2016 Fascinating
Folks of Delavan Anna Leitzke
Oz Karcher
Regular people doing fascinating things honored this Memorial Day Veterans, cancer survivor, late judge among this year’s ‘fascinating folks’
O
Mark Duran
A Keepsake Edition
n this Memorial Day weekend, the Delavan Enterprise pays homage to six community members who were in the news this year – two veterans, a late judge, a cancer survivor, a local historian and a disabled man with a positive attitude. They are among multiple people considered “fascinating folks” – ordinary people doing extraordinary things. The two veterans served in conflicts decades apart – one a Korean War veteran who got the opportunity to visit Washington D.C. on an Honor Flight, the other, a soldier wounded in Afghanistan. The cancer survivor was surprised with a memorable
ride home from a Pink Heals fire truck after her last treatment in Elkhorn. The late judge was Delavan’s municipal judge who died last year after working to bring accountability to the local courtroom. The local historian attained notoriety for being the go-to person for anyone seeking information about his or her heritage in Darien. The disabled man was recognized with an award this year for living independently and always having a positive attitude. We hope you’ll find their stories fascinating in this commemorative issue.
Korean War veteran gets emotional welcome home Page 2
FASCINATING FOLKS OF DELAVAN 2016
Delavan man takes first trip to capital on Honor Flight By Vicky Wedig EDITOR
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scar “Oz” Karcher got a much different reception when he returned home Oct. 24 from Washington, D.C., than he did 64 years ago when he came back from Korea. Karcher, a U.S. Army veteran from Delavan, came into Seattle by boat from Korea in December 1951 after spending 17 months recovering and repairing war vehicles from the frigid East Asian countryside. When the ship came in to port with about 300 soldiers on board, a fire boat saluted them with water cannons, and the Red Cross served coffee to the soldiers when they disembarked. “That was all there was,” said Karcher, now 85. Karcher witnessed a much different spectacle when he disembarked from a 747 last month at General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee after a trip to Washington on the Stars and Stripes Honor Flight. A mile-long brigade of American flags
and personnel from every branch of the military saluted the 13 World War II veterans and 179 Korean War veterans as they walked from the plane and through the airport. “You could tell that they were all longtime service people by their ribbons,” Karcher said. “You felt pretty honored to have these guys come and salute you.” Behind the military personnel were nearly 3,000 friends and family members of the veterans, holding up signs welcoming their loved ones home from the day-long trip and thanking them for their service. “There were a lot of tears,” said Penny Kresl, of Delavan, one of Karcher’s six children. “A lot of them got overwhelmed.” The Karcher family alone had 22 members there to welcome Oz Karcher home. Karcher said the reception upon returning home was the most significant – and unexpected – part of the trip for him. “When you feel you had all these people saluting you, it was kind of honoring,” Karcher said.
Happy to Serve
The emotions that came with the return from the journey began earlier for Tim Mason, who accompanied Karcher on the trip as his guardian, and knew what was waiting on the tarmac. “Tim was crying, knowing what he was walking him in to,” said Sue Roberts, of Madison, Karcher’s daughter and Mason’s girlfriend. The road to D.C. The idea to sign Karcher up for the Honor Flight came from a Lions Club meeting Mason attended in Madison about two years ago. The first Honor Flight took 12 veterans to Washington, D.C., in May 2005, and flights across the country have been taking as many veterans as possible to see the memorials of the wars they served in since then. The organization takes veterans who sign up on the trip in order of their dates of service. “They’re trying to find the people that haven’t gone because they want them to have this opportunity,” Roberts said. World War II veterans were given
priority over Korean veterans, so, after applying to go on the flight, Karcher’s family waited. With each year that passed, the family also wondered if Karcher would get the opportunity to see the nation’s capital for the first time. “I was getting really worried because three years ago, he had a mild stroke,” Roberts said. She checked in with the organization and learned the names of Korean War veterans who wanted to take the trip were backed up. “They said they were still finishing World War II veterans then getting to Korean War (veterans),” she said. Korean War The Korean War began five years after World War II ended. It was fought from 1950 to 1953, so its youngest veterans are about 80 years old. World War II veterans still living are at least 88 years old. Karcher was 19 years old in 1950 and stationed in Japan. The Army had fashioned a group of soldiers trained to recover and repair military vehicles that were broken down or damaged in battle,
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FASCINATING FOLKS OF DELAVAN 2016
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Oscar “Oz” Karcher, of Delavan, a Korean War veteran, looks at the World War II memorial in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 24. The memorial contains 4,082 stars, each of which signifies 100 lives that were lost in World War II.
SUBMITTED PHOTO Fascinating Folks
SUBMITTED PHOTO Fascinating Folks
A woman, who is among nearly 3,000 people who welcomed World War II and Korean War veterans home from their Honor Flight trip to Washington, D.C., on Oct. 24, wears a t-shirt bearing a saying honoring veterans.
