Obituary of Caroline A. Stigler

Caroline A. Stigler (nee Schmuki) Age 89, of Waukesha, Wisconsin passed away peacefully on Wednesday, December 19, 2012 at Seasons Hospice in Waukesha. She was born on July 6, 1923 in Waukesha, Wisconsin the daughter of the late Ernest and Margaret (Brandt) Schmuki. Caroline was the eighth of eleven children in the Schmuki residence on Cook Street in Waukesha. That home remained in the family for ninety years. Caroline attended St. Joseph School in Waukesha and graduated from Waukesha High School in 1942. After high school she worked as a switchboard operator at T.A. Chapman's department store in downtown Milwaukee. On September 20, 1947 she was united in marriage with George J. Stigler Sr. at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Waukesha. Together they had seven children: Kenneth, George Jr., John, Marilyn, William, Donald and Richard. Caroline was dedicated to her husband, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She never forgot a special occasion, always mailing a card and phoning on their special days. Caroline cherished family birthday and holiday get togethers. Caroline will be dearly missed by her children, Kenneth (Pamela) Stigler, George Jr. (Peggy) Stigler, John (Prudence) Stigler, Marilyn (Mark) Kenyon, Donald (Carol) Stigler, Richard (Nadine) Stigler; her grandchildren, Daniel (Jessica Weidner), Brian (Rachel), Eric (Craig Lewandowski), Benjamin, Caitlin, Alison, Matthew, Rebecca, Katherine and Isaac Stigler, Amy (Tyler) Kurt and Jeffrey Kenyon; her great-grandchildren, Eva and Emery Stigler and Carter Kurt; her step-grandchildren, Melissa (Michael) Heerboth, Patrick McKenna and Meghan McKenna; and step-great-granddaughters, Penelope and Lillian Heerboth. Caroline is also survived by her sister, Ann Brook, and sisters-in-law Eunice Reinders and Ruth Stigler. She was preceded in death by her husband, George, who passed away in May 2012; her parents, son William, brothers Ernest Jr., Richard, Claude, Harold, Edward, and William Schmuki; sisters Margaret (John) Bacon, Evelyn (Robert) Richards, and Eleanor (Harold) Brown. The family would like to thank Dr. Patrick Ginn and everyone at Waukesha Family Practice Center for their many years of compassionate care. The family would also like to thank the staff of Seasons Hospice for their care of Caroline during the last two months. The family also wishes to express its deepest appreciation to Ann Brook for her time and effort supporting Caroline during her illness. A visitation for Caroline will be from 4:00 PM until 7:00 PM on Sunday, December 23, 2012 at the Cesarz, Charapata & Zinnecker Funeral Home, 237 N. Moreland Blvd., Waukesha, WI 53188. A second visitation will be from 9:00 AM until the 10:00 AM Mass of Christian Burial on Monday, December 24, 2012 at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 822 N. East Ave., Waukesha, WI 53186. The Reverend William Key will officiate the service. Burial will immediately follow at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Waukesha. Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer's Association Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter, 620 South 76th Street, Suite 160, Milwaukee, WI 53214, Association for the Rights of Citizens with handicaps (ARCh), 419 Frederick Street, Waukesha, WI 53186 or a charity of your choosing.