Obituary
Rita Florentine Crabtree
Rita Florentine Crabtree, age 75,of Holmen, Wisconsin, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, December 18,2018, at Bethany St. Joseph Care Center. She was born on March 3, 1943, to Franz and Celia (Kuehnl) Widhammer.
She married John Louis Crabtree on July 6, 1963, at St. Elizabeth Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. John preceded her in death on November 26, 2014. Rita attended Messmer High School, in Milwaukee, WI. She worked in retail most of her career until retirement from Marshall’s in Madison, WI. She loved to crochet, sew and paint. She especially enjoyed passing her love of these crafts to her children and grandchildren. She also liked to stay busy taking walks around the neighborhood, reading, watching her favorite crime dramas or just helping out around the apartment complex.
Rita is survived by her children, Chris (Terry) Wehrle of Holmen, WI, Cathy (Steve) Chizzo of Stevens Point, WI, and Nancy Freer, of Livingston, MT; her 4 grandchildren, Nicole Shepherd, Natalie (James) DeBoer, Katelyn and Stephanie Chizzo; her sister-in-law Joan Crabtree; and numerous nieces and nephews. Rita was preceded in death by her husband, John; her parents, Franz and Celia (Kuehnl) Widhammer; her siblings, Elroy (Marianne) Widhammer, Lucille (James) Losik, Rev. Nicholas Widhammer OFM Cap., and Elizabeth (Bracy) Curtis.
Thank you to Dr. April and the staff at Mayo Clinic Health System for making the transition to the nursing home so smooth and the staff at Bethany St. Joseph Care Center who took such great care of her in her final weeks. In lieu of flowers, memorials to Coulee Region Humane Society are preferred. A private family service will be held.
To Rita’s family; I extend my deepest sympathy to all of you. I pray that God will reunite her with John soon, and know that she is now happily at peace. If there is anything I could do for you I would, just feel free to ask.
Jane Koel-Schein