Oscar Karcher Oscar Karcher was born at home on his parents’ farm in Sharon on Aug. 30, 1930. After graduating from Darien High School in 1948, he enlisted in the U.S. Army as the Korean War was beginning. Karcher was in the 8th Army Div. 612th Ordinance Service Co. that was sent to Yokohama, Japan. He served there with the 612th from April 1949 to 1950 then went to the 545th Ordinance Service Co. and was promoted to staff sergeant. He served from May 1950 to July 1950 in Korea. He also played football for the Army Div. 229 Bombers.
Karcher said. “I think they knew the Korean War was coming,” he said. He was sent to Korea in July 1950 – a month after the war began – with the group, called a “bastard company” because it wasn’t part of any Army division but supported 10 other companies. “Our people supported all the divisions,” he said. “Our main objective was we supported the trucking companies. We went out and brought in stuff that was broken down or shot up.” Karcher recalls Korea being severely cold, and questioned a guard about the rain coats the soldier
statues are wearing in the Korean War memorial in Washington D.C. “Why do they all have raincoats on?” he said. “Where I was, it was freezing cold.” The Korean War Veterans Memorial was built in 1995 near the Lincoln Memorial and features 19 stainless steel statues that are 7 feet tall and wearing ponchos that appear to blow in the cold winds of Korea, according to koreanwarvetsmemorial.org. On Karcher’s trip, the group also visited World War II, Lincoln, Roosevelt and Iwo Jima memorials and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.
Korean War timeline
SUBMITTED PHOTOS Fascinating Folks
Oscar “Oz” Karcher, of Delavan, is pictured in his U.S. Army portrait. Karcher served 17 months in the Korean War when he was 19 and 20 years old. The 85-year-old traveled to Washington, D.C., on Oct. 24 to see the war memorials there. Oscar “Oz” Karcher is pictured with a military vehicle during the Korean War in the early 1950s. Karcher served in a unit that recovered, repaired and maintained war vehicles for 10 other Army companies.
June 25, 1950: North Korea crosses the 38th Parallel, invading South Korea. June 27, 1950: Truman commits U.S. Naval and Air support to South Korea and calls for United Nations intervention. Sept. 15, 1950: With United States, United Nationa and Republic of Korea forces pushed back nearly to the end of the Korean peninsula, MacArthur launches the Inchon Invasion. Oct. 19, 1950: U.S. forces occupy Pyongyang Nov. 4, 1950: Chinese divisions enter fighting. March 15, 1951: U.S., UN and Korean forces retake Seoul. March 24, 1951: MacArthur unilaterally issues an ultimatum to the People’s Republic of China. April 5, 1951: Truman dismisses MacArthur from command.
April 11, 1952: Truman relieves Eisenhower of command so he can run for President. June 1952: Washington authorizes bombing Korean power plants on the Yalu river. July 11, 1952: U.S. air attack on Pyongyang. Aug. 5, 1952: Rhee wins another clearly rigged election. Nov. 4, 1952: Eisenhower wins presidential election in landslide. Nov. 29, 1952: Eisenhower secretly goes to Korea on fact-finding mission Feb. 11, 1953: Eisenhower replaces the frustrated Van Fleet with Lt. Gen. Maxwell Taylor. March 1953: Armistice formally re-establishes the division of Korea. No formal treaty is reached. Sources: Sparknotes.com and faculty. polytechnic.org
Local wounded veteran awarded for positivity
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FASCINATING FOLKS OF DELAVAN 2016
Delavan man is ‘Mr. Congeniality’ of mountain-biking excursion By Vicky Wedig
A
EDITOR
Delavan veteran wounded in Afghanistan was awarded for exuding positivity during a mountain-biking event in Utah last month. Mark Duran, 42, who describes himself as “an artsy fartsy ski coach,” took part in the first off-road Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride in Park City, Utah, from Sept. 2-6. Duran was surprised when, at the end of the three biking days of the event, he was presented with the sole award issued at the first-time camp – the Mike Roman award. Mike Roman was not a veteran but a Missouri man whose leg had to be amputated after it became
severely infected after knee surgery in 1994. Roman endured such extreme pain, he asked his wife to help him end his life, Duran said. His wife refused, of course, Duran said, and, as a last resort to manage Roman’s pain, he began to use a nerve stimulator. The stimulator – Duran also uses one – improved Roman’s pain level so much, he gained a new zest for life and wanted to do all kinds of things including car racing. He did, and as a result became an inspiration for others particularly wounded veterans and was nominated in 2012 for a Wounded Warrior Project Carry Forward Award. Duran was issued a plaque that features a picture of Roman, who died in 2012 at the age of 45 from cancer, standing on his single leg next to his race car. The
SUBMITTED PHOTOS Fascinating Folks
Wounded veterans stop for a photo during the first off-road Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride in Park City, Utah, in September. Mark Duran (back row, fourth from left), of Delavan, received the Mike Roman award during the event for invoking a spirit of positivity.
