Susan Wynhoff

Wynhoff, Susan

Susan Maureen (Haupt) Wynhoff, 69, passed away peacefully on November 15, 2015, surrounded by her loving family.

She was born May 1, 1946, in Marinette, the daughter of the late Norman and Helen (Stoltz) Haupt. Sue graduated from Newman High School in 1964 and went on to earn a Bachelor of Music from The University of Wisconsin Madison in 1968. During her college years, Sue played baritone horn in the UW Band and was a member of the Delta Zeta Sorority. It is there that Sue met Peter Wynhoff, who worked in her sorority kitchen. After two years of courtship and walks down Langdon Street, Pete and Sue were married June 29, 1968, at St. Anne's Catholic Church in Wausau, the same Parish where Sue attended school and was confirmed. Pete and Sue moved to Marshall, MN, for the first two years of their marriage before returning to Wausau, where they raised their three beautiful daughters.

While their girls were little, Sue was a stay-at-home mom and a part-time music teacher. The Wynhoff family home at 604 Edgar Avenue, where laughter and music were the norm, was a draw for neighborhood friends. The children played kickball and softball in the street and kick-the-can throughout the neighborhood. Pete and Sue connected with their friends through Bridge Clubs, Bowling Leagues, and the Las Vegas Six. The family spent summers and weekends at the Haupt Family Cottage, enjoyed Friday night fish frys, and reveled in times together as an extended family. Working and mothering full time, Sue furthered her education at The University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, earning her Master of Music Education in 1990. Sue was a passionate person who loved life, music, and family. Through the years, Susan and Peter supported their daughters at musicals, band and choir performances, piano, instrumental, and voice lessons, dance classes, swimming lessons, softball and soccer games, and Pom Pon events. The Wynhoff parents are well known for the support they offered their daughters' friends, teammates, and D.C. Everest community. Sue embodied the essence of the musical arts. She played baritone horn in the Wausau Symphony and Mosinee Band and volunteered her time as a pianist for St. Mark Church, where she also directed choirs. Susan Wynhoff was a genius at the keyboard, fingers flying across the ivories at her beloved grand piano. She filled her home with music, playing concertos and teaching young children how to begin their musical journeys. Her laughter and rhythm mingled as she patiently encouraged children to create their own passion for the gifts music has to offer, while her own daughters slid notes under the door with needs that only a mother could fulfill. Mrs. Wynhoff's Studio Recitals featured and celebrated her students' accomplishments and were filled with her attention to details: flower lapels for all performers, recital programs, refreshments, congratulatory hugs, hand-written certificates, and small stories of each student's growth as a pianist. Mrs. Wynhoff taught classroom and choral music in both parochial and public schools. She led her students to collaboratively compose two school "fight" songs: The St. Mark School Song and Riverside's Thunderation. Sue filled her classroom with recorders, Orff instruments, African djembes, assorted percussion equipment, and keyboards. She offered her students a range of experiences from singing silly songs in a round to appreciating classical composers. Going above and beyond, Sue gave her students opportunities beyond the classroom. One example was performance trips to First American Bank during the holidays. Local business people left their desks at the sound of young, fresh voices and took a moment to appreciate the musicians' talents. Students remember the bank's return gift: gold-foil chocolate coins. Mrs. Wynhoff also directed full-school musicals with elementary school students. She prepared the actors for their roles, mobilized her colleagues to support with sets and costumes, and accompanied the cast at the piano. Students still comment at how much they loved music class because of her: Mrs. Wynhoff was a teacher who helped shape her students' lives and inspired them to see their own values and talents, instilling a true appreciation for the performing arts. As the D.C. Everest Junior High Choir Director, Mrs. Wynhoff added a fresh touch to a strong music program. The most visible of her work was her singing group she renamed "The Noteables," a group of young singers who performed throughout the community and beyond. With her contagious passion, Sue continued directing musicals and was invigorated to be a part of a solid directing team. Mrs. Wynhoff inspired countless students to follow in her footsteps, extending her tutelage to many with far reaching impact into the greater world. Music defined her soul. Her contagious laughter and bright blue eyes will be remembered forever by those who knew and loved her.

Susan was preceded in death by her parents, Norman and Helen Haupt, and is survived by her sister Luanne (Robert) Turkot and brother Michael (Heather) Haupt. Her spirit is carried on by her husband, Peter Wynhoff; three children, Michelle (Jeff) Lindell, Nikki Wynhoff, and Allison Wynhoff (Kristofer) Olsen; five grandchildren, Mariah, Brigitte, Ryeniah, Anika, and Sora; and an extended family of relations and friends from all walks of life.

Memorial gifts may be made to Frontal Temporal Dementia research:

http://www.theaftd.org/get-involved/ways-to-give/electronically. A memorial fund is also being established in Mrs. Wynhoff's name. This fund will provide opportunities for elementary through junior high school students and their teachers to experience live musical performances.

The Funeral Mass will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, November 23, 2015, at St. Mark Catholic Church, 602 Military Road, Rothschild, WI. The Rev. Allan Slowiak will officiate. Visitation will be held on Sunday, November 22, 1:00-4:00 p.m. at Brainard Funeral Home, 5712 Memorial Court, Weston, WI, and again on Monday, November 23, from 10:00 a.m. until the Mass at the church. Burial will follow at Restlawn Memorial Park, Wausau.

Condolences may be given at www.brainardfuneral.com

The family would like to offer heartfelt thanks to the staff of the Legacies by the Lake program at North Central Health Care, particularly the warm hearts at Evergreen during Susan's final journey