Sail on, Joanne Scheitzach
Posted: August 30, 2015 2:10 am
Who was Joanne Scheitzach?
She was no one famous, nor was she the daughter of anyone of great fame or notoriety. She backed no high noble causes; she was the figurehead of no movements or organizations; she left no impressive legacy of literature or poetry or music. She achieved no great wealth or fame, and left little behind her to indicate to all and sundry that she had walked the earth. She was a quiet unassuming woman who would be just one more face in a crowd, one of the unsung extras in a Biblical "cast of thousands!" epic. She could easily be the quintessential distaff version of Everyman.
She was born to a musician and his wife in Chicago on July 12, 1926. The family moved to La Crosse (WI) shortly afterwards where she enjoyed a typical childhood that would be interchangeable with many children of her era. She completed schooling through high school but never attended college. Her one and only 'claim to fame', such as it is, was that while still in high school (and for a few years afterward) she was employed at a local radio station as a singer on a locally-produced live-music radio show that enjoyed a period of popularity.
During this time she also enjoyed roller skating — the old school style; special leather boots equipped with wooden wheels on hardwood maple floors — and it was while roller skating that she met a man ten years her senior. Starting first as skate dance partners this eventually blossomed into romance, and culminated with her marriage to William Scheitzach on December 27, 1948. This union produced two children; a son in November 1954, and a daughter 15 months later in February 1956.
While her chief occupation was that of homemaker, she also found opportunities to give of her time and talents in other ways. Originally taking the position because of her son's involvement in Boy Scouting, she became a den mother and continued to do so for ten years, long after her son had passed through the program. She also occasionally volunteered with her local church and school as a librarian assistant when needed, and when her daughter took up baton twirling she could generally be found on the sidelines of parades or lending a hand with twirling tournaments. There are countless numbers of girls who are probably still in possession of trophies and medals that were engraved under her sure, steady hand. At bake-sale or potluck time she could always be counted on to produce a delicious batch of sugar cookies or frosted pie slices (her own particular culinary pièce d'résistance) while still finding time to make sure that her family always sat down to a well prepared table — of healthful foods cooked, more often than not, from scratch. Later in life she also was active as an auxiliary member of the local Eagle's chapter.
She took great pride in her domestic and crafting skills. She was a very skilled knitter and also was quite good at hand embroidery, which she produced mostly for her own amusement and use, and also would hand-paint ceramic figurines as a hobby. Examples of her work were exhibited and received awards at the local fairs during the 1950s through 1970s. She also developed a fondness for camping, starting first in a canvas-walled tent and eventually 'moving up' off the ground into a collapsible hard-side trailer. Many weekends would find the entire family spending time in the Great Outdoors amidst the pines of the Black River State Forest, and there were several longer vacations to Canada and Yellowstone Park as well.
Age, of course, catches up with everyone, and so it was with Joanne. Her children grew and achieved their independence in varying degrees. She became a grandmother (five times) and a great-grandmother (twice). Her husband passed away suddenly in January 1994, barely two weeks after their 45th wedding anniversary, and she never fully overcame the loss of her life's partner. But he had always taken his marriage vows seriously and he left her well provided for, including a mortgage-free home and a comfortable amount of other assets. It was always her intention to spend her final days in "her house"; unfortunately, it was not to be. Age and infirmity caused her to spend the last 10 months of her life under nursing care elsewhere, but even up to the last week or so it was always her fervent desire to "get better and come home again". She passed away last Wednesday night (August 26, 2015) and has joined her husband in the sight of God, in a land where her eyes are again sharp and clear; her strength and mobility is restored; and her own parents and all her friends who have left her over the years have gathered to greet her and make her welcome as they continue their interrupted journey to forever together.
She was really nobody special ..... and then again, she was someone who was really special. You see —
She was also my mother.
Sail on, Mom.
-"BB"-
She was no one famous, nor was she the daughter of anyone of great fame or notoriety. She backed no high noble causes; she was the figurehead of no movements or organizations; she left no impressive legacy of literature or poetry or music. She achieved no great wealth or fame, and left little behind her to indicate to all and sundry that she had walked the earth. She was a quiet unassuming woman who would be just one more face in a crowd, one of the unsung extras in a Biblical "cast of thousands!" epic. She could easily be the quintessential distaff version of Everyman.
She was born to a musician and his wife in Chicago on July 12, 1926. The family moved to La Crosse (WI) shortly afterwards where she enjoyed a typical childhood that would be interchangeable with many children of her era. She completed schooling through high school but never attended college. Her one and only 'claim to fame', such as it is, was that while still in high school (and for a few years afterward) she was employed at a local radio station as a singer on a locally-produced live-music radio show that enjoyed a period of popularity.
During this time she also enjoyed roller skating — the old school style; special leather boots equipped with wooden wheels on hardwood maple floors — and it was while roller skating that she met a man ten years her senior. Starting first as skate dance partners this eventually blossomed into romance, and culminated with her marriage to William Scheitzach on December 27, 1948. This union produced two children; a son in November 1954, and a daughter 15 months later in February 1956.
While her chief occupation was that of homemaker, she also found opportunities to give of her time and talents in other ways. Originally taking the position because of her son's involvement in Boy Scouting, she became a den mother and continued to do so for ten years, long after her son had passed through the program. She also occasionally volunteered with her local church and school as a librarian assistant when needed, and when her daughter took up baton twirling she could generally be found on the sidelines of parades or lending a hand with twirling tournaments. There are countless numbers of girls who are probably still in possession of trophies and medals that were engraved under her sure, steady hand. At bake-sale or potluck time she could always be counted on to produce a delicious batch of sugar cookies or frosted pie slices (her own particular culinary pièce d'résistance) while still finding time to make sure that her family always sat down to a well prepared table — of healthful foods cooked, more often than not, from scratch. Later in life she also was active as an auxiliary member of the local Eagle's chapter.
She took great pride in her domestic and crafting skills. She was a very skilled knitter and also was quite good at hand embroidery, which she produced mostly for her own amusement and use, and also would hand-paint ceramic figurines as a hobby. Examples of her work were exhibited and received awards at the local fairs during the 1950s through 1970s. She also developed a fondness for camping, starting first in a canvas-walled tent and eventually 'moving up' off the ground into a collapsible hard-side trailer. Many weekends would find the entire family spending time in the Great Outdoors amidst the pines of the Black River State Forest, and there were several longer vacations to Canada and Yellowstone Park as well.
Age, of course, catches up with everyone, and so it was with Joanne. Her children grew and achieved their independence in varying degrees. She became a grandmother (five times) and a great-grandmother (twice). Her husband passed away suddenly in January 1994, barely two weeks after their 45th wedding anniversary, and she never fully overcame the loss of her life's partner. But he had always taken his marriage vows seriously and he left her well provided for, including a mortgage-free home and a comfortable amount of other assets. It was always her intention to spend her final days in "her house"; unfortunately, it was not to be. Age and infirmity caused her to spend the last 10 months of her life under nursing care elsewhere, but even up to the last week or so it was always her fervent desire to "get better and come home again". She passed away last Wednesday night (August 26, 2015) and has joined her husband in the sight of God, in a land where her eyes are again sharp and clear; her strength and mobility is restored; and her own parents and all her friends who have left her over the years have gathered to greet her and make her welcome as they continue their interrupted journey to forever together.
She was really nobody special ..... and then again, she was someone who was really special. You see —
She was also my mother.
Sail on, Mom.
-"BB"-
