Eric Wedell Obituary

I received an email from classmate Rodney Sweet saying that Eric Wedell had passed away several months ago, and that this information was not on the website.

I found Eric’s obituary information.  It can be viewed by clicking on the link below.

Thanks Rodney for the tip.  ChuckR.

 

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Gregg O’Brien’s Obituary

I received the following email from John Lorimer yesterday:

Message Subject: Obitiary Notice

Your Comments/Message: Chuck,

Gregg O’Brien passed away on Friday, August 18th. Complete Obit will be in Madison paper on Wed. and I will send it along. Probably want to wait to put up on Website till the full obit is available. Funeral and visitation is next Saturday. Gregg suffered from Alzheimers and was in assisted living for some time before his death.

John”

Note:  I’ll update the obituary when the full one is published.  ChuckR

Screen Shot 2017-08-20 at 6.19.07 PM  OBRIEN_G

O’Brien, D. Gregg

FITCHBURG—D. Gregg O’Brien, age 77, of Fitchburg, passed away on Friday, Aug. 18, 2017, at Agrace HospiceCare. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at ST. BERNARD CATHOLIC CHURCH, 2450 Atwood Ave., Madison, at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017, with Father Michael Radowicz presiding. Burial will be held at Resurrection Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 9 a.m. until the time of the Mass on Saturday. A full obituary will appear in Wednesday’s edition. Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.

Updated 8/23/17 (full published obituary)

 

FITCHBURG—D. Gregg O’Brien, age 77, of Fitchburg, passed away peacefully on Friday, Aug. 18, 2017, at Agrace HospiceCare. He was born on Aug. 7, 1940, in Madison, the son of Gordon and Helen (Bebeau) O’Brien. Gregg married the love of his life, Virginia “Gina” Ward on March 3, 1962, in Hollywood Calif., spending 55 years together.

He graduated from Madison West High School in 1958, and immediately entered the workforce. Gregg was an entrepreneur and started the O’Brien Sewing Center in 1962, and Badger Utility in 1976, with partner William Statz (deceased 1998). In 2006, he sold Badger Utility to then partner with Richard Bloomquist and employees Todd Scheffler and David Batterman.

Gregg was an Irishman and a storyteller! He enjoyed being a pilot, driving fast cars and motorcycles, attending Badgers sporting events and spending time with friends and family. During retirement, he could be found enjoying a cup of coffee with a friend, entertaining his grandchildren with mule rides around their property, traveling the country with Virginia in their motor coach and wintering with great friends in Indio, Calif.

Gregg is survived by his wife; three daughters, Kelly M. O’Brien and her daughter, Virginia, Katharine M.O. (David) Batterman and their children, Regan, Maggie and Ryan, and Julie C. (Bob White) O’Brien and son, Kien O’Brien Ruiz; and sister, Colleen M. O’Brien. He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers-in-law, Donald J. Ward and Garret Wensel; and mother-in-law, Julia Ward Canon.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at ST. BERNARD CATHOLIC CHURCH, 2450 Atwood Ave., Madison, at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017, with Father Michael Radowicz presiding. Burial will be held at Resurrection Cemetery. Visitation will be held at the church from 9 a.m. until the time of Mass on Saturday. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Agrace HospiceCare, 5395 E. Cheryl Parkway, Fitchburg, and the Alzheimer’s and Dementia Alliance of Wisconsin, 517 N. Segoe Road, Suite 301, Madison. Gina invites family, friends and business associates to ERIN’S SNUG IRISH PUB, 4601 American Parkway, Madison, Wis. for food, drink and storytelling from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.

 

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Viewing West High from the air

I came across this photo while working on the post about the West High Green Club.  It was featured on the club’s Home Page.  I thought it was worth sharing.

ChuckR

NewWestPix

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A note from Maria Messina Ritacca

I received the following note from Maria today.  I have redacted her address and phone information.

ChuckR


“Thank you Chuck.

As you may or may not know, my husband and I are now living in FL.  

We have been here for 21/2 years but would move back to Madison in a heart beat if it weren’t for the fact that our children all live here now.

We miss our Madison friends and Maria`s family as well as Madison as a City which Maria lived in for 741/2 years.

I hope there will be a reunion next year.

Sincerely,

Maria Messina Ritacca”

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News from Ellen Bubeck Laurent

Ellen’s email tells what is going on in her life…..

ChuckR

Hi Chuck,

“Thanks for continuing to keep us in touch.   I was lucky enough to get back to see Madison for the first time since I moved to Maryland in 1957.  I went by the high school and asked a passerby when they put the additions on…he said something about the changes in the cafeteria…I don’t remember a cafeteria.   I have been in touch with Joan Clifford Indermark on line for several years now, and we got together for a lovely day and evening in the Portage area.   We were in Wisconsin for a reunion with my husband’s Northwestern University Grad School group, who had special sessions in Switzerland in 1980.   This group has been getting together every other year since 1980, and alternating between the US and Europe to accommodate our members.  Three years ago, we decided we were getting old (that hadn’t occurred to us before) and so now meet every year.  This year, we’ll be meeting in the Netherlands and then going on the Germany to find the origin of my husband’s German roots.   I’m a genealogy “nut”, and have been working on all my family lines and all of his family lines for about 30 years.

We’re in the process of moving to PRC (not China) Penney Retirement Community nearby here.   We are building a duplex there and hope to move in sometime after the Christmas holidays.   Meanwhile, I’m trying to downsize (and allow enough room for all of my genealogy files, family photos and memorabilia), not a small task.   We’re renting a storage unit and an extra garage.   I will pass along the exact address as soon as they break ground (any day now), and the phone number will have to follow later.   I’ll try to give you my new e-mail if I need to change it when we move.

I was so sad to see the obituary for Annette Geiser.  We were pretty close friends for at least two years.  I found her on facebook a few years ago and we corresponded.  She was excited to find out that Elvis Presley and I have a common great grandfather at the 7th great grandfather level (late 1400’s) in the tiny town of Hochstadt, Germany.   She was a big Elvis fan like I was in the 50’s.  She was such a sparkling personality…I know she will be missed.

Thank you again for taking the time to do this, Chuck.

Ellen Bubeck Laurent”

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