936 and observed his golden wedding anniversary with his wife, Martha, in 1953.

He was very active in church affairs, and served the church in one office or another for a half century. He was the last of the charter members of the Bethlehem Lutheran church at Milan.

He was preceded in death by one son, Ervin, one brother, William, and three sisters, Palenia, Matilda, and Minnie.

Surviving are his wife, Martha, and son, Arlo, of Morris, Illinois and two nephews and five nieces.

Out of town relatives and friends here for the funeral were Emil Fitzlaff of Chicago, George Bremer, Charles Bremer, Mr. and Mrs. Ray Johnson of Summite Lake, Mrs. Lena Woempner, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Bobbe, John Dallenback, Mr. and Mrs. Joe Skoog of Abbotsford, Art Lindner and Mrs. Frank Marquardt of Colby, Mr. and Mrs. George Blank and Mrs. Amelia Harry of Wausau, Mr. and Mrs. George Krueger of Athens, Mr. and Mrs. Wilmer Paul of Curtiss, Mr. and Mrs. Herman Fitzlaff of Little Black, Mr. and Mrs. E. Wilde of Wausau.