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The road to service Case is from Williams Bay and attended Beloit College, but Duran was born in New Mexico and raised in Utah. The family spent summers in Williams Bay and on Geneva Lake. Today, after suffering traumatic brain and spine injuries in 2005, Duran finds solace on the water. “Being on the lake is very therapeutic,” he said. Duran obtained his bachelor’s degree in Alaska and his master’s degree in education at the University of Oregon. He also attended art school in Europe and was coaching skiing and teaching art in Utah when the “artsy fartsy ski coach” decided it was time for a new environment. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1999. He was sent to Germany where he was stationed from 2000 to 2002 and again from March 2003 until August 2007. From April 2005 to January 2006,
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Mark Duran, of Delavan, is in his Delavan home holding the Mike Roman award and Trek bicycle he won for evoking positivity during the first offroad Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride. The artwork behind Duran is a work of his in progress.
VICKY WEDIG Fascinating Folks
Trek Bicycle Corp. also provided a new mountain bike. Duran said the award is essentially the Mr. Congeniality designation of the event, given to the person who invokes a spirit of positivity. Reflecting on how he invoked positivity among the 20 wounded veterans who took part in the camp, Duran shrugs his shoulders. “When you’ve been through really, really horrible things, every day is a gift, and you pass it on,” he said. Duran’s mom, Toby Case, 73, of Williams Bay, jokes that her son’s humility is in part from being raised with a bossy big sister.
FASCINATING FOLKS OF DELAVAN 2016
Duran did a tour in Afghanistan as part of a military police unit. On Sept. 7, 2005, a suicide bomber drove into his troop’s convoy in a marketplace in the Afghan village of Gereshk. Eight people died in the blast, including a small boy on a bicycle who was in the middle of the road, and 27 people were injured, nearly all Afghan locals, Duran said. Duran was the only American fully exposed to the blast. Protective gear absorbed most of the shrapnel, he said, but Duran suffered traumatic brain injury and fractures to multiple vertebrae, and his internal organs were collapsed by the blast. He was flown by helicopter to Kandahar Air Field where he spent two weeks under observation and was given the option of returning to Germany but declined. “I wanted to be with my unit,” he said. After a few months back with his unit, Duran said, he was not doing well physically or emotionally and was sent back to Germany and medically retired from the Army in 2007. He was awarded a Purple Heart. The road back home Duran returned to Williams Bay in August 2007, worked at a regional office of the Veteran’s Administration and obtained a therapeutic recreation degree from George Williams College. In 2013, he went back to New Mexico and applied for the Homes for Wounded Heroes program through the Military Warrior Support Foundation. Duran requested a home in Wisconsin, and the only home in the state that was available
through the program was in Delavan – eight miles from his mother in Williams Bay. Duran moved in to his new home in Delavan in 2014 and now works with Adaptive Adventures – an organization that provides outdoor opportunities to people with disabilities. He also teachings skiing to people with disabilities at Alpine Valley and
Cascade Mountain ski hills in the town of Lafayette and Wilmot, respectively, and coaches the Southeastern Wisconsin Alpine Team for kids. Duran continues therapy at the V.A. Hospital in Milwaukee where he participates in groups for people with post-traumatic stress disorder and has begun biofeedback, which senses where pain and stress are occurring in the body.
VICKY WEDIG Fascinating Folks
Above: Mark Duran, of Delavan, finds boating on Geneva Lake and watching sailboats race therapeutic. He was injured by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan in 2005.
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FASCINATING FOLKS OF DELAVAN 2016
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The healing
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power of
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Firefighter, EMT brigade accompanies cancer patient after last chemo treatment
SUBMITTED PHOTO Fascinating Folks
Anna Leitzke, of Delavan, stands next to the Pink Heals fire truck after her last round of chemotherapy at Aurora Lakeland Medical Center in Elkhorn on April 23.
