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Wayne Prairie
Wayne Delmar Prairie, 59, of Birchwood died May 12 at Lakeview Medical Center in Rice Lake.
Mr. Prairie was born Sept. 3, 1938 in Momence, Ill., to Delmar and Louise (Hebert) Prairie. On July 27, 1959 he married Roberta Workman in Kankakee, Ill. He worked for the Strongheart Dog Food Co. and Munyon and Hibbs grain elevator and Applelawn Farms in Momence until moving to Birchwood in 1981, where he was a tractor driver for Birchwood Lumber and Veneer. Mr. Prairie was an avid hunter and fisherman and loved camping, spending time with his family and socializing with friends.
He is survived by his wife, Roberta; two sons, Tracy of Costa Mesa, Calif., and Richard of New Richmond; four daughters, Theodora Guterriz of Sandwich, Ill., Katherine Depoister of Birchwood, and Alberta Iacono and Kathaleene Birkholz, both of Bolingbrook, Ill.; nine grandchildren; his mother, Louise of Momence; two sisters, Linda Mollema of St. Anne, Ill., and Debra Filipek of Lake Village, Ind.; five brothers, Ronnie of Phoenix, Ariz., Gerald of Joliet, Ill., Dean of Bersrod, Germany, and Steve and Frances, both of Momence.
He was preceded in death by a grandson, Joshua Depoister.
Gathern Rathbun
Gathern G. Rathbun, 77, of rural New Auburn died April 16 at Luther Hospital in Eau Claire.
Mr. Rathbun was born Oct. 31, 1920 in the Town of Rusk in Rusk County to George and Sadie (Nichols) Rathbun. He married Leah Coleman on Feb. 5, 1938 in the Town of Sampson. He was a dairy farmer in the Bear Lake community until the 1950s and maintained the town roads. He worked as a road builder and retired as a mechanic from the Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Co. after 25 years.
He is survived by his wife, Leah; two sons, Rex of Chippewa Falls and Max of Cornell; a daughter, Judie James of New Auburn; a sister, Ruth Erbeck of DePere; 23 grandchildren; 38 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren.
Mr. Rathbun was preceded in death by a daughter, Jean DuBois; and four grandchildren.
Kevin Reif
Kevin John Reif, 41, of Rice Lake and formerly of Chicago, Ill., died May 5 at the Lakeview Medical Center in Rice Lake.
Mr. Reif was born Dec. 29, 1956 in Chicago to Jerome and Dorothy Reif. He attended school there and worked for Local One Union Co. as a maintenance man for over 12 years. On May 6, 1986 he married Diane Thies in Chicago.
He is survived by his wife Diane; four brothers, Robert of Arizona, Joseph of Skokie, Ill., Patrick of Mount Prospect, Ill.; and Jerome of Chicago.
Edward Ricci
Edward David Ricci, 78, of Cumberland died April 29 at the Cumberland Hospital.
Mr. Ricci was born Sept. 5, 1919 in the Town of Crystal Lake in Barron County to Herman and Antonia (Ranallo) Ricci. On Aug. 5, 1954 he married Harriet Johnson in Las Vegas, Nev. He worked at 3M Co. in Cumberland for many years and was an accomplished shoemaker and leather harness and saddle maker.
He is survived by his wife, Harriet; and three brothers, Paul and Andy, both of Cumberland, and August of Seattle, Wash.
Mr. Ricci was preceded in death by a stepson, Douglas Krug; and a stepdaughter, Gloria Krug-Adams.
Joyce Robotka
Joyce D. Robotka, 64 of Chicago, Ill., and formerly of Birchwood, died May 9 at Holy Cross Hospital in Chicago.
Mrs. Robotka was born June 29, 1933 to Gertrude and Jack Stursa at Rice Lake. She grew up in the Tuscobia and Haugen area and graduated from Rice Lake High School. She worked at Herberger's in Rice Lake and in August of 1956 married Frank Robotka at Haugen. The couple lived in Birchwood, where she worked as a secretary for the Birchwood Lumber and Veneer Co. and then as a teacher's aide for the Birchwood school system. Her husband died in 1976 and she later moved to Chicago to work for the Chicago Motor Club. She was planning to move back to the Rice Lake area. She liked to sew, shop, play bingo and watch her son shoot pool.
She is survived by her son, Steven of Chicago; a grandson; her mother, Gertrude of Rice Lake; a sister, Sharon Hanson of Eagan, Minn.; and a brother, Jack of Rice Lake.
John Rybicki
John Leonard "Buck" Rybicki, 92, of Weyerhaeuser died April 19 at the Rusk County Nursing Home.
Mr. Rybicki was born Nov. 19, 1905 to Stanley and Constance (Witkowski) Rybicki. He was a lifelong resident of the Rusk County area, where he had been self-employed as a mechanic. Mr. Rybicki entered the nursing home in January 1991.
Gladys Schweitzer
Gladys S. Schweitzer, 80, of DeKalb, Ill., died May 7 at the Oak Crest Retirement Center in DeKalb.
Mrs. Schweitzer was born Nov. 17, 1917 in Weyerhaeuser to William and Ruth (Lovke) Simpson. On Dec. 1, 1944 she married Willard Schweitzer in Naperville, Ill. She had lived in Rice Lake, Birchwood, Barron and Arlington before moving to DeKalb, where she was employed at J.B. Inderrieden Canning Co., Del Monte, and the DeKalb County Home Bureau.
She is survived by four sisters-in-law, Rosemarie Simpson of Rice Lake, and Edna and Alma Schweitzer, both of DeKalb, and Ethel Rockabrand of El Paso, Texas; two brothers-in-law, Lee Olsen of Rice Lake and Robert of DeKalb.
Mrs. Schweitzer was preceded in death by her husband, Willard.
Rodney Schnuckle
Rodney W. Schnuckle, 62, of Sarona died April 22 at his home.
Mr. Schnuckle was born Aug. 25, 1935 to Mable and Rollin Schnuckle in Duluth, Minn., where he grew up and graduated from Denfeld High School in 1953. He worked in the Duluth area and then enrolled at UM-Duluth, where he majored in math and physics. He married Karen Hill on June 20, 1959 there, graduated from UM-Duluth in 1961, and went to work for IDS in Minneapolis, where he worked in data processing and computer operations. In 1982 he assumed the duties of director of the data center for MSI Insurance in Arden Hills, Minn., until retiring in 1994 and moving with his wife to their retirement home on Long Lake. He loved hunting, fishing and the outdoors.
He is survived by his wife, Karen; two sons, Scott of Rockaway, N.J., and Gary of Los Angeles, Calif.; two grandchildren; a brother, William of Duluth; and two sisters, Beverly Rich of Buffalo, N.Y., and Lois LaMont of Denver, Colo.
