Jan. 2, 2017 – Town of Trenton, WI – Cecilia W. Menzel, 101, passed away peacefully on Friday, December 30, 2016 after a wonderful life of family, friends and fun. Cecilia was born on July 18, 1915, in the Town of Trenton, Washington County, Wisconsin, daughter of the late Frank and Mary (Laufer) Esselman. She married Floyd N. Menzel on May 31, 1945 at the Esselman family farm and spent the better parts of their lives together in Manitowoc, WI. He preceded her in death on May 20, 1982.
She was preceded in death by six sisters, Laura (Clarence) Reichert, Hildegard (Albert) Luebke, Marcella (Lawrence) Blazel, Techla (Leroy) Fisher, Marian (Ben) Jamrosy, and Rosalie (Wally) Beimborn; three brothers, Donald (Charlotte) Esselman, Norman and Gregory. Also preceding her in death were brother and sister-in-law, Clarence and Marie Lishka, brother-in-law, Norbert Vogel and Jeffery Miskell husband of grandchild Jessica.
She is survived by her sons, Charles (Beth) Menzel of Green Bay, WI and Thomas Menzel (Jane Fass) of Montello, WI; grandchildren, Curt (Dana) Menzel of Vallejo, CA, Frank Menzel, of Oakland, CA, Rebecca (Jeremy) Leischner of Centerville, MN and Jessica Miskell of Pinckney, MI.; great- grandchildren, Sophia and Grant Menzel , Lucy and Greta Leischner, along with a multitude of nieces, nephews and friends. She is also survived by her sister-in-law, Betty J. Vogel of Manitowoc. WI.
Ceil was an avid sports fan of the Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Braves/Brewers and the Wisconsin Badgers Football and Basketball teams. She rarely missed a game. Her only misgiving was that she had to stay up to the early hours when the Brewers played on the West Coast and didn’t get to bed until 1AM. She also enjoyed miniature bowling, playing cards and dominoes.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Saint Frances Cabrini Catholic Church (1025 S 7th Ave, West Bend, WI) on Thursday, January 5, 2017 at 12pm with Fr. Justin Lopina presiding. Visitation will be at church on Thursday, January 5th from 10am-12pm.
A special thank you to the staff at The Waterford of West Bend Assisted Living Facility and to Heartland Hospice for their incredible kindness and compassionate care, making her later years most comforting.