PINK HEALS
Graybill started Pink Heals with one truck eight years ago. The organization now has about 180 trucks in chapters in three countries. Leitzke was escorted by the Lake Country Chapter, which was founded By Vicky Wedig by a member of the Lake Country Fire EDITOR Department in Delafield in 2012 and houses its pink truck in Nashotah, said Sandy hen Anna Leitzke emerged Rosch, a member of the founding board of from Aurora Lakeland the Lake Country Chapter. Medical Center after her last Wisconsin also has Pink Heals chapters chemotherapy treatment April in Sheboygan and Mishicot, according to 23, a pink fire truck signed by the Pink Heals website. thousands of cancer patients was The group raises money for women waiting to take her home. undergoing treatment for all types of “This was very much a surprise to her,” cancers and raises awareness. said the 20-year-old’s mom, Kathy Leitzke, Rosch said in Lake Country’s first two of Delavan. “She had no idea. She was years of existence, it focused on raising speechless.” funds and generated $33,000 for local Standing with the pink truck outside cancer organizations and patients. It the clinic door were about 50 people that contributed to Stillwaters Cancer Support the hospital emergency medical technician Services in Waukesha, which provides coordinator hadinvited to see Anna Leitzke counseling to cancer patients and their off. Tears welled at that point. families without accepting insurance or A little farther down the road, Anna patient payments, Rosch said. Leitzke saw firefighters, EMTs and police It also provided transportation and officers from the Town and City of Delavan funding for people undergoing treatment at waiting to join the brigade. ProHealth Care and Aurora facilities who “She just turned and looked at me like, needed financial assistance. ‘What did you do?’” Kathy Leitzke said. This year, however, Rosch said, the Members of the Town of Delavan chapter is shifting its focus to conducting department wore their dress blues, and the more home visits – bringing the fire truck Leitzkes rode home to Delavan in the pink to the homes of cancer patients to brighten truck escorted by four more fire trucks and their days and increase visibility in their an ambulance. communities. When they arrived in Delavan, the trucks The escort from the hospital, however, turned on their sirens and the Leitzkes was a first, said retired Lake Country greeted about 30 more friends waiting in firefighter Dave Godgluck, who drove the their front yard for Anna’s arrival. pink truck. The escort was a first for Pink Heals – a non-profit organization founded in 2007 by FIREFIGHTING FAMILY retired firefighter and former professional Godgluck met the Leitzkes – a family of athlete Dave Graybill, of Phoenix. firefighters and EMTs – at the Wisconsin
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EMS Association convention in January in Milwaukee. Anna’s dad, Brian, is a retired Delavan firefighter, Kathy Leitzke has been a Town of Delavan EMT for 21 years, Anna Leitzke has been with the township department for a year, and her brother Andrew Leitzke, 17, is getting ready to join, Kathy Leitzke said. Godgluck was at the convention with the Pink Heals truck, which Anna Leitzke signed. Godgluck pulled Kathy Leitzke aside and explained what the organization does. When Kathy Leitzke mentioned Anna’s last chemo treatment scheduled for April, “I said why don’t we pick her up at the hospital and bring her home from the hospital for a party?” Godgluck said. The Leitzkes got their EMT and firefighter friends to join them. “Everybody was on board and just jumped at the chance to be along with us,” Godgluck said. Three departments were lined up to escort Anna home, but the City of Elkhorn department was dispatched to a fire call on its way to the hospital, Kathy Leitzke said.
PROGNOSIS
Anna Leitzke’s April 23 was the last of six out-patient chemotherapy sessions at the Vince Lombardi Cancer Clinic in Elkhorn since being diagnosed with ovarian cancer less than six months ago, Kathy Leitzke said. She said Anna began having symptoms when she went back to school last fall at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater where she is in her second year of veterinary school. Doctors diagnosed Anna’s complaints as constipation and other gastrointestinal disturbances, Kathy Leitzke said.
Then on Nov. 29, Anna Leitzke was on a rescue call for the Town of Delavan and had sudden, severe abdominal pain “like somebody punched her,” Kathy Leitzke said. Anna Leitzke was taken to Aurora Lakeland Medical Center where she underwent surgery to remove a 20-by-20 centimeter – football-sized – cyst from her abdomen. Kathy Leitzke said the cyst was beginning to rupture, which caused the pain. She said Anna had chalked her bulging abdomen up to gas and bloating. “She looked like she was in the early stages of pregnancy,” Kathy Leitzke said. Three days after the cyst was removed, Anna Leitzke had a pulmonary embolism – a blood clot in her lungs, and, at that point, the family received the pathology report that showed the cyst contained some cancer cells. The diagnosis was Stage 1 ovarian cancer – an illness most often found in women older than 63 years old, not a 20-year-old woman. “We all were very nervous about it, including Anna,” Kathy Leitzke said. “We had the same questions. We never thought we’d hear those words for one thing, and didn’t know what this meant, where we were headed. “I locked up. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t talk.” Anna Leitzke saw a gynecological oncologist at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Milwaukee and underwent six rounds of chemotherapy – one full day every three weeks – at Lakeland. One of her ovaries was removed, and she will have one more surgery to remove her appendix, but she is expected to be able to have children, Kathy Leitzke said. “She should come out with a clean bill of health, and have a normal family life,” she said.
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FASCINATING FOLKS OF DELAVAN 2016
Municipal judge dies at age of 69
Good neighbors you can count on.
