Obituary of Helen Craig

Helen (Schenk) Craig passed away on Monday, March 28, 2016 at the age of 98, at Edgewater Haven Nursing Home in Port Edwards. Helen was born on March 21, 1918 to immigrant parents Ignatius and Anna (Veneigh) Deranek. Ignatius or Nick as he was known came to America from Germany as a young child with his parents who settled in Milwaukee. After money became scarce during the depression, he moved his family to a farm in Rudolph in order to better care for them. Her mother Anna immigrated to America from Austria as a teenager and lived with her sister in Sigel. After the Deraneks met and married they continued to live on the farm in Rudolph and ultimately had eleven children of which Helen was the third youngest. She attended from schools in the vicinity and helped work on the farm until she met and married Nekoosa resident, William Schenk on October 26, 1935. They lived on the large dairy farm in Nekoosa that belonged to his late parents and also ran the Schenk Dairy delivering bottled milk to private homes and stores in the area. In 1937, the dairy farm was sold and the couple moved to Wisconsin Rapids where they had the first of four children. Helen was active in the PTA at St. Lawrence Parish where their children attended school. William was employed at Consolidated Papers Inc. for 28 years until he retired due to poor health. He died suddenly of a heart attack in December, 1969 at the age of 64. Helen worked at the Montgomery Ward store in Wisconsin Rapids for eleven years. In 1971 she met Emerson Craig, a teacher at the Adams-Friendship High School. They married in December 1972, and moved to Adams where she lived for the next 24 years. After Emerson retired from teaching in 1998 they moved to Wisconsin Rapids. She worked at the H.C. Prange (now Younkers) for five years and retired. After nearly 40 years of marriage, Emmerson passed away in July, 2012. Helen is survived by 4 children: Jeanette Zieher, Roger Schenk, and Marjorie Wettstein all of Wisconsin Rapids and CG O'Conner of Albuquerque, NM. Also surviving are her grandchildren: Julie (John) Weinzierl of Jamestown, ND, Sean (Shannon) O'Connor of Beaverton, OR, and Rebecca (Brian) Dombrowicki of Menomonee Falls, WI, grandson-in-law Scott Schmidt of Port Washington, WI. Other survivors include sisters-in-law: Betty Lou Deranek of Wisconsin Rapids, Lorraine Schenk of Pewaukee, WI and Lois Craig of El Cajon, CA. Also surviving are many nieces and nephews. Helen was predeceased by her parents, husbands William Schenk and Emerson Craig, brothers: Anthony, Elmer, John, Joseph, Roman and Victor; sisters: Mary, Theresa and Emily an infant sister, granddaughter Sandy Schmidt and sons-in-law: Glen Zieher and Phillip Wettstein. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at St. Lawrence Catholic Church at 10:00 A.M. on Friday, April 1, 2016. Father David Bruener will officiate. Burial will be at Calvary Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 9:00 A.M. until the time of service at the church. Herman-Taylor Funeral Home is assisting the family. Online condolences may be expressed at www.taylorfuneralhome.net. The family of Helen Craig wishes to thank the staff and employees of Edgewater Haven for the kind and loving care given to their mother over the past months. Father in thy gracious keeping, leave we now our loved one sleeping.