Theresa F. Schraufnagel

Theresa F. (Schmidt) Schraufnagel, 87, of rural Brownsville, WI, passed away peacefully on March 21, 2025 at SSM Hospital/Hospice, Fond du Lac, WI with her husband at her side.  Her beautiful eyes closed for the last time and the world lost a hard-working, kind-hearted, determined woman.

Theresa was born on December 16, 1937, in the Township of Vinland, Winnebago County.  She was the second child and only daughter of Louis and Catharine (Lefeber) Schmidt.  In her younger years, she enjoyed growing up on a farm, which is where her love of all animals began.  Her long, red, childhood hair braids would fly in the breeze as she swung on a swing her daddy made for her.  Theresa attended Catholic grade school at St. Matthew in Campbellsport, WI.  She graduated from Lomira High School in 1955, as her class Valedictorian.  Theresa met Kenneth J. Schraufnagel at a barn dance and after a couple years of dating, they were united in marriage on April 26, 1958.  Theresa (Tes) was employed by Mercury Marine from 1955-2008, where she held many office positions including accounting, procurement, production and materials inventory management.   She was instrumental in organizing the Mercury Marine Quarter Century Club events for many years.  Tes retired from Mercury Marine after 52.5 years in 2008.

Theresa was a member of St. Andrew Catholic Church in LeRoy, WI, where she enjoyed being a member of the church choir.  She also served her community as Town of LeRoy Treasurer and was Clerk for the Village of Kekoskee.  She was very proud to be on the Brownsville Community Club Board of Directors.  Theresa enjoyed sewing and making various crafts and she would stay up all night making crafts to sell the next day at one of her craft shows.  Theresa loved riding motorcycles with Ken and earned her own cycle license.  She also enjoyed snowmobiling and was one of the earliest members of the LeRoy-Knowles Country Riders with Ken.  Theresa loved cars, especially her Corvair.  She was gutsy and drove it wind, rain, sun, sleet, snow or ice.

Theresa and Ken bought their first of four farms together in 1972.  Their nephew Don started working for them and they had a shared passion and love of farming for over 53 years together.   They would giggle that Theresa was the “brains” of the operation, Ken had the “looks” and Don had the “brawn”. Theresa and Ken thought of Don like their very own son.

Theresa is survived by her husband Kenneth, Nephew Don (Joan) Wiese and their three daughters: Kathryn (Kurt) Hintz, Carrie (Nick) Tibbott and Colleen (Andy) Giese.   Theresa was the best “BONUS GRANDMA” ever to these three girls.  She was so fond of the littlest farm helpers, and took pride knowing they were the next generation: Connor and Aubrey Hintz, Dallen, Addelyn and Alden Tibbott and Brynlee, Lennon and Jetsen Giese.  She is further survived by her in-laws Ruth (Wayne) Margelofsky, Dorothy (Richard) Fink, Arlene (Jim Schmidt) Pierog, Andrew (Bonnie) Schraufnagel, many nieces and nephews as well as other relatives, friends and neighbors.  She was preceded in death by her parents, her in-laws Andrew P. and Mary P. (Feucht) Schraufnagel, her brother Robert A. (Elda) Schmidt.   Also preceeding were sister-in-law Susan (Donald) Wiese and brother-in-laws Eugene Schraufnagel and Ed Pierog.

Ken wishes to thank Don and Joan Wiese and Cheryl Strook for the loving, compassionate, attentive care they provided Theresa during her illness.   He also appreciates the staff at SSM Hospital/Hospice for their support to Theresa and her family during her stay.

In lieu of flowers, memorials to St. Andrew Church Restoration Fund would be appreciated.

A Mass of Christian Burial for Theresa ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­will be held Wednesday, March 26, 2025 at 11:00 a.m.  Visitation will be held on Wednesday, March 26^th from 9:30 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. at St. Andrew Catholic Church, (LeRoy), Lomira, WI. Fr. Edwin Kornath will preside. Entombment will follow at the Shrine of Rest Mausoleum, Fond du Lac, WI.