By Vicky Wedig EDITOR
The City of Delavan’s municipal judge for the past five years died Oct. 2 at the age of 69. James A. Ritchie died at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Milwaukee. He was elected Delavan’s municipal judge in 2010 succeeding former Judge LeRoy Himebauch, who held the office for 10 years. Himebauch fired his court clerk, Henry Johnson, and stepped down from the office in March 2010 before the April election after authorities discovered the court had failed to properly report citations including drunken driving offenses to the state Department of Transportation. Ritchie was a retired police officer who sought the office when the infrequency of trials, too many plea agreements and the failure to collect fines raised red flags with him. Ritchie spent 34 years with the Delavan Police Department, and he and his wife, Barbara, lived in Delavan for 47 years. He is survived by Barbara, two children and four grandchildren. When Ritchie ran for municipal judge in 2010, he said several problems needed to be addressed including too many plea agreements that the judge had no knowledge of, a municipal prosecutor who needed to be “brought up to par” and paperwork that wasn’t being filed properly. When Ritchie was elected – Himebauch’s name appeared on the ballot even though he quit before the election – he began publishing outstanding warrants in the Delavan Enterprise and collecting past due fines and forfeitures. He said at that time, the city anticipated $140,000 in revenue in 2009 for municipal fines, but the court collected only $79,000. Ritchie said at that time that the lack
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James A. Ritchie of trials in Delavan’s municipal court indicated too many cases were being settled between the prosecutor and defendants without the defendants ever appearing before the judge. Before becoming a police officer, Ritchie worked as a driver’s education teacher at Delavan-Darien High School and as head of security at Andes Candies in Delavan. A memorial service for Ritchie took place at St. Andrew Catholic Church, 714 E. Walworth Ave., Delavan. Visitation was held at Monroe Funeral Home, 604 E. Walworth Ave., until the time of the service Saturday at the church.
A true passion for the stars Retired astronomy professor talks about Mercury transit
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Delavan-Darien Rotarian and retired astronomy professor Wayne Osborn spoke to the Delavan-Darien Rotary Club about the Mercury transit that took place May 9. The event, which happens when the planet Mercury passes across the sun, takes place 13 or 14 times per century. The last one visible from the United States was in 2006, Osborn said. On May 9, the transit became visible at 6:12 a.m. and lasted until 1:42 p.m. Osborn is a volunteer at Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, and he told Rotarians that in spite of cloudy skies, the transit was visible for about an hour in the early morning of May 9 and then again just at the end of the event through a break in the clouds. Mercury is the closest planet to the sun at about 37 million miles. For such a Mercury transit to be visible, the earth and Mercury must line up just right in their orbits around the sun. The next Mercury transit will occur Nov.
11, 2019, and then not again until 2032, but neither of these will be seen in southeast Wisconsin. The next one well-placed for Wisconsin will be in 2049. The first transit that was observed at Yerkes Observatory was in 1907. Osborn described the orbit of Mercury as “elliptical” and said Mercury’s day is longer than its year because of its slow rotation. He told Rotarians that he became interested in astronomy from his father, who had read the “Mutiny on the Bounty” trilogy in the 1950s. His father related how Captain Bligh of the Bounty had to navigate nearly 4,000 miles using the stars after the mutiny to reach safety. The tale generated an interest in the stars for Osborn, and he decided to become an astronomer, eventually earning a doctorate from Yale University. Now retired from Central Michigan University, Osborn lives in Delavan.
FASCINATING FOLKS OF DELAVAN 2016
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Delavan man awarded for achievement at VIP Services Recipient with disabilities known for cheerfulness, helpfulness even higher functioning than he is. When Fleming was born in the 1940s, facilities like John Fleming is known for his Lakeland School weren’t available, she said. cheerfulness and his eagerness to help other “He was born at a time that there wasn’t people despite being born with cognitive a lot of avenues like there are today,” Bruno disabilities. said. “He’s as happy as can be,” said his sister, At VIP Services, Fleming labels Dottie Bruno, of Delavan. Kikkoman bottles and follows specific one Bruno gets a phone call from her brother, on-one directions. who thrives on routine, at 6 a.m. every day, “You have to give him the direction and and hears an enthusiastic good morning. then he’ll get the job done,” Bruno said. “He calls me every morning,” she said. She said Fleming loves to be asked for “He’s always cheerful.” help like raking leaves at her house but needs The 69-year-old was tickled pink, Bruno to be guided through each step of the task. said, when his name was called at VIP “If I ask him to do anything, he really Services’ 31st annual recognition dinner as its likes that,” she said. Individual Achievement Honoree of the Year. Bruno said Fleming has a green thumb, “He was overwhelmed,” Bruno said. “It loves plants and decorations and decorates meant a lot for him. I think it’s great for their for every holiday. self-esteem. He’s just as proud as a peacock.” VIP Services benefits specialist Carolyn Fleming was born in Norristown, Pa., with Morris presented Fleming’s award at the numerous congenital problems and moderate banquet at Evergreen Golf Club in Elkhorn. intellectual disabilities, Bruno said. He She said Fleming received the award lived with his parents, Virginia and Francis not just for reaching one or two goals but Fleming, in Pennsylvania until moving to because he achieves every day. Morris said Delavan six years after his dad died. Fleming follows directions and doesn’t stop Bruno and her husband had been when