ELISABETH “ELSA” “OMA” T. SPAETH
Elisabeth “Elsa” “Oma” T. Spaeth, age 90, of Glenwood City, WI passed away on Friday, November 20, 2015 at Glenhaven Inc. in Glenwood City, WI, one day after her 90th birthday. Many friends and family members were there on her birthday to visit and wish her well, most importantly her son, granddaughters and great grandsons.
Elsa was born November 19, 1925 in Zaisertshofen, Germany to Sylvester and Magdalena (Hobmeier) Woerhl. She was the fourth of five children and grew up in Munich, Germany. She and her family endured very difficult times during the depression and were often forced to seek shelter from bombing raids during the later years of World War II. For the rest of her life, she hated the sound of thunder during a storm.
On June 4, 1949 Elsa married Harris Spaeth, an American soldier serving in post-war Germany. Later that year they sailed to America where she began a new life in her husbnad’s family home in Glenwood City, WI. On June 22, 1950 their only child, a son Terrence Ralf was born to them.
Shortly thereafter, Elsa came down with a cold and sent her husband to the drug store for some medicine. When he returned home, he told her he also bought the local cafe. Thus Elsa and Harris ran the Midway Cafe for the next 40 years! One of Elsa’s many jobs every morning was making the pies. She made six pies per day, six days a week for an estimated 74,880 pies! Through that endeavor, they were well-known in the community. Many people in the area felt like the Midway was a welcoming gathering place for all and some even laid claim to their “own” stools or booths, which others didn’t dare occupy!
One of the many pleasures of her life were the long holiday weekends she and Harris spent with their grandchildren at Terry and Linda’s cabin in northern Wisconsin. Another pleasure in retirement was meeting her good friends downtown for coffee every morning. What a great group that was! Elsa was a lifelong member of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church where she served on various committees and brought communion to homebound members or nursing home residents.
Elsa is preceded in death by her parents, husband Harris in 1991, one brother and two sisters. Elsa is survived by her son Terry of Zurich, Switzerland; daughter-in law-Linda (Ken) Presley of Eau Claire, WI; granddaughters Heidi Lawrence and Jessica Spaeth (Jon Whitaker); three great-grandsons Aidan Lawrence, Reilly Lawrence and Jeremy Whitaker all of Wilmington, NC; sister Irma Kiener of Munich, Germany. She is further survived by many nieces, nephews other relatives and friends.
Mass of Christian Burial was held at 11:00 a.m. Monday, November 23, 2015 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Glenwood City, WI with Father John Long as celebrant. Burial was in the church cemetery. Anderson Funeral Home in Glenwood City, WI was in charge of the arrangements.