Wilma Thier

The world lost a spirited and passionate individual with the passing of long-time Park Falls

resident, Wilma Thier. Wilma passed away in the early morning hours of September 12, 2026, at

the Marshfield Medical Center in Weston, Wisconsin.

Wilma Rae was born on December 8, 1945, in Lake Park, Iowa, to Richard and Ina Ringler. She

grew up on a small farm with a little white farmhouse that was filled with love and her adored

siblings. Many funny and touching memories were shared through the years regarding times on

the farm. She attended Lake Park High School, graduating in 1964. Wilma was a good student

and played the clarinet in the band.

After high school, Wilma started her life’s journey as a young mom, working and living in Spirit

Lake, Iowa. Wilma had several jobs that included running her own daycare and selling ads for a

local newspaper. She was very active in the community and eventually took her skills to the

Iowa Great Lakes Chamber of Commerce.

Wilma moved to Park Falls in 1983 and initially ran a small business in Fifield. She later worked

for many years as the best sales representative the Park Falls Herald ever had. She had a

natural knack for developing life-long relationships with the good people and businesses in the

Park Falls area, which led her to finish her career at the Park Falls Chamber of Commerce.

There were no strangers to Wilma, just friends she hadn’t met yet. She worked well into her 70s.

Both she and her husband, Tony, were active members of the community, and she was chosen

as the Flambeau Rama Parade Marshal in 2023 in recognition of her many contributions to the

fabric of Park Falls.

Wilma’s happy place was at home. Her home was Family Central, and she was the heart of the

home. She had a knack for decorating and making a house feel warm and homey, especially

going all out for holidays. She was an excellent and adventurous cook and will be fondly

remembered for her VERY full refrigerator and willingness to try new recipes. Food was her love

language. During family gatherings, she went from preparing a meal, cleaning it up, and then

immediately preparing the next meal. Her many friends still remark about how she was right

there with wonderful food and words of comfort in their hard times. She loved a good card

game, but nothing was better than spending time loving on and playing with her grandchildren

and her beloved dogs, Brandy and Woody. She and Tony also tended a big garden and enjoyed

watching and feeding the birds in their backyard. Sunflowers were her favorite flower, and sunny

yellow was her favorite color.

Preceding her in death were her parents; mother-in-law Marie; brothers-in-law Jerry, Dan,

Steve, Bill, and Chip; and sister-in-law Judy.

Wilma is survived by her loving husband Tony; children Lora, Lanette (Ken), Jeff (Tara), and

Clifford (Johannah); daughter-in-law Joelle; stepsons Kevin (Michelle), Glen (Connie), Eric, and

David (Fawn); grandchildren Kyle, Krista, Josh, Jenna, Clyde, Josslyn, Denae, Bryce, Jackson,

Anna, Caitlen, Mason, Sean, Collin, Ryan, Zeke, Colton, and Monty; and many nieces and

nephews. She is also survived by her siblings Arlene, Marlys, Ken (Rosemary), and Rick (Patti);

her sisters-in-law Mary Ann and Rita; and her very special friend, Janet.

The family would like to thank the doctors and caregivers in the Marshfield Clinic system and

her dialysis team at DaVita for the excellent and compassionate care Wilma received.

A celebration of life will be held on October 17, 2026, at the Legion Hall in Park Falls from

3:00pm to 6:00pm with sharing of memories at 5:00pm.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to Catkins Animal Rescue.

Birch Street Funeral Service is assisting the family.