Joseph Albrecht

Joseph Albrecht 98, of Athens, was called home to heaven on January 22, 2012. He was born in Halsey Township on the Albrecht family farm, on May 16, 1913 to the late Frank and Katerina Albrecht. On October 12, 1937 he married Rosella Schmitt at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Wausau. They spent 72 years together and raised six daughters. When Joe was 16, he took over running the family farm after his dad was injured in a car accident. He stayed on the farm until 1984, when he and Rosella retired to their home in Athens, where they spent the rest of their lives. Over the years, Joe worked at many different jobs, including logging, making cheese, doing cement work, helping in the feed mill and saw mill. He did a lot of his own repair work on the farm. Joe was always available when the neighbors needed help. He was a life-long member of the Catholic Order of Foresters and was very active at St. Anthony Catholic Church. He was on the school board when they decided a new high school was needed. He was always a gentleman and conscious of others' feelings. Joe enjoyed fishing, picking strawberries and socializing, especially when he could bring up the interesting stories about the "good old days." He always had a lot of those to tell. He and Rosella did a lot of traveling after retiring. Joe loved spending time with his family and playing sheepshead, which he did very well until the very end of his life. Joe is survived by daughters, Rosemary (Dennis) Kraft of Wausau, Kathleen Writz and Nancy (Marvin) Reuter of Athens, Judy Wisniewski and Diane (Chuck) Humpal of Cadott and Teresa Albrecht of Amherst. He is also survived by 20 grandchildren, 39 great-grandchildren and three great great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, one granddaughter, his parents, seven brothers and two sisters. The funeral Mass will be celebrated 11 a.m. Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at St. Anthony Catholic Church, Athens. The Rev. Charles Hiebl will preside. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery, Athens. Friends may call Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. until the time of services all at the church. The family would like to thank Dr. Cameron, his staff and the Aspirus Hospice House staff for their kind assistance during this difficult time. Peterson/Kraemer Funeral Home, Athens, is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be expressed at www.petersonkraemer.com