May 26, 1927 – June 12, 2020
In the stillness of a cool summer afternoon on June 12, 2020, our beloved Mutti, Waltraud Emma Marie (Michaelis) Tomtschik, age 93, arrived at her heavenly home where she met Jesus, her savior, face to face. We imagine an embrace with Him saying, “Well done my good and faithful servant,” before giving her a grand tour of a beautiful garden prepared just for her, with bluebirds and abundant flowers in hues of purple and other colors she’s never seen. All this without a single “ugly varmint” to be found for miles around.
We imagine, too, that she’s having a joyful reunion with her husband, Emil, catching up on all that has happened since they parted over 27 years ago. So many other loved ones who have gone before are there to greet her, too, likely saying, “What took you so long?” Before she can respond in her thick German accent, Jesus interrupts her to say, “She was busy loving others with no limits and leaving a legacy that will last for generations to come.” She was born May 26, 1927 in Beienrode Germany and came of age during World War II, enduring many hardships, the most severe of which was the loss of her father in battle when she was a teenager. After the war, she met Emil and they married in 1948. It was as a young woman in Germany that she also received Jesus Christ as her Savior and was baptized in the Schunter River. Without knowing the language or what awaited her, she, her husband, and two oldest children immigrated to the U.S. aboard the S.S. Blatchford and arrived at Ellis Island, New York in 1951 with $24 to their name, at which time they took a train to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to begin their new life. In time, three more children were born. Waltraud and her husband owned several farms and apartment buildings, including a large dairy farm in Bowler, Wisconsin. Eventually, they settled on a farm outside Bear Creek where they raised Angus beef and worked the fields. After her husband passed away in 1993, Waltraud remained on the farm and lived on her own until her final days. But she didn’t fade away. Instead, she lived life even more fully by spending time with family, traveling, volunteering at Christian festivals and events, delivering Meals on Wheels, serving at Maranatha Baptist Church, holding sleep overs, expanding her passion for flower gardening, getting her ears pierced, and knitting hundreds of slippers, socks, and other handiwork to give away to those she loved. Her sharp wit, spunk, laughter, hospitality, and love were overflowing, and her faithful devotion to the Lord was only surpassed by His faithful love for her. Her deepest longing and daily desire, to the point of crying herself to sleep at night in pleading prayer, was that her children and grandchildren would trust in Him and His rich mercies.
She was preceded in death by her parents Anna Emma Minna (Rose) and Gustav Otto Albert Michaelis; husband Emil Tomtschik; two brothers, Günter and Werner Michaelis; sister Anneliese (Michaelis) Dieckmann; and granddaughter Tanya (Tomtschik) Sandersen. Those left to grieve include children, Waldemar (Carol) Tomtschik, Monika (Todd) Hoskins, Erika (Richard) Robinson, John (Patty) Tomtschik, and Tammy (Paul) Borden; 16 grandchildren including: Shelly, Wally Jr., Alex, Emme, Denise, Wil, Brian, Matthew, Ruth, Jodi, Nancy, Sheri, Rick, Julia, Sarah, and Annika; and numerous great-grandchildren and great, great-grandchildren. Plus all those “adopted” loved ones who called her Oma, mom, and friend.
She had many amazing adventures and stories – too many to share here. We hope to hear yours when we celebrate her life at a public visitation being held at Cline Hanson Funeral Home, 209 W. Cook St., New London, WI on Friday, June 19 from 9–11a.m. A service for family and almost family will be held at 11:30 a.m. A private burial service will be held on Saturday.