Fourth Generation

32. Otto Willard STOLTZ was born on 4 October 1907 in Tomah, Tomah Township, Monroe County, WI.^21,24 He appeared in the census in 1910 in Tomah, Tomah Township, Monroe County, WI.⁶ He appeared in the census in 1920 in Tomah, Tomah Township, Monroe County, WI.¹⁰ Otto appeared in the census in 1930 in Tomah, Tomah Township, Monroe County, WI.¹² He was living with his parents and his occupation was "Typist, Gov't Camp." He died on 6 December 1984 at the age of 77 in Tomah, Tomah Township, Monroe County, WI.³²

Obituary Notes: "Otto Willard Stoltz was born in Tomah, Wisconsin on Oct. 4, 1907 to Otto H. and Emilie (Erdman) Stoltz. He died Dec 6, 1984 in Tomah Memorial Hospital.

Baptized into the Christian faith in infancy, he was a faithful, active member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church throughout his life.

He was united in marriage with Phila Hughart on Oct. 20, 1931 at St. Paul's Church. To this union were born four children: two sons, Wayne and Loren, and two daughters, Carol and Jean.

Otto was in the service of his country since joining the Wisconsin National Guard at age 17. He served with dedication for 43 years, working his way through the ranks from private to lieutenant colonel. He was employed at Camp Williams in the Quartermaster Corps for all but five of those years. During those years, 1940-1945, he proudly served his country with honor and distinction during World War II in the European Theater.

Upon his retirement in1967, he received an honorary lifetime membership in the Wisconsin National Guard Association. He was also a member of the American Legion, Post 201, the Retired Officers' Association, and the Military Order of World Wars.

He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers and two sisters.

He is survived by his wife, Phila, and their four children: Wayne of Scottsdale, AZ, Loren of Edina, MN, Carol Sheppard of Richfield, MN, and Jean Schanze of Prove, UT; also eight grandchildren; a brother, Clarence, of Athens, GA; a sister, Eunice; a maternal aunt, Lizzie Klatt of Tomah; and other relatives and friends.

Services were held Sat., Dec 8, at St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tomah. Burial was in Oak Grove Cemetery. The Rev. Kenneth Gast officiated."

. He was buried on 8 December 1984 in Tomah, Tomah Township, Monroe County, WI.²⁶ in the Oak Grove Cemetery.

Otto Willard STOLTZ and Phila Amelia HUGHART were married on 20 October 1931 in Tomah, Tomah Township, Monroe County, WI.^24,32 Phila Amelia HUGHART, daughter of Walter W. HUGHART and Phila RICHARDS, was born on 3 December 1908 in Oakdale Township, Monroe County, WI.^21,24,32 She died on 30 December 2006 at the age of 98 in Marshall, Lyon County, MN.³²

Obituary Notes: "Phila Hughart Stoltz, 98, a resident of Monroe County, WI, for 91 years, died on Saturday, Dec. 30, 2006, at the Morningside Heights Care Center in Marshall, MN. She was born on the family farm in Oakdale, Monroe County WI, Dec. 3, 1908, to Walter and Phila (Richards) Hughart. She attended Diamond Valley School in Oakdale and was a 1928 graduate of Tomah High School. Following high school, she went on to graduate from Teachers Training in 1929 and taught at the Randall School in the Township of Tomah for two years.

On Oct. 20, 1931, Phila was united in marriage to Otto Willard Stoltz, son of Otto Heinrich and Emilie (Erdmann) Stoltz of Tomah. The couple had been married for 53 years at the time of his death in 1984.

Phila was well known throughout this community. Along with many others, she courageously raised her family by herself during the four-year absence of her husband while he served the U.S. Army in Europe during WWII. For several years she worked as a sales clerk and assistant buyer for Jaffe’s Family Clothing Store in Tomah.

In 1953 she returned to teaching and for 18 years taught in various schools in the Tomah School District until her retirement in 1971. In 1965 she earned a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse.

Phila served as the president of the Monroe County Republican Women’s Club in 1977-78 and attended several of their national conventions. She was a frequent volunteer at the polls on Election Day. She belonged to the American Association of University Women and the American Legion Auxiliary, she was a Friend of the Tomah Public Library, and she qualified for membership in The Daughters of the American Revolution.

She was a faithful Christian throughout her life, belonging to the Methodist faith as a child and, just prior to her marriage, joining with St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tomah where, in the next 70 years, she served in the Ladies’ Aid, the Printed Word Room and the Lutheran Women’s Missionary Society.

Phila was a wonderful wife, mother and homemaker and will be fondly remembered for her cheerful disposition, her sweet smile and, above all, for her dedication to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

She is survived by her two sons, Wayne (Joan) of Phoenix, AZ, and Loren (Margot) of Thomasville, GA, and two daughters, Carol Sheppard of Mendota Heights, MN, and Jeannie (Michael) Suzuki of Marshall, MN; eight grandchildren: Ronald (Karen) Stoltz, Randall (Patti) Stoltz, Eric Stoltz, Craig Sheppard, Heather Aceto, Dawn Schanze, Eric (Teresa) Steele, Dell (Teresa) Schanze; 14 great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and many friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, and all of her 13 brothers and sisters.

Funeral services were held at St. Paul Ev. Lutheran Church, 525 Superior Ave. Tomah today (Thursday), Jan. 4, 2007, at 11 a.m. Pastor Curt Backhaus officiated. Burial was in the Oak Grove Cemetery. Relatives and friends called at the Sonnenburg Family Funeral Home, 801 E. Monowau St., Tomah, on Wednesday, from 4 until 7 p.m. and at the church today from 10 a.m. until the time of the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to a charity of your choice."

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She was buried in Tomah, Tomah Township, Monroe County, WI.²⁶ in the Oak Grove Cemetery.

Otto Willard STOLTZ and Phila Amelia HUGHART had the following children: