LaVila M. (Krueger) Luedtke

Trusting in her Savior Jesus Christ for her salvation and eagerly anticipating the joy of heaven that awaited her, La Vila Marion Luedtke, 97, of Edgar, left this world on October 12, 2020 at Aspirus Hospice House, Wausau Wisconsin. 

La Vila was born on August 28, 1923 at her family home in the village of Maine in Marathon County, the daughter of William and Edna Marquardt-Krueger. 

La Vila was baptized on September 23, 1923 at Grace Ev. Lutheran Church (Wisconsin Synod) in the village of Maine and was confirmed on Pentecost Sunday in 1937.  She received her education at the Tagesville one-room school. At 16 she and a cousin sang duets on radio’s Buck Leverton Show.  In her late teens she worked in Wausau as a nanny for a family with 4 little boys and then held a job as a clerk at the Fair Store department store in downtown Wausau. La Vila married Norman Carl Luedtke on August 1, 1943 at her life-long church, Grace Lutheran and they traveled to Texas for their honeymoon. 

La Vila lived and worked with her husband on their dairy farm in the town of Stettin.  She had a green thumb for plants and flowers, always harvesting from an annual vegetable garden and enjoying many fragrant flower gardens.  She made the best homemade bread and lovingly baked & decorated many special cakes.  She was a seamstress extraordinaire designing and sewing clothes for herself, her children and their children.  She made drapes and recovered furniture.  In the 1970s she worked at Schmidt’s Dress Shop in Wausau doing alterations.  She loved playing Sheepshead, dancing to old-time polkas and waltzes, and arranging floral bouquets.  She and Norman built, and enjoyed for almost 40 years, their Northwoods cabin on Muskellunge Lake. 

Survivors include her daughter, Jane (Jerel) Steckling of Turlock CA and daughter in law, Carol (Earl) Luedtke-Wondrash of Wausau, 4 Grandchildren and 7 Great-grandchildren, along with nieces and nephews, and sister-in-law, Marilyn Krueger of Milwaukee. 

Besides her parents, La Vila was preceded in death by her husband, Norman and their son, Carlton; 3 brothers and 2 sisters-in-law, Clifford, Victor (Mavis) and Rueben (Lillian). 

Private Family Funeral Services will be held at Grace Lutheran Church, 6720 CTH A at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, October 19, 2020 with Pastor Harold Sturm (nephew) officiating.  Public visitation will be held from Noon until the time of services at the church.  Social distancing guidelines will be practiced as well as face masks required by everyone who will be attending.  Interment will be at Friedensheim Cemetery at the corner of Valley Lane and CTH A in the town of Berlin at 2:15 p.m. 

LaVila’s family wants to thank the loving staff at Aspirus Hospice House for their diligent and kind care.  Memorials may be directed to Grace Lutheran Church.  Peterson/Kraemer Funeral Home, Wausau is in charge of arrangements.  Online condolences may be expressed at www.petersonkraemer.com