Kathryn M. Wilson

Kathryn Wilson, 100, died on February 18, surrounded by her family. Her beloved husband of 34 years J.B. “Red” Wilson, preceded her death in 1974. She was the loving mother of her four children, Anne (John) Kelley, Jerry (Linda), Sandy (Harlan) Ten Pas and Sharon (Jerry) Goggins. She will also be greatly missed by her seven grandchildren, Ryan (Jolene), Pat and Tessie Kelley, Mark and Matt Ten Pas, Nick (Tara) Wilson and Kerri (Kevin) Leers and three great-grandchildren, Mason and Wyatt Leers and Edith Kelley. Kathryn was born April 5, 1914 on the family farm in West Union, IA; the eighth child of Thomas and Anna Meskel. She attended Clark University before returning to the family farm during the Great Depression to teach in a one room schoolhouse. After graduating from business school she became a secretary in Cedar Rapids, IA. It is there that she met Red Wilson on a blind date over Labor Day weekend in 1938 and they married October 28, 1939. The couple lived in several cities throughout the Midwest before settling in Oconomowoc in 1952. Kathryn was a secretary at Oconomowoc Senior High School retiring in 1979. She was a faithful member of St. Jerome’s Parish and served on many committees for the church over the years. She loved to discuss politics (Democratic), football (Badgers), baseball (Brewers) and anything Irish with her family and friends. In addition she loved to play bridge, grow tea roses, take her grandchildren strawberry picking and participate in any “social” gathering. In later years her daughters, Anne and Sharon, often enjoyed playing bridge with her. They watched with a new found respect when she would bid and make a slam never batting an eye. But most of all Kathryn will be remembered for her smile which could light up a room. She filled our lives with love, laughter, and care. Friends may visit on Friday, February 20, from 10:00 a.m. until a memorial mass at 11:00 a.m., all at Shorehaven Nursing Home, 1305 Wisconsin Avenue, Oconomowoc, WI 53066. Pagenkopf Funeral Home is serving the family. Memorials may be made to The St. Jerome Building Fund