Joel Karnick
Dorothy Bucheger Wolf (nee Miller), age 98, surrounded by the love of her family, passed away peacefully into eternal life on October 24, 2024. She was born on September 20, 1926, to George and Kathrine (Sitko) Miller on their family farm in Park Falls, WI, the youngest of 3 children. After her mother’s passing in 1940, she began work as a waitress and caregiver. On March 2, 1946, she was united in marriage to the love of her life, Leo Bucheger, at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Park Falls. They were happily married for 50+ years, until Leo’s passing in 1997.
In 1999, Dorothy married Louis Wolf and shared five years of happiness and companionship. Throughout the years, she was a devoted wife and caretaker to both.
Leo and Dorothy purchased their farm in Glidden in 1950, where they raised six children. Their door was always open to friends, family, and even strangers. Dorothy could feed an army on a moment’s notice, much like Jesus with the loaves and fishes. She was an active member of the Most Precious Blood Catholic Church, the St. Anne’s Sodality, and the VFW Auxiliary.
Dorothy’s life was one of JOY (Jesus, Others, Yourself). Whether she was with family, coworkers, friends, or someone she just met, she was filled with JOY. She lived her entire life by example, never wavering in her acceptance of all. Optimism filled her heart. To say that her cup was half full was an understatement. It was always overflowing.
Faith was the cornerstone of Dorothy’s life. The Blessed Virgin Mary was her guiding light, and she prayed the rosary daily. In later years, Igor, her cat, prayed along as he snuggled on her lap.
Some of her favorite things were gardening, baking, waitressing, her White City neighbors, poetry, Daniel O’Donnell music, visiting friends at nursing homes, and traveling (most memorably, three visits to Germany and Austria with her daughters to visit family). And, of course, she loved everything about Christmas. Reading and reciting poetry, as well as journaling, brought her joy. She authored and was proud to share two stories of her life.
She always looked forward to working in her yard. One of her favorite activities was mowing her lawn on her John Deere Zero Turn mower, proudly ending this season with her last mow.
Throughout her long life, Dorothy demonstrated kindness, open-mindedness, curiosity, and inclusiveness. She loved many, and many loved her. But above all, she loved her family. She will be missed for all her wonderful traits, but most of all, she will be missed for her JOY!
Those left to cherish her memory include five children, Sherry (Bob) Reischel of West Bend, Sheila “Bunny” Pichler of Sun Prairie, Kathy (Ken) Schmidt of Sun Prairie, Sandy (Tim) Kempf of Three Lakes, and Pat Bucheger of Palmer, AK, ten grandchildren, Rob, Jenni, Ryan, Jessie, Jason, Kristin, Alex, Angie, Aaron, and Austin, and 23 great-grandchildren. In addition to her husbands, Leo Bucheger and Louis Wolf, she was preceded in death by son, Don Bucheger, her parents, George and Kathrine Miller, her brothers George and Emil Miller, and many other relatives.
A Mass of Christian burial will be held on Saturday, November 16, 2024, at 10:30 am at the Most Precious Blood Catholic Church in Glidden. Visitation will begin at 9:00 am, with burial at the Catholic cemetery immediately following the Mass.
The family would like to thank the Glidden EMT’s, the Park Falls Ambulance Service, Dr. Daniel and the thoughtful medical staff at the Marshfield Medical Center in Park Falls, and Birch Street Funeral Service (Ken and Anna) for their caring and professional support. And finally, a special thank you to Fr. Aloysius Anthony for traveling from Tomahawk to pray with and bless Mom and for his unending dedication to her.
Birch Street Funeral Service is assisting the family.