assigned job is finished but asks what transferred to Chicago through an employer he can do next. and had a summer home on Delavan Lake Bruno said Fleming will help other VIP before moving to Delavan Lake. After her clients with their tasks as well and loves dad died in 1989, Bruno said, her mother, being there. who suffered from multiple sclerosis, “It gives him a purpose,” she said. “These decided to move to Delavan to be near her people need a purpose to get up and to daughter in 1995. interact. Fleming, who, along with caregivers, “I’m very fortunate, and he is extremely helped take care of his mother with MS, fortunate, that we have a place locally that came along. reaches out to those with disabilities.” Virginia and John Fleming moved into an Angie Brunhart, of VIP Services, wrote in apartment at Abbey Way in Delavan where remarks about Fleming that he is a consistent caregivers came in during the day to help role model for what it means to be a valued care for Virginia, Dottie said. They would set worker. things up for dinner so that John could later “John is a consistent bright light,” she push the button to start the stove, give his wrote. “He is always upbeat, friendly, mother dinner and get her to bed, she said. cheerful and positive. He never fails to do “That’s why he, I think, he really likes to his best, no matter how challenging the task. help people,” Bruno said. “He loves to go up When John sees someone who needs help, he to the nursing home.” never hesitates to step in to lend a hand. “ When Virginia Fleming died, John At the reception, which VIP staff say is Fleming stayed at the Abbey Way apartment a high point of the year for its clients, area and lives independently with one of his businesses also were honored. mother’s former caregivers, Pat Brown, Kikkoman Foods Inc., of Walworth, was checking on him routinely. Bruno said named the Business Partner of the Year, Brown has become like part of the family and Continental, of Delavan, was named and stops in two mornings a week for Employer of the Year. companionship and to do laundry or tidy up. KIKKOMAN Fleming is a familiar face at the nearby For nearly 45 years, Kikkoman Foods Shopko and Piggly Wiggly stores where employees become concerned if they haven’t has been a member of the Walworth County business community. Globally known and seen him in awhile, Bruno said. After their mother passed, Bruno said, she respected, Kikkoman is the largest soy sauce manufacturer in the world. As a longstanding also felt Fleming needed to have something and multi-faceted partner with VIP Services, to do and heard about VIP Services in it is an exceptional example of corporate Elkhorn by word of mouth. He started citizenship, according to VIP Services. working in the facility’s workshop 13 ½ As one of VIP’s original business years ago. partners, Kikkoman has engaged in a “John absolutely loves it,” Bruno said. mutually productive partnership with VIP’s “He goes two days a week, and that’s his highlight of the week. It’s just a family there. production workshop by providing steady subcontract packaging and labeling work for It’s such a nice environment.” its clients. Fleming doesn’t read and his speech is difficult to understand, but he communicates “Partnerships like the one we have with Kikkoman Foods are vital to nonprofit and understands a lot through pictures and organizations particularly in these associations, Bruno said challenging times,” VIP services wrote in its “He’s very social but you do have a hard acknowledgement of Kikkoman “It’s with time understanding him,” she said. tremendous gratitude and thanks that VIP His short-term memory is poor, but his Services honors Kikkoman Foods Inc. as long-term memory is good, Bruno said. She Business Partner of the Year. “ said if he were younger, he would likely be
VIP Services Executive Director Cindy Simonsen (on left) presents John Fleming, of Delavan, with the honoree of the year award at the Elkhorn agency’s 31st annual recognition dinner at Evergreen Golf Club in Elkhorn on Feb. 4.
By Vicky Wedig EDITOR
HEATHER RUENZ Fascinating Folks
CONTINENTAL
Continental, formerly Synerject, is an international company that provides engine management systems and components to the marine, motorcycle and recreational industry manufacturers. The company has a strong commitment recruiting and hiring people with disabilities, according to VIP Services. VIP Services recommendation led to the
company being recognized as an exemplary employer for people with disabilities by First Lady Tonette Walker and the Department of Workforce Development at the Southeastern Wisconsin Business Summit. By providing employment for people with disabilities, individuals are able to lead a more selfdetermined life and gain greater vocational independence, according to VIP Services.
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Thank you Veterans and U.S. Troops for your service
Page 10
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Folks digging for Darien roots look to ‘Sherlock Shirley’ FASCINATING FOLKS OF DELAVAN 2016
By Vicky Wedig • EDITOR hirley Sisk doesn’t know everything. She just knows where to find out. “In my own little area, I’m just good at finding things,” said the Darien woman who will turn 85 years old in June. That skill earned her the nickname Sherlock Shirley, which adorned her Walworth County Genealogical Society nametag years ago. Sisk is able to find maps, pictures and articles – knowledge acquired from years of haunting area libraries, particularly microfilm at the Aram Public Library in Delavan. Descendants looking for stories of their family history typically visit places where people talk and information is kept, she said. “When people come to town searching for something, they go to the local coffee shop or library,” Sisk said. In Darien, people at Deb’s Café and the Darien Public Library, point informationseekers to Sisk. “When people come to town, they seem to get sent to me,” she said. When Ken Amon, of Elkhorn, came to Scheurell Insurance Agency in Darien years ago to talk about village roadwork with agent and then-Village Board President Robert Wenzel, he also wanted to find a picture of a school in Sharon township. “Bob sent him to me,” said Sisk, who worked for Wenzel at the time. “I know where stuff is.”
Sisk directed Amon to a threedrawer file cabinet in the Sharon library and told him specifically in the cabinet where he would find a book with a picture of the school in it. When a man in a pickup truck with Texas plates stopped at the Shirley Sisk library looking for his family’s old homestead, library staff sent him to Sisk. She was able to point out the exact spot the family’s home once stood thanks to mapping skills she learned from her father, Donald Beardsley, who was born in 1911 and was the town clerk and assessor in Sharon for many years. Beardsley knew who had lived where and what features a house had inside – information he gained as the local assessor, Sisk said. “When he was older, I’d take him for rides, and he’d tell me the history of places,” she said. “That’s so-and-so’s house or there’s three fireplaces in there.” Sisk said she became interested in genealogy when she was about 40 years old and was looking to fill her oldest daughter’s baby book. She went to her friend Joyce Huckaby, who belonged to the Women’s Club, which published a local history book. “She says, ‘No, you’ll be hooked,’” Sisk said. Against Huckaby’s advice, Sisk forged
ahead and was hooked indeed. She researched the Beardsley side of her family and learned her ancestors came to the Zenda area in the 1840s then moved to Kansas where her grandfather, Charles Beardsley was born in 1875. The family moved back to Wisconsin when Charles was a boy, Sisk said. Sisk grew up in the Town of Sharon, attended all 12 years of school in Darien and graduated from Darien High School in the 1940s with her class of 13 peers. While in high school, she was the editor of the school newspaper. After high school, Sisk married and raised four kids, who are all now in their 60s – Sharyn Sheen, of Janeville; Gary Sisk and Larry Sisk, both of Darien; and Sandy Rima, of Elkhorn. After Sisk’s interest in genealogy was past the point of return, Sheen asked if she could borrow all the information Sisk had gathered. She returned her mother’s research organized into a binder of pictures and information. Alongside the genealogy binder is one filled with local history – a collection of Sisk’s own research and items borrowed and copied from others. Sisk said her father used to keep things that pertained to Sharon history from the 1950s, and Sisk began collecting it. After her initial meeting with Amon, he shared with her historic postcards that he collected. Through sharing with other people and copying items of interest, Sisk built her collection of Darien history. “I just have all these things I sort of collect,” said the 60-year resident of Darien. Sisk also shared things with the late
Page 11
Gordon Yadon, Delavan historian, former postmaster and columnist for the Delavan Enterprise. In 2004, Sisk said, Yadon borrowed some newspapers from her in exchange for some circus papers that he had. Yadon wrote a four-week series called “Gems Out of the Past,” that drew on a book Sisk gave him about Luella Randall Tudor, a local woman who graduated from Delavan High School in 1900 whose letters to her wouldbe husband were published and mentioned numerous Delavanites. In Yadon’s columns, in citing his source of the information, he gave Sisk a new title – Darien historian. “He always gave somebody credit,” she said. “I didn’t start out to be Darien historian. He’s the one that dubbed me Darien historian.” One thing Sisk doesn’t know is why people in Darien, Wis., pronounce the name of their town Dairy-ANN. The residents of Darien, Conn., also say Dairy-ANN, but Darien, Wis.’, ties are to Darien, N.Y., where people say DAIRY-en, Sisk said. Dariens in Illinois and Georgia also use the New York pronunciation. Sisk’s theory is there is no way to trace the origin of the pronunciation – it’s simply an error. “Nobody knows how to pronounce it,” he said. “It’s DAIRY-en.” One theory was that a former ice cream shop in Darien called Dairy Anne prompted the pronunciation. But Sisk said the pronunciation came first. “They named the ice cream factory after the fact that we pronounce it wrong,” she said.
