Melvin (Mel) L. Drinkwine, 84, of Mayville, passed away on Tuesday, June 16, 2020, at St. Agnes Hospital in Fond du Lac. Mel was born to Melvin K. and Lillian (Koziol) Drinkwine on August 18, 1935, in Waukegan, IL. He graduated from Drake University, received his Master’s degree in accounting from Northwestern and was a Certified Public Accountant. Mel honorably served his country as a Captain in the US Air Force. On April 28, 1962 in Waukegan, he was united in marriage to Norma E. Pietschman. He retired from TAB Products in Mayville as the plant manager. Mel served on the board of directors for M & I Bank in Mayville for many years. He also served his community as a member of the Mayville Lions Club and also helped the area youth in the Cub Scouts as well as the Mayville Babe Ruth Baseball League. Throughout his life he remained a loyal Chicago Cubs fan. Mel was a faithful member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Mayville. When he found time, he would enjoy a round of golf with friends and family at the Mayville Golf Club. Mel is survived by his wife of 58 years, Norma of Mayville; his three sons, Dan (special friend Jaqueline) of Slinger, Jim of Mayville, and Steve (Carrie) of Delafield; his grandchildren Devin, Maxwell, Drew, Brayden, Tate, Lillian, Jacob, Grace and his great-granddaughter, Rhea; sisters, Jackie Hochenauer of Geneva, IL, Ruth Ellen (Don) Falstad of North Carolina, and Mary Lynn (Lenny) Greener of Beach Park, IL; sisters- in-law Pamela Drinkwine of Geneva, IL, and Marilyn (John) Atherton of Hot Springs, AR. In addition, he is survived by nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents and brothers, Robert and Richard Drinkwine. A visitation was held from 9 to 11 a.m. on Monday, June 22, at the church. A memorial Mass of Christian Burial for Mel was on Monday, June 22, at 11 a.m. at St. Mary Catholic Church in Mayville with the Rev. Tom Biersack presiding. Seating during our Mass will be limited due to current regulations and social distancing will be in place. Inurnment followed at St. Mary Catholic Cemetery. Military Honors will be conducted by the Mayville American Legion Post #69. Memorials in memory of Mel may be directed to St. Mary Catholic Church in Mayville. Koepsell Funeral Home in Mayville served the family. For online condolences and other information please visit www.KoepsellFH.com

Visitation:  Wednesday, June 24, 4 to 6 p.m. at Koepsell Funeral Home in Beaver Dam  Service:  Thursday, June 25, at 10 a.m.  Location:  Sacred Heart Parish in Horicon Janet A. Gritt, 77, of Horicon, passed away peacefully with her family by her side on Saturday, June 20, 2020 at her home in Horicon. To know Janet is to know strength. Her selfless, sassy, and stubborn ways came to life in how she worked tirelessly to take care of her family and friends - but not without a classic head shake or two. The simple joys were all she needed: a daily walk down to Kwik Trip, an afternoon of bingo and penny slots, flower shopping every Mother’s Day, or being surrounded by her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her life was full of love, and because of her our lives were full of love, too. Janet was born the daughter of Clarence and Nelda (Miller) Kuschel on June 3, 1943, in the village of Birnamwood. She was a graduate of Birnamwood High School and went on to receive her beautician’s license. Jan was united in marriage to Keith E. Gritt on February 23, 1963. With her husband Keith, Jan owned and operated Gritt’s Hairstylist and Barber for all their lives in Horicon. Jan cherished her clients and loved her town and was lovingly referred to by many area residents as ‘mom’. She was a faithful member of Sacred Heart Parish in Horicon. When she found spare time, Jan enjoyed bowling, playing bingo, and the time spent with her family and especially her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Jan is survived by her children, Keith M. (Wendy) Gritt of Reedsburg, Kelly Kuhn of Beaver Dam, Wade (Heidi) Gritt of Arlington Heights, IL, Clint Gritt of Horicon, Heather Gritt of Fort Atkinson, Kristin Gritt of Nashville, TN, and Wyatt Gritt of Atlanta, GA; her siblings, Roy (Brenda) Kuschel of Birnamwood and Linda (Guy) Buetow of Arizona; her grandchildren, Nick (Mary), Beth, Zachary, Josh, Josh 'Porkchop', A. J., Brandon (Beth), Brooke, Ryan, Molly, Claire, and Danny; her great-grandchildren, Charlie, Grahm, Marcus, Olivia, Jackson, Madison, Landyn, Cooper, Hartleigh, Hendrix, and Dekker; further survived by nieces, nephews, other relatives and many friends. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband Keith in 2016; her infant son, James; her sister, Karen Liethen, and her brother, Clarence “Spike” Kuschel. A visitation was held at the Koepsell Murray Funeral Home in Beaver Dam on Wednesday, June 24, from 4 to 6 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Sacred Heart Parish on Thursday, June 25, at 10 a.m. with the Rev. Fr. Justin Lopina presiding, seating will be limited for the Mass due to the current health restrictions. Burial will follow the Mass at St. Malachy Cemetery in Horicon. Memorials may be directed to Sacred Heart Parish. Special thanks to the wonderful staff at Marshfield Medical Center Beaver Dam Oncology Department and Hillside Hospice for all of their care and support shown to Jan’s family. Also, special thanks to Jan’s best friend Nell VanderSchaaf for taking such good care and being there for her. Koepsell Funeral Home in Horicon is serving the family. For online condolences and other information please visit www.KoepsellFH.com

Norma Virginia (Lau) Walther, 95, of Eau Claire passed away on May 15, 2020. Norma was born on July 5, 1924, on the family farm in Lomira Township, just north of Mayville, the daughter of Ferdinand and Lucilia (Heldt) Lau. She grew up on the family farm and was a 1941 graduate of Mayville High School. After high school she worked as a telephone operator for Wisconsin Bell. On September 6, 1947, she married Robert Walther at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Lomira Township. They then lived in Mayville for the next 62 years. After Bob’s passing in 2009 she remained in Mayville until 2011 when she moved to a retirement home and later to an assisted living facility in Eau Claire to be near her son. She remained there until her passing. After marriage, Norma became a homemaker to raise her family. Son Tom was born in August, 1948 and Dick was born in March, 1951. In the late 1950’s Norma returned to work as a telephone operator and remained with Wisconsin Bell until 1967 when the Mayville exchange became the very last exchange in Wisconsin to change over to dial telephones. After that Norma went to work for Old Fashioned Cheese in the company cheese store until her retirement. Norma was an active member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Mayville, most notably sewing with the quilting circle for 25 years. She also was a member of the American Legion Auxiliary and the Mayville Senior Center. Norma was also an avid bowler hitting her only 600 series at the state tournament in Madison in 1983. Norma also enjoyed fishing, especially during the 15 years she and Bob maintained a camper alongside Buffalo Lake at Montello. Also after retirement she enjoyed traveling with Bob to events such as the Rose Bowl and Orange Bowl, to Cancun and in 1994 a trip to Europe in commeration of the D-Day invasion. Norma is survived by sons, Thomas Walther of Eau Claire and Richard (Patty) Walther of Pompano Beach, FL; grandchildren, ReNee (Marc) Hanson of Anoka, MN; Brian (Christina) Walther of Chippewa Falls; Jess (Pam) Walther of Hartland; Karlee Walther of Boston, MA, Kasey Walther of New York, NY and honorary granddaughter Jasmine of Mayville. Norma is also survived by seven great-grandchildren and two step-great-grandchildren. She is further survived by brother-in-law, Ervin Walther of Princeton, and sister-in-law Betty Lau-Steger of Fond du Lac, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by Robert, her husband of 62 years; her parents, Ferdinand and Lucilia Lau; brothers and sisters and their spouses, Ruben (Hortensia) Lau, Vernon Lau, Harvey (Nora) Lau, Palmer (Eleanor) Lau, Lorinda (Vilas) Adelmeyer, Bernice (Harvey) Lindert. Additionally she was preceded in death by her father-in-law and mother-in-law, Ervin (Edna) Walther Sr.; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Helen (Joseph) Gleissner, Lorraine (Donald) Heintz, Margaret (Waldemar) Rupnow, Ardis Walther and daughter-in-law LaVon Walther. A memorial gathering will take place from 9 to 11 a.m. at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church on Friday, August 7. A celebration of life will be held at 11 a.m. at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Mayville with Pastor Sara Gilespie officiating. Inurnment will be in St. Petri’s Cemetery in Lomira Township following the service. Per Norma’s request all memorials received will be donated to St. Petri’s Cemetery perpetual care fund. The Koepsell Funeral Home in Mayville is serving the family. To make an online condolence or for more information visit www. KoepsellFH.com.

