Rosemarie Laffin

Rosemarie “Dottie” Laffin, 95, formerly of Wausau, died Wednesday November 24, 2021, at Rush Copley Medical Center, in Aurora, Illinois.

She was born December 4, 1925, in the town of Hewitt, daughter of the late Steven and Rosalia (Kristal) Palesch. On October 8, 1949, she married Milton Laffin at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Wausau. He preceded her in death on May 3, 2016.

Rosemarie was born on the family farm located on the Landing Road in the Township of Hewitt.  She was a 1944 graduate of Wausau Senior High School. Upon graduation, she was employed with the Department of the Navy for a year in Washington, D.C.. She then worked for Employer’s Insurance of Wausau for 28 ½ years before retiring.

Among her favorite pastimes, she enjoyed cross-country skiing, dancing, traveling, reading mysteries, and Friday Night Fish Frys. An avid Chicago Cubs fan since 1937, Rosemarie rarely missed listening to a radio broadcast or watching them on TV, when time permitted. Given the Cub’s propensity for losing, as well as an awareness of her limited time on Earth, it was not lost on Rosemarie that she lived long enough to enjoy the teams’ World Series Win in 2016.

She was a member of the VFW Women’s Auxiliary, volunteered at Marywood, and read to children of the Head Start program.  She moved to Illinois in 2017, residing at a senior independent living community, where she enjoyed participating in a variety of activities including bean bag baseball and exercise classes.

Survivors include two daughters, Roberta “Bobbi” Laffin, Oswego, Illinois, Diane Laffin, Lincoln, Nebraska; and a sister-in-law, Ria Palesch, Stockton, California.

Besides her parents and husband, Milton, she was preceded in death by brothers, George, Steve, and Irvin Palesch and sisters, Irene Davis and Ella Traska.

The Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. Thursday December 2, 2021, at St. Michael Catholic Church, Wausau. A private burial will be in Restlawn Memorial Park, Wausau. Visitation will be on Thursday from 10:30 a.m. until the time of services at the church.

Peterson/Kraemer Funeral Home, 1302 Sixth Street, Wausau, is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be expressed at www.petersonkraemer.com.