Joyce (Kessler) Schleis

On Monday, September 21, 2015 an amazing woman slipped peacefully from this life and exchanged her tired body for the pure joy of heaven. Our Mom was born in Appleton on May 18, 1924, to Floyd “Butch” and Christena (Weyenberg) Kessler. She graduated from Appleton High School in 1942, attended business school in Milwaukee and there married our beloved Dad, Ed, in 1946. Together they build a home and raised their family in Menomonee Falls. In 1980 our folks moved to the family cottage on Lake Winneconne, sharing their retirement years, content and finding joy in the simple pleasures of garden and workshop. For 32 years it was the welcoming home where our families came together for countless gatherings, celebrating birthdays, marriages, new grand and great-grandchildren. Mom could always see the sun “just back in the east”, even in the midst of torrential rain. A red bird in her feeder left her breathless and initiated phone calls. The autumn harvest of apples yielded sauce to last the winter for all of us. No head, neck or foot was without a hand knit hat, scarf or slipper. Your choice … Badger red or Packer green and gold? She was a passionate fan of every team, no matter the shape of the ball.

When not at the lake, Mom and Dad explored the country in their RV and spent many, many winters enjoying beach and biking on Sanibel Island, Florida. For the past three years Mom has made her home at Renaissance Assisted Living where she delighted in new friends, turned caregivers into family, loved and was loved in return.

Joyce is survived by her four children, eight grandchildren and four great-grandsons. Daughter Kathy (Steve) Rieth and their children: Jenny (Scott) Koehnke and Jenny's sons Drew and Sam Merryfield and their father Tom Merryfield and Mike (Julie) Rieth and their sons Josh and Jack; son Bob (Jodi Otto) Schleis and their son Ben; daughter Martha (Mike) Broadway and their children Katie, Clare and Matt; and daughter Meg (Bryan) Sirchio and Meg's sons Jake and Nick Groves and their father Tim Groves.

Joyce was preceded in death in August 2007 by our Dad and her husband of 61 years, Edward Leary Schleis. Mom's only brother Bob Kessler died in the South Pacific on April 20, 1944, and a beloved granddaughter, Katie Rieth, entered heaven in July, 1979.

We will gather to celebrate Joyce's life on Sunday, September 27, 2015 at STONE CELLAR RIVERVIEW GARDENS, 1101 S. Oneida Street in Appleton. The family will greet friends beginning at 12:30 pm and a buffet lunch will follow our time of remembering, led by Reverend Bryan Sirchio. The family will be wearing Badger, Packer, Brewer and Bucks shirts and we invite everyone to do the same. Mom would approve! Online condolences can be offered at www.wichmannfargo.com.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established for the Lad Lake Recreation Fund. Lad Lake, P.O. Box 158, Dousman, WI 53118, is a residential treatment center for at-risk youth. Our brother Bob has worked as the recreation therapist there for 32 years.

Joyce Schleis loved endlessly and her wish would be for all of us to do the same.