System Mechanic - Clean, repair, protect, and speed up your PC!
Robert Sykes
Robert Sykes, 65, of Cumberland died Feb. 7 at Cumberland Hospital.
Mr. Sykes was born on Oct. 15, 1932 to Joseph and Lolita Sykes at Chetek. He moved with his family to the Barron area, where he attended Paul Revere School and the Barron High School. He worked as a farm laborer and entered the Army in 1952. Mr. Sykes served in the Army during the Korean War from 1952 to 1954 and then returned to the Chetek area, where he worked as a truck driver for Bill Wold. Later he farmed and drove truck for Berg's Trucking of Dallas. On Aug. 26, 1989 he married Marie Coon Armstrong in Stillwater, Minn., and then worked for Koser Iron Works in Barron until retirement.
He is survived by his wife, Marie; a daughter, Janey Dalrymple of Cameron; a granddaughter; his mother, Lolita of Cameron; two stepsons, Paul Armstrong of Eau Claire and Kurt Armstrong of Neenah; and a brother, Wayne of Townsend, Mont.
Nora Symens
Nora I. Symens, 89, of Birchwood and formerly of Rock Island, Ill., died Jan. 22 at Heritage Manor Nursing Home in Rice Lake.
Mrs. Symens was born Dec. 14, 1908 to Clarence and Augusta Clark in Henry County, Ill., where she grew up and received her education. She worked as a housekeeper and cook in Geneseo, Ill., and married Darrow Robinson in 1929. They moved to Rock Island, where she was a homemaker. Mr. Robinson died in 1934, and she married Paul Symens in Iowa in 1938. The couple lived in Rock Island, where Mrs. Symens was one of the first crossing guards for the Rock Island School System.
She was a board member of the First Church of Christ Scientist and the Hauberg Senior Citizens. She was a member of the Rock Island Chorus and served on the Hauberg Senior Citizens board. She loved to travel and attend dinner theaters. Her husband, Paul, died in 1973, and she moved to Birchwood in 1993 to live with her daughter.
She is survived by a daughter, Leila Geist of Birchwood; six grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; and a sister, Josie Hufford of Wakefield, R.I.
She was preceded in death by a son, Joseph Robinson.
M. Louise Toftness
M. Louise Toftness, 89, longtime resident of Cumberland, died Jan. 30 at her home.
Mrs. Toftness was born in Amery on July 22, 1908 to Andrew and Mathie (Fredrickson) Johnson. The family moved to Cumberland when she was young, where her parents owned and operated the Commercial Hotel. She grew up in Cumberland, owned and operated Louise's Beauty Shop, and married I.N. Toftness on Aug. 4, 1934. The couple were aviators and active in the development of the Cumberland Airport. They were world travelers, and became involved in an exchange of ideas on chiropractic care during a trip to mainland China. Mrs. Toftness was a key figure in the annual chiropractic convention in Cumberland and had been a manager of the Foundation for the Advancement of Chiropractic Research.
She is survived by two sisters, Violette Pfeil of Oshkosh and Evelyne Lemenanger of Kankakee, Ill., and nieces and nephews.
Mrs. Toftness was preceded in death by her husband, I.N., in 1990.
Doris Van Lone
Doris Van Lone, 88, of Noblesville, Ind., and formerly of Rice Lake and Hebron, died Jan. 13 at Riverview Hospital in Noblesville.
Ms. Van Lone graduated from the Eau Claire Teachers' College and retired in 1974 after 40 years as secretary for the Rice Lake High School. She had been a member of the hospital auxiliary craft class in Rice Lake.
She is survived by a niece, Ann Van Lone of Indianapolis, Ind.
Jeanette Vruwink
Jeanette Vruwink, 94, of Barron died Jan. 16 at Barron Riverside Manor Nursing Home.
Ms. Vruwink was born Nov. 2, 1903 to Albert and Mary (Meylink) Vruwink in Cedar Grove. She moved with her family to Baldwin, where she attended school and did seamstress work. She later moved to Oak Park, Ill., where she worked at Mars Corp. and then returned to Cedar Grove after her retirement. In 1986 she moved to Barron and had lived there since.
She is survived by a brother, Harry of Barron; and three sisters, Mable of Barron, Olive Law of Red Wood Falls, Minn., and Elva Vergeront of Madison.
Keith Walter
Keith Willis Walter, 73, of Stone Lake died Jan. 17 at the Indianhead Medical Center in Shell Lake.
Mr. Walter was born June 19, 1924 to Servington and Ruth (Folmer) Walter. He served in the Army from 1945-1947 and farmed in the area until his retirement in 1994. He married Freda Mikula on June 10, 1949. Mr. Walter was a member of the Stone Lake Lions and had served on the Stone Lake Town Board and the Washburn County ASCS Board.
He is survived by his wife, Freda; two sons, Gary and John, and a daughter, Patricia, all of Stone Lake; and five grandchildren.
Eugene Wyka
Eugene Wyka, 64, of Haugen died Jan. 31 at the Holy Family Hospital in Manitowoc.
Mr. Wyka was born on July 8, 1933, in Chicago, Ill., to Stephen and Bertha (Skrotzki) Wyka. He married Joan Dolan there on Oct. 29, 1955. The couple lived there until they moved to Bear Lake Township in 1973. He had co-owned the Crisis Prevention Institute in Brookfield and had managed marketing research there.
He is survived by three sons, Gene of Grafton, Michael of Bloomington, Minn., and Chris of Eau Claire; a daughter, Catherine Mary Alexander of Milwaukee; seven grandchildren; a brother, Robert of Chicago; and two sisters, Theresa Zientera and Geri Stupay, both of Chicago.
Juliet Anderson
Juliet S. Anderson, 83, of rural Ridgeland died Jan. 12 at Pioneer Nursing Home in Prairie Farm.
Mrs. Anderson was born March 15, 1914 to Oscar and Mary (Hanson) Hoff. She moved with her family to the Prairie Farm area and attended Vanceburg School. On Nov. 11, 1931 she married Clarence Anderson at Dallas and they farmed in the Town of Sheridan. She enjoyed flowers and gardening, sewing, knitting, and baking, and was a member of Ruth Circle of the church.
She is survived by a son, Robert of New Richmond; two daughters, Marion Siebert of Ridgeland, and Janet Tjelta of New Richmond; eight grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren.
Mrs. Anderson was preceded in death by her husband, Clarence, on Jan. 9. 1986.
