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Wanta, Irene C.

Irene C. Wanta, age 84, of Clintonville passed away Tuesday, July 16, 2019 at Greentree Health & Rehabilitation Center, Clintonville.

The former Irene Cecelia Ploeger was born on May 22, 1935 in the Town of Elderon, Marathon County, to James and Cecilia (Verkuilen) Ploeger. She was united in marriage on June 12, 1954 to William M. Wanta at Holy Family Catholic Church in Wittenberg. The couple lived in Galloway and moved to Tigerton in 1977; they settled in Clintonville in 1992. In her early years, she was a seasonal worker at the Vlasic Pickle Company in Bonduel. Irene also cooked and drove bus for some years for the Head Start Program in Wittenberg and Tigerton. More importantly, she was a homemaker who was a devoted wife, a loving mother, and a proud grandmother. Her husband preceded her in death on March 1, 2006. Irene is a former member of St. Joseph in Galloway and St. Anthony in Tigerton; and is currently a member of St. Rose Church in Clintonville. Family was always number one whether it was spending time with her children, grandchildren, or siblings. Irene enjoyed dancing, listening to polka music, playing cards, baking, and sewing. Irene was also an incredible cook, known best for her wonderful homemade chicken soup. She also liked going up north fishing in the Rolling Stone and Pickerel Lake areas. In her later years, she loved coloring, winning at Yahtzee, and reading the obituaries in the newspaper.

Survivors include seven children: Pat (Bob) Laurent, Cheryl (Herb) Pehlke, Linda Wanta, Mike (Carri) Wanta, Mary Tullberg, Michelle (Ron) Olson, and Julie (special friend Terry Quaintance) Fry. There are 27 grandchildren: Brian, David, Jeremy, Amanda, Wayne, Paul, Tim, Ryan, Dan, Brandon, Nathaen, Colby, Loghan, Josh M., Jason, Chris, Kyle, Karl, Dalton, Jasmine, Austin, Dylan, Brianna, Josh F., Elizabeth, Jacob, and Brayden. She is further survived by 15 great-grandchildren; a sister Ann Cayo; two sisters-in-law, Diane Ploeger and Betty Wanta; two brothers-in-law, Gerald (fiancée Pat Kriesel) Wanta Sr. and Robert (Delores) Wanta; and many other relatives and friends. Irene is preceded in death by her parents, her husband William Sr., son William Jr., daughter Renee Meyer, infant grandson Alex, daughter-in-law Laura Wanta, son-in-law Michael Fry, and infant great-granddaughter Hope Malueg. She is further preceded by a sister Marie (Edmund) Rzentkowski; and three brothers, Jerry, Donald, and James (Regina) Ploeger.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, July 22nd at 10:30 a.m. at St. Rose Catholic Church, Clintonville. Rev. Timothy Shillcox, O. Praem, will officiate and burial will follow in the parish cemetery. Visitation will be held on Sunday from 4:00 – 8:00 p.m. at Beil-Didier Funeral Home, Clintonville, and on Monday from 9:30 a.m. until time of mass at the church.

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