Williams, Mardell

Mardell Williams, age 89, passed away on January 24, 2011, at Crystal River Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Wau-paca. She spent the last afternoon of her life in the loving embrace of her three children. Funeral services were scheduled for Friday, January 28 at 11 AM at Wild Rose Presbyterian Church with Reverend Alyson Janke, officiating. Burial followed in Caersalam Cemetery. Visitation was on Thursday evening from 4 to 7 PM at the Holly Funeral Home in Wild Rose. She was born on September 10, 1921, the eldest daughter of Herbert and Lillian (Buntrock) Poetzl. She married her dear husband Kenneth O. Williams on January 27, 1951 in Milwaukee. He preceded her in death on July 4, 1999. They enjoyed 48 years of marriage. After graduating Rufus King High School in 1939, she completed business and secretarial courses and became a secretary at A.O. Smith Corporation in Milwaukee. She worked there until her marriage to Ken, at which time she moved to Mt. Morris. After her children were in school, she was hired by the Wild Rose Hospital in 1968 to help with the fundraising effort to build the new hospital. She continued working at the hospital in the medical records department, then as secretary to the administrator until her retirement in 1978. She then worked with her son at his business, Graphic Associates, in Wild Rose and also served as a poll worker in the Town of Mt. Morris for many years. After Ken’s death she moved to a duplex in Wild Rose for five years, and she spent the past six years enjoying life as a resident of Park Vista Retirement Living in Waupaca. Mardell had a true zest for life, enjoying many hobbies and volunteering for numerous organizations. She was a very artistic person, creating many drawings and paintings, as well as numerous types of crafts. She was a member of Wild Rose Presbyterian Church where she taught Sunday School and produced the church bulletin for many years. She was also a member and officer of the Presbyterian Women’s Association and served as Secretary of the Caersalem Cemetery Association for numerous years. She was a member of the Wild Rose Women’s Club, the Town and Country Craft Club, and the Friends of the Patterson Memorial Library, where she volunteered for the after-school learning program. She helped the residents play bingo at the Wild Rose Manor and she was also a project leader for the Mt. Morris Pioneers 4-H Club. She and Ken thoroughly enjoyed their retirement and filled their time with traveling, bowling, ice fishing and spending time with their family. They traveled to many destinations in the United States and also visited England, Wales, Switzerland and the Bahamas. She is survived by her three devoted children, Bonita (James) Jarvis of Mt. Morris, Gary (Carol) Williams of Wild Rose, and Carol (Paul) Duquette of Amherst. She is further survived by her beloved grandson, Douglas Jarvis of Platteville, and her two sisters, June Bjorklund of Waukesha and Marilyn (Oliver) Williams of Middleton. She is further survived by her sisters – and brother-in-law, Virginia Williams of Prairie du Chien, Gertrude Ziebell of Stillwater, MN, Beulah (Arnie) Dickson of Mt. Morris, Marjorie Voruda of Oshkosh, and Esther Williams of Redgranite, as well as by numerous nieces and nephews and many good friends, including Kenneth Townsend of the Veterans Home at King. Mardell was preceded in death by her husband, her parents and four brothers-in-law, Albin Bjorklund, Griffith Williams, Martin Ziebell and Jack Voruda. In lieu of flowers, memorials to Friends of the Patterson Memorial Library the Wild Rose Presbyterian Church or The American Cancer Society would be appreciated. Holly Funeral Home in Wild Rose is assisting the family with arrangements. www.hollyfuneralhome.com.