March 21, 2025 – West Bend, WI – Rita Elizabeth (Matenaer) Dwyer, 98, beloved mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, friend, and lifelong resident of Washington County, Wisconsin, passed into eternal life on March 19, 2025, from her home at the Compassionate Heights assisted living community in West Bend. Her enduring faith, loving spirit and ready smile were an inspiration to all who knew her.
Born in Barton on June 13, 1926, Rita was the second of nine children of Joseph and Florence (Berres) Matenaer. She grew up in a close-knit, hard-working family that owned and operated successful farms in Kewaskum and the Myra area. One of her assigned responsibilities in their household was the ironing – she raised it to an artform! With five brothers, she also developed a love of sports and was an avid Bucks, Brewers and Green Bay Packers fan. Her favorite ball players, however, were her twin boys; she cheered with the best of fans during their rec league days at Regner City Park.
Rita began her education at age four in a one-room schoolhouse at the far edge of the family’s 44-acre homestead. She later attended Holy Angels Catholic School and graduated from West Bend High School in 1943. After school, she worked as a secretary at the West Bend Company and Schmidt Funeral Home. Later in life, she was a teacher’s aide at Barton Elementary School; a sales associate at two former dress stores, and an office worker for Ron Albiero Heating & Air Conditioning.
In 1950, she married Charles “Chuck” Dwyer (1927-2003), her husband of nearly 53 years, at Holy Angels Catholic Church. Their legacy includes six grateful children, 13 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
During her lifetime, Rita visited 19 states and seven countries, including Ireland and Italy. The most unforgettable was a pilgrimage to Medugorje, Bosnia/Herzegovina in June 2007 with her sister, Ann Casper, and other church friends. Their tour bus swerved to miss a jack-knifed truck on a hilly, rain-slick road in Bosnia and slid down a steep ravine into a creek. Despite various passenger injuries – Rita had multiple cracked ribs — the group went on with their trip and returned home to TV cameras and relieved family members, with a “miraculous” story to tell.
Rita was known for delicious family favorites like carrot cake and Christmas cookies, chop suey and roast beef sandwiches. She was an excellent seamstress and crafter. She could bait a hook and filet a fish better than anyone. And her prayers for those in need were golden. Through the years, she volunteered for Christian Mothers, Harvest House, the Samaritan Hospital Guild, the West Bend Hospital Auxiliary and other church and community activities. She loved irises, peanut squares and an occasional Old Fashioned. Most of all, she loved her family. Phone calls to her usually ended with “I love you, Mom,” or “Grandma,” to which she’d reply, “I love you more.”
Rita will be greatly missed by her children Sharon (Mark) Nicholson, Gail (Jack) Inderwish, Susan (Craig) Matakis, Judy (Phil) Dwyer-Lyons, Charles Dwyer, Jr. and David (Susan) Dwyer; grandchildren Katie (Stephen) Frazee, Gregory (Michelle) Nicholson; Colin and Erin Inderwish; Mattie (Ryan) Bell, Jessie Matakis, Haley (Cameron) Gardner; Clay, Isaac and Sam Lyons; Ella Dwyer, Claire (Austin) Brooks and Conor Dwyer; and great-grandchildren Jonah Campbell; Charles and Willa Bell and Ford and Rowen Nicholson.
Loving survivors also include a sister, Ann Casper of West Bend (sisters Beatrice Peter and Sylvia Bohn preceded her in death), a brother, Robert (Carol) Matenaer of Milwaukee / Naples, FL. (brothers Joseph, Paul, Gerhard and James preceded her in death) and a sister-in-law, Janice Matenaer. In addition, there are many nieces, nephews and friends , among them her niece by marriage, Maureen (Tesar) Dick and family friend Christine Schmidt, who were faithful companions during her time in assisted living. The family is also grateful to the loving staff of Compassionate Heights and Preceptor Home Health and Hospice for their care and compassion for Rita.
The family will greet relatives and friends during a period of visitation on Thursday, April 10th from 9:30-10:45am at Holy Angels Catholic Church, 1387 N.8th Ave., West Bend. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow the visitation at 11:00am.
Schmidt Funeral Home in West Bend is serving the family. Messages can be left in an online guestbook at www.schmidtfuneralhome.com. In lieu of flowers, memorials to The American Macular Degeneration Foundation (https://www.macular.org/) are also appreciated.