Obituary of Josephine Frances Bencke

Josephine F. (Herman) Bencke, 83, Wisconsin Rapids, passed away peacefully surrounded by family, on March 20, 2016 at the House of the Dove in Marshfield. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Tuesday, March 29, 2016 at Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Wisconsin Rapids. Father Valentine Joseph will officiate. Serving as pallbearers will be Josephine's 6 grandsons. Visitation will be at Herman-Taylor Funeral Home on Monday, March 28th from 4:00 P.M. until 8:00 P.M. with a rosary service at 7:30 P.M. Visitation will also be held on Tuesday from 10:00 A.M. until the time of services at the church. Burial will take place at Calvary Cemetery. Josephine was born on January 30, 1933 in Rudolph WI to Alfred and Frances (Arnold) Herman. She attended school in Rudolph as well as Wisconsin Rapids. Josephine began working at Woolworth's department store when she was 15 years old. She held various sales clerk positions throughout the years. These positions were very rewarding to her as she loved getting to meet and interact with others. Josephine was united in marriage to George D. Herman on May 20, 1950 at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Wisconsin Rapids. They were blessed with two sons, Douglas and Ronald. Her husband George died on November 3, 1959. Josephine married Lyle W. Bencke on June 3, 1961 at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Wisconsin Rapids. They had two daughters, Mary and Sally. Lyle died on January 6, 1994. Family was extremely important to Josephine. Her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren were the center of her world. Although she was an only child, Josephine had the good fortune to have many cousins that she was very close to and she maintained these close relationships throughout the years. Josephine enjoyed very special relationships with her first cousins Eileen Livernash, Marilyn Getzloff, and Joan Revers. These ladies were the sisters that Josephine never had. Her cousin Virginia Alft was also very close to her as was her nephew James Termaat and his wife LaBelle. James and Louis Revers will be serving as honorary pall-bearers. In her spare time, Josephine enjoyed time spent with family and friends - playing cards, visiting, and telling stories. Those that knew her best will remember Josephine for her big-heartedness, love of people, and friendly personality. Josephine is lovingly survived by children: Douglas (Donna) Herman of Minneapolis, MN, Ronald (Elaine) Herman of Wisconsin Rapids, Mary (Ronald) Arnold of Vesper, and Sally (Steven) Zillman of Marshfield. She is further survived by her grandchildren: Sara (Zach) Riebolt of Whitefish Bay, Karl (Kate) Herman of Minneapolis, MN, Jeremy (Jessica) Herman of Wisconsin Rapids, Amy (David) Houtevelde of Wisconsin Rapids, Justin (Roxanne) Herman of Wisconsin Rapids, Heather (Dwayne) Malcolm of Port Edwards, Rebekah Thurber (Mat Gotz) of Wisconsin Rapids, Joseph Arnold of Oshkosh, and Ross and Mitchell Zillman both of Marshfield. Josephine adored not only her children and grandchildren but also her great-grandchildren. For her, it wasn't a holiday if there weren't children around. She is also survived by great-grandchildren: Jeremy Herman Jr., Justis Herman, Katie Herman, Xander Multerer, Ashley Kuter, Makayla Herman, Matthew Herman, Jordan Herman, Bryanna Vann, Elijah Vann, Lydia Thurber, Emily Thurber, Isabel Thurber, Augustus and Louie Herman. Each of these children were extremely special to "Grandma Jo". Jo's family would like to thank the staff at the House of Dove and UW Cancer Center for all of their compassion and care that they showed to her and her family and to Father Valentine for his visits and prayers. As Josephine said "In the end all you have left are the memories that you made with your family and friends." Cherish them always.