Obituary of Janet Mae Mensching

Janet Mae Mensching, age 81, of Wisconsin Rapids, died Saturday, April 18, 2015 at Elmbrook Memorial Hospital in Brookfield, WI. Funeral services are 11:00 A.M. on Friday, April 24, 2015 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Wisconsin Rapids. Rev. Timothy Ritter will officiate. Burial will be at Restlawn Memorial Park Cemetery. Visitation will be from 6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. on Thursday Herman-Taylor Funeral Home and from 10:00 A.M. until the time of services on Friday at the church. Janet was born April 23, 1933 in Wisconsin Rapids to Emil and Erma (Brehm) Schroedel. She married William Charles Mensching III in 1954. The marriage ended in divorce. In 1961, she moved back to her hometown as a single mom to raise her family in the town she loved. She attended Immanuel Lutheran School and Lincoln High School where she was active in band, forging lifelong relationships. After graduating high school in 1951, she accepted a job at Preway, Inc. When she was laid off after only 6 months, she decided to pursue her dream of becoming a registered nurse. She attended Mt. Sinai nursing school in Milwaukee from 1952-1955. She obtained a certification in public health nursing by attending classes part time through UW Madison from 1962-1965. She worked at various Milwaukee hospitals from 1955-1960, and at Victory Memorial Hospital in Waukegan, IL in 1961. After moving to Wisconsin Rapids, she worked at Riverview Hospital in 1962. Her career in public health began when she became a Wisconsin Rapids City Nurse, serving from 1963-1969. In 1970 that function was transferred into Wood County. She served as director of Public Health and Home Nursing starting in 1972, forming the Wood County Health Department in 1985. She remained Director of the Wood County Health Department from 1985 until her retirement in1988. She then returned to her love of the little ones, serving part-time to assess the health of babies in the WIC program. An avid gardener, her retirement was also spent traveling, spending time with family and friends, and being active in many community organizations. "Once a nurse, always a nurse" was a phrase used often to describe her as she assisted the other residents at Renaissance Assisted Living in her final years. Janet is survived by three daughters; Susan McHugh of Brookfield, WI, Teri (Gerald) Voelker of Wisconsin Rapids, and Linda (Peter) Gibson of Oshkosh, WI. She leaves behind six grandchildren; Jillian (Kraig) Ashbeck, Nicholas (Marisa) Voelker, Jennifer Gibson, Gregory Gibson, Paul Voelker and Samantha Gibson and three great-grandchildren; Collin, Brennan and Dawson Ashbeck; and one sister Judy (Calvin) Held of West Bend, WI. She is preceded in death by her parents and an infant brother James Schroedel. The family would like to thank the professional staff at Elmbrook Memorial Hospital for their compassionate care and Renaissance Assisted Living in Wisconsin Rapids for being her 'home away from home' (as she called it) for many years. Memorials may be designated to Bethesda Lutheran Home, 600 Hoffmann Dr, Watertown, WI 53094.