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Page 12
FASCINATING FOLKS OF DELAVAN 2016
Delavan Lake Properties MLS: 1466732 – DELAVAN Three bedroom, one bath cottage across the street from Delavan Lake. Wood floors in the upstairs bedrooms. Close proximity to boat launch and beach…..$93,000
MLS: 1377013 – DELAVAN Large 5 bedroom cottage w/lake rights to the Jackson Park pier system and swim area on Delavan’s North Shore. Plenty of room in this classic summer retreat…..$135,000
Situated on a double lot is this cute 2 bedroom, 1.5 bath bungalow. Updated light fixtures, bathrooms, 2 car detached garage. Association includes access to the Highland’s pier system, boat ramp, park w/sandy beach……$139,900
MLS: 1460035 – DELAVAN Immaculate lakefront condo w/ gorgeous granite counters, tile floors, large room sizes, a beautiful fireplace and a spacious deck for entertaining .......................$164,000
MLS: 1440928 – DELAVAN More space than it looks in this 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath home in Assembly Park subdivision. Large living room with fireplace and walkout to private deck…..$189,000
MLS: 1465622 – DELAVAN Geneva Landings lake access condo, this bright 2BR, 2.5BA condo includes a first floor master w/private bath, open concept great room w/ gas fireplace…..$215,000
MLS: 1458628 – DELAVAN 2BR, 2BA unit in Geneva Landings featuring main floor master suite, open concept great room with cathedral ceiling, gas fireplace and waterfront deck…..$224,900
MLS: 1462564 – DELAVAN All remodeled and ready to enjoy is this 3BR, 2BA home in the active lake community of Assembly Park. Take in the lake views from the front patio!……$249,000
MLS: 1404569 – DELAVAN A boat slip on the main body of Delavan Lake comes with this spacious two story vacation property featuring four bedrooms and three full bathrooms……..................$249,900
MLS: 1475056 – DELAVAN Completely rebuilt in 2008 in this beautiful updated 4BR, 2.5BA w/ Delmar Assoc. lake rights! First floor master, kitchen w/ granite counters, great room w/ gas FP…..$259,000
MLS: 1462221 – DELAVAN Affordable, low maintenance 3 bedroom, 2 bath with 40’ of Delavan channel frontage. Perfect get away!.....$260,000
MLS: 1461963 – DELAVAN Charming Frank Lloyd Wright designed one-bedroom gatehouse with remodeled interior to provide modern convenience with old world charm……..$260,000
MLS: 1456422 – DELAVAN Bright, open condo w/ wood floors & lakefront patio. This Garden unit has lakeside master suite, second bedroom w/ water views & sleeping room or den……$269,000
MLS: 1445497 – DELAVAN This Geneva Landings garden unit has it all! 2 bedroom, 2 bath, living room w/gas fireplace & kitchen w/ granite counters……$295,000
MLS: 1473687 – DELAVAN Inviting 3 bedroom lake house featuring a spacious open concept layout, great room w/ high knotty pine cathedral ceilings and hardwood floors…..$299,000
MLS: 1471724 – DELAVAN Start enjoying summers on Delavan Lake! This 4BR, 2BA cottage features 3 separate decks providing fantastic lake views! 20’ boat slip which can hold a boat & jet ski…..$299,000
MLS: 1460903 – DELAVAN Spacious 3 bedroom, 3 bath condo in Delavan Gardens. Great room with gas fireplace and French doors leading out to patio. Deeded boat slip and lake rights!.....$349,000
MLS: 1474655 – DELAVAN Extremely well maintained 4BR, 2.5BA two-story Colonial w/ Delavan Lake rights, gorgeous 3 seasons room, full basement and insulated 2 car att garage…..$359,000
MLS: 1461107 – DELAVAN Open concept 3BR, 2BA newly constructed Lake Home with 90’ of channel frontage, natural fireplace, loft, wood floors and private boat slip……$375,000
MLS: 1434536 – DELAVAN Spacious 2-story lakefront just steps from the water’s edge featuring 40 feet of frontage and a master balcony to drink in the breathtaking sunsets…..$539,000
MLS: 1467927 – DELAVAN Take in the stunning lake views in the 2BR Cape Cod along Delavan’s North Shore. Features wood floors, natural FP, enclosed sun porch. Lakefront deck great for entertaining…..........$575,000
MLS: 1456546 – DELAVAN Remodeled 4 bedroom, 2 bath Delavan Lake home with a plethora of spectacular features. There’s 80 feet of prime lake frontage and panoramic views of the water…............$735,000
MLS: 1465334 – DELAVAN Newly constructed 3BR, 2BA, lakefront home on 39 feet of level north shore frontage. Expansive lake views and includes 3 car garage, full basement and additional parcel.......……....$749,000
MLS: 1457913 – DELAVAN Classic 7BR, 5BA lake home on 60’ of prime North Shore frontage. Includes master suite on first and second floor, deck, oversized pier & 2.5 car garage….............. $749,000
MLS: 1440967 – DELAVAN Classic four bedroom, three bath lakefront home with 63 feet of frontage. Two fireplaces, two car detached garage, hot tub, and large deck…..$875,000
MLS: 1464909 – DELAVAN Spacious 4BR, 4BA, lakefront home featuring vaulted ceilings, first floor master suite, oversized deck, boat house and 94 feet of North Shore frontage…..$999,000
MLS: 1440060 – DELAVAN Take in views of the entire lake with this remodeled 5BR, 3BA Delavan lakefront resting on 50’ of prime South Shore frontage…..$1,069,000
MLS: 1450958 – DELAVAN Lakefront Estate with three houses, 83’ of lakefront and 275’ of road frontage. 4 Bedroom main home, 4 bedroom guest house, and 2 bedroom cottage…..$1,499,000
MLS: 1445126 – DELAVAN Remodeled Delavan Lakefront! 121 feet of frontage, 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, updated kitchen, large living room with cathedral ceilings, in ground swimming pool…..$1,999,000
MLS: 1461945 – DELAVAN Magnificent prairie-style 6BR, 7BA lakefront estate on 200’ of South Shore frontage. Features theatre and billiard rooms, four guest suites, 3.7 acres…..$2,950,000
MLS: 1447127 – DELAVAN
Ryan Simons | Keefe Real Estate (608) 852-3156 · 416 Bauer Parkway · Delavan, WI www.DelavanLakeProperty.com 242923