Sharon Rae Goetsch

Late in the evening on July 15, 2023, after an extended illness, our dear Mother, Sharon Rae Goetsch, 90, of Wausau, Wisconsin, peacefully passed away at Aspirus Hospice House with her family at her side.

Sharon was born to the late Charles Frederick and Lorena Martha Anna (Hintz) Andler at Wausau Hospital, on October 8, 1932. She grew up with her older sister, Janet Olson (Andler, deceased) and cousin, Dawn Schave (Voltzke, deceased), whom she viewed as her sister, in the City of Wausau and Tagesville, the unincorporated community located in the towns of Berlin and Maine of Marathon County. As sisters, they enjoyed a full and enriching childhood playing together and working alongside their parents in Andler’s Bar in Wausau, and then later in Tagesville as well as with their Grandparents, William and Martha Hintz, when they owned Hintz’s Dance Hall, Convenience Store and Gas Station (now known as Schmidt’s Ballroom), in the Town of Berlin.

While attending Wausau High School during her freshman year in 1947, Sharon met her husband of 38 years, Warren Alex Goetsch (deceased). They married on June 27th, 1952 at St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church, with a grand celebration at the Marathon Park Youth Building. She would go on to call the Wausau area her home throughout her entire life journey.

Sharon was a proud and active homemaker and mother who, together with her husband, raised five children: Holly R. Jorgensen (John), of Schofield, WI; Perry C. Goetsch (Cheryl), of Mosinee, WI; Allen W. Goetsch (Derek Williams) of San Francisco, CA; Steven F. Goetsch (Cindy Weise) of Schofield, WI; Stuart R. Goetsch (Kelly), of Little Chute, WI.

After graduating from Wausau High School in 1951, Sharon worked at the dental office of Dr. Werner, DDS and the corporate offices of Marathon Electric. She would later enjoy working alongside her husband in his State Farm Insurance agency until his passing in 1990. She would continue on this trek by performing bookkeeping duties in her daughter’s State Farm Insurance agency until Sharon’s illness in late May 2022.

In addition to running the household and working, Sharon enjoyed doing specialty holiday crafts, baking cookies, knitting, crocheting, and embroidering flour sack dishtowels. She lovingly shared many of her completed achievements with her family and friends for their lifelong enjoyment. She was a great cook, with a talent for preparing and serving a lot of wild game which her husband and children would provide. While raising the family kept Sharon busy, she and her husband would enjoy travel to places such as Mt. Rushmore; Las Vegas, NV; Minneapolis, MN; and frequent weekend trips to their cabin in Land O’ Lakes, WI.

After her husband’s passing, she continued to travel with her family and go on many adventure bus trips with close friends. She fondly recalled, her favorite annual bus trip was traveling to St. Pete’s Beach, Florida, in wintertime with her dear friends, Florian “Fritz” and Jill (deceased) Blaskowski, and Gordana “Gert” Mitrovich.

Sharon was determined to be independent and loved to drive and do her own grocery shopping until the time of her illness. As a Mother, family always remained very important to her. She loved hosting her annual Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve celebrations at her home, with all of her immediate family, extended family and friends.

Over the years, she would enjoy many long holiday weekends with her grandchildren at the cabin. In her later years, she was especially excited to have five great-grandchildren, and truly enjoyed the time she was able to spend with them. She will be dearly missed by all who were fortunate to know her over the years.

Family Who Went Before

Sharon was predeceased by her father, Charles on July 6, 1967; mother, Lorena on September 7, 1988; her husband Warren on August, 4, 1990; grandson, Forrest T. Goetsch, on September, 21, 2009; her daughter-in-law, Paula L. (Gilray) Goetsch, on January 1, 2018; and her sister, Janet Olson (Walden “Ole”), who just recently passed away on April 18, 2023.

Family She Left Behind

Sharon is survived by her five children mentioned above. She is also survived by her five grandchildren. They include Branden W. Goetsch (Emily), Logan C. Goetsch (Aryn), Kasey A. Vande Voort (Tyler), Bradley T. Goetsch, and Kiana O. Koch (Andrew); and five great-grandchildren, Piper J. Goetsch, Aubrey J. Vande Voort, Griffen F. Goetsch, Henry W. Goetsch and Maxwell J. Vande Voort. Her sister-in-law, Virgine White (Robert), and her second cousin, Roxanne R. Bruskin (Charles), along with many nieces and nephews.

A private celebration of life will be held by Sharon’s immediate family and she will be laid to rest at the Town of Berlin Cemetery on Thursday, July 27, next to her husband and other family members that went before her. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations please be made to Aspirus Hospice House or St. Mark’s Lutheran Church (Wausau, WI), or to a charity of your choosing in memory of Sharon.

Finally, the family would like to offer a special thank you to all of the amazing staff of Aspirus Hospice House in Wausau, and to all of her other wonderful physicians and nurses at Aspirus Wausau Hospital, for the loving care they provided our dear Mom and our family in her final days.