Services will be held 2 p.m. Saturday, April 18, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Blue Hill with the Rev. Darrel Wissmann officiating. Burial will be in Blue Hill Cemetery in Blue Hill. Memorials may be directed to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church or Blue Hill Foundation. Visitation will be 5-8 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m.-noon Saturday at the funeral home and 1-2 p.m. Saturday at the church. Merten-Butler Mortuary is serving the family.
Wilma, the only child of Raymond and Sophia (Lampmann) Stroh, was born on the family farm on June 12, 1934. Those were Dust Bowl years, and she was often told that she was the only thing Raymond and Sophia raised that year.
She was baptized, confirmed and married at Calvary Lutheran Church in Rosemont.
In 1952, she graduated from Blue Hill High School, where in study hall she sat across the aisle from a goofy kid named Russell Willems.
Though she wanted to be a teacher, her father thought she ought to be a secretary. To appease him, she took correspondence courses to enable her for such a career, but she followed her dream, took out a loan for college, and got a teaching certificate from Kearney Teachers College.
During that time, Russ eventually won her over, and they were married on Dec. 22, 1957.
From 1952-1957, she taught at various country schools; her last teaching assignment was at Ayr. It was clear she loved being a teacher, and she was delighted when former students came up to greet her. Many told her she was their favorite teacher.
While they lived in Ayr, she and Russ became parents of two daughters. In 1961, they moved to Blue Hill, and two more daughters were born. Wilma was a stay-at-home mom and enjoyed bowling, sewing for the girls and gardening. She taught her four girls how to sew, cook and play the piano. Ever the teacher, she read to them each night and made sure that they their practiced their reading flash cards and, in the summer after third grade, their multiplication tables.
She was active at church as a Sunday school teacher. She also was in the women’s Bible study group for over 50 years, led several programs, helped sew quilts for Lutheran World Relief and served on various committees. She was a member of P.E.O. and she and Russ were also Amway Distributors.
When their youngest child was in grade school, Wilma took a part-time job at Barnason’s IGA Grocery Store. She worked there over 30 years. She and Russ delighted in going to their girls’ musical and sporting activities. In their retirement, they enjoyed several bus tours throughout the United States and Canada.
In 2013, she moved to Columbus.
Wilma was preceded in death by her parents; an infant son in 1963; and her husband in 2009.
Those left to treasure her memory are her daughters, Carol (Brent) McClung of Big Springs, Sharon (Douglas) Hartman of Columbus, Beverly (Patrick) Haschke of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Nancy (Bryan) Kotschwar of Big Springs; grandchildren, Mark (Lyndsay) McClung, James McClung, John McClung, Jeffrey (Ashley) Hartman, Beth (James) Goodenberger and Susan Hartman; step-grandchildren, Matthew (Elizabeth) Haschke and Jennifer (Wes) Policky; grandchildren, Brandon Haschke, Katelyn Haschke, Lindsey Kotschwar and Grace Kotschwar; five step-great-grandchildren; and sisters- and brothers-in-law, Julane Meyer, Mildred Willems, Glenn and Julie Willems and Orville Willems.
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