Phillip “Phil” P. Sadowski, 85, of Beaver Dam, passed away on Monday, June 8, 2020 at Clearview Nursing and Rehabilitation in Juneau. Phil was born in Beaver Dam on June 29, 1934, the son of Marcel and Angeline (Polzin) Sadowski. On May 28, 1960, he was united in marriage to Audrey Haslow at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Beaver Dam. Passionate about education, Phil was a sixth grade teacher for the Mayville School District for 43 years, and was the founder of the Sixth Grade Camp. He was also a seasonal worker for Green Giant for over 40 years. Phil could often be found outdoors; he enjoyed flower gardening and was an avid bird watcher and feeder. Most of all, he loved spending time with his grandchildren. Phil is survived by his loving wife of 60 years, Audrey Sadowski of Beaver Dam; children, Rorie (Jerry) Matuseski and Craig Sadowski, both of Beaver Dam; grandchildren, Joshua Sadowski, Jared (Stacy) Matuseski, and Jordan (Ann Synott) Matuseski; great-grandchildren, Tagen and Camdyn; sister, Darlene Zimmerman of Beaver Dam; sister-in-law, Sandra Sadowski of Beaver Dam; brother-in-law, Dennis (Suzanne) Haslow of New York; and further survived by nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents; sisters, Delores Schindle, Bernice Braemer, and Marie Wapneski; brothers, James Sadowski and Chuck Sadowski; and other relatives. A private family service will be held for Phil. Burial will take place at Highland Memory Gardens, Town of Trenton. Cornerstone Funeral & Cremation Services, 135 Keller Blvd., Beaver Dam is honored to be serving the family. You may send private online condolences or sign the family’s guest book at www.cstonefs.com.

Visitation:  July 11 from 9 to 11 a.m.  Service:  July 11 at 11 a.m.  Location:  St. Mary's Catholic Church in Mayville Larry Joseph Brandel, 80, of Mayville passed away on June 6, 2020 at his home surrounded by his family. Larry was born on July 13, 1939, to William and Frances (ReBarge) Brandel of Saginaw, MI. He graduated from Holy Rosary High School in Saginaw in 1958. He graduated from Michigan State in 1960 with a degree in Animal Husbandry and showed pure bred cattle in Michigan, Iowa, Montana, and Wisconsin at many state and county fairs. On November 26, 1960, he was united in marriage to Margaret “Marge” Stephens at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Saginaw, MI. Two weeks later, they moved to West Bend, W, where they began their life together. Larry wore many hats. He began his own auctioneering service after graduating from Reisch Auction School in Mason City, IA, in 1970. He also volunteered his time holding auctions for St. Mary’s Catholic Church, the Rotary Club of Mayville, and Mayville Archery Club. He was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Mayville and The Knights of Columbus. He worked for the City of Mayville as a mechanic for 25 years and was a member of both the Mayville Fire Department and Mayville Ambulance Service. Larry was an avid fisherman and deer hunter. He enjoyed spending weekends and holidays camping with his family and friends at Grandvalley Campground in Kingston. Larry is survived by his wife of 59 years, Margaret “Marge” Brandel of Mayville; three children, Deborah Andersen of Beaver Dam, Mark Brandel of Mayville, Christine (Marcus) Wolfgang of Randolph; one granddaughter, Kelsey “JoJo” Luehring of Brookfield; two brothers, Wayne Brandel of Saginaw, MI, and John Brandel of Mansfield, OH; 65 nieces and nephews; and his yellow labrador, Sofie. He was preceded in death by his parents, William and Frances Brandel; four brothers, Etzel, Richard, William, and James; seven sisters, Mary, Cecilia, Phyllis, Frances, Patricia, Jeanie, and Grace; his parents-in-law, William and Alice Stephens; and his son-in-law, Wayne Andersen. Funeral services for Larry will be held at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Mayville on July 11. Visitation will take place from 9 to 11 a.m. with a memorial Mass commencing immediately after at 11 a.m. with the Father Tom Biersack presiding. The Brandel family would like to extend a special thank you to the hospice team at Marshfield Medical Center in Beaver Dam, Father Tom Biersack, Deacon Willie Heideman, and all the family and friends that came to visit and brought food to the house. The family asks for any donations to be to made to St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Hospice at Marshfield Medical Center in Beaver Dam, or the Dodge County Humane Society. The Koepsell Funeral Home in Mayville is serving the family. To make an online condolence or for more information visit www. KoepsellFH.com.