Lillian Augusta Mather, 92, of Waupaca, completed her cycle of life on July 4, 2014.
She was born on June 23, 1922 in Chicago IL to Albert and Lillian M. (Schlichting) Hickstein. She attended Chicago area schools but loved working on the Schlichting family farm in Amherst during her childhood summers. After attending college and graduating from secretarial school, she worked as an executive secretary and bookkeeper for a variety of businesses, always balancing work and care of her home and family. In mid-life Lillian became a nursing assistant at Wisconsin Veteran’s Home in King and cared for residents there until she retired. She continued to serve the Waupaca community for another 15 years doing volunteer medical transportation for the Social Services Department. During her career, Lillian was active in the Business and Professional Women’s Club, the Order of the Eastern Star, and the Monday Night Club and held a number of leadership positions in these organizations. She was passionate about equal opportunities for women. Throughout her life she held a reverence for nature and was deeply connected to the family’s tree farm on the Crystal River. She was a lifelong learner who read extensively and attended many workshops and seminars, especially anything concerned with alternative energy, sustainable agriculture, and conservation.
Lillian was preceded in death by her son, Scott (Harry) Albert Mayer; niece, Ottolyn Taylor Berry; and nephew, Jeff Montague. She is survived by her sisters, Alberta (Hickstein) Taylor and Dorene (Hickstein) Montague; daughters, L. Melodi (Dr. Jim) Duwell and Amy (Joe) Eklund; former spouse, Robert W. Mather; grandchildren, Dr. Armond (Dr. Soazig Le Bihan) Duwell, Dr. Monique (Greg Butler) Duwell, Elizabeth Eklund, and Peter Eklund; great-grandchildren, Solen Duwell-Le Bihan and Mael Duwell-Le Bihan; and many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.
In accordance with Lillian’s wishes, no memorial service will be held. Those who wish to honor her memory are encouraged to do so by taking in the beauty of our natural world and performing an act to conserve it. Memorial donations may be made to the Aldo Leopold Foundation, PO Box 77, Baraboo, WI 53913. The Aldo Leopold Foundation’s mission is to weave a land ethic into the fabric of our society; to advance the understanding, stewardship and restoration of land health; and to cultivate leadership for conservation. Maple Crest Funeral Home, Waupaca, assisted the family with the arrangements.