Ann E. "Wall" Gerlach

Ann E. (Wall) Gerlach, age 94 of Richland Center, WI, formerly of Eastman and Bloomington, WI, passed away peacefully on Friday, August 29, 2025, at Schmitt Woodland Hills Nursing Home in Richland Center, surrounded by family.

Ann was born on November 17, 1930. She was the youngest of four children born to Charles and Mary (Prochaska) Wall. She lived for 60+ years on Wall Ridge, the namesake of her family. She married Robert Gerlach on November 24, 1948. He preceded her in death on February 4, 1999. They were married for 50 years and had 15 children.

Ann's deep Catholic faith gave her strength and inspired her generosity and commitment to her church communities. Prayer was her constant companion in times of struggle. Always devoted to her faith community Ann was an active member of St. Wenceslaus, Eastman WI for most of her life. St. Mary's in Bloomington, WI, where she enjoyed Woman's Bible study and St. Mary's in Richland Center, WI.

Ann was incredibly proud of her Bohemian heritage and kept her family's legacy alive in stories, poems, books and Bohemian songs, which she would sing while playing the accordion. One of her most meaningful accomplishments was the creation of two books with her daughter Liz, detailing the Prochaska, Wall and Gerlach family lineages. Ann's incredible recall for details, dates and faces enhanced her ability to share family history in relatable stories that kept it alive to be passed onto the next generation.

Ann was the centering force of the family. She was true to her convictions and generous. She lived with great humor and loved company; there was always time for a good visit. Ann had a passion for her poetry and writing with over 100+ written poems. Her poems were often an expression of her faith and family and she was so proud to have one of her poems published. "Merry Christmas, Dad" (The Falling Rain, The International Library of Poetry, page 204).

Ann loved to work alongside her children, tending to the enormous garden, canning fruit and vegetables, butchering chickens, milking cows, baking bread, and picking berries. She enjoyed playing softball after supper with her children, playing cards, reading, and sewing. She was especially known for her arts, crafts, and music. She encouraged her children to learn to play an instrument and read music. She played accordion into her late 80's, and sang and yodeled into her 90's.

Ann was a past member of the Fisher-Lechnir-Wall Post 252 American Legion Women's Auxiliary. She was recognized by the U.S. Department of Defense for having 12 of her children serve in the armed forces. She constantly sent care packages, letters, cards, supplies and anything else needed by her children and grandchildren, as well as the population where they served. Ann's unwavering prayers and support for her children as they served at more than 100 assigned and deployed locations worldwide speaks to her incredible devotion, dedication and patriotism.

Ann loved to share stories of her grandchildren and was immensely proud of what they accomplished. She embroidered baby blankets for each one and sewed stuffed animals for them as they got older. Her encyclopedic mind for birth dates meant every child received a card, letter or phone call on their birthday. Ann's grandchildren remember her healing hugs, endless energy, patience and resourcefulness; showing them how to run a wringer washer, can fruits and vegetables, sew doll clothes, make wastebaskets and doll clothes hangers from plastic containers, bake bread and endless other tips to solve everyday problems. She had a solution for everything, never said 'no' to an idea and let them climb, play and run as far as their little legs and imaginations could take them.

Ann is survived by her children Leo (Lois) Gerlach, Virginia "Ginny" (Robert) Hayes, Maxine Copsey, James "Jim" (Aiko) Gerlach, Thomas "Tom" (Kimberly) Gerlach, Samuel "Sam" (Sherry) Gerlach, John Gerlach, Agnes "Aggie" Durns, Jacob "Jake" (Juanita) Gerlach, Pete Gerlach, Margaret (Gary) Lott, Dorothy (Lee) Crabtree, Lucy (Rich) Bergmann, Elizabeth "Liz" Gerlach (Brian) Brown; son-in-law Don Lund; sister-in-law Maxine Wall; 55 grandchildren, 72 great grandchildren and 29 great great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents; daughter Patricia "Pat" Lund, grandson Devin Gerlach; siblings Charles, Joseph and Bernard Wall; daughter-in-law Wanda Gerlach and son-in-law Robert Durns.

Mass of Christian Burial will be Thursday, September 4, 2025, at 11:00 A.M. at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church in Eastman, WI, Fr. Chinnappan Pelavendran officiating with burial in the church cemetery. Friends may call at the Garrity Funeral Home on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, from 4:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M., where there will be a recitation of the rosary at 7:30 P.M. Friends may also call at the church on Thursday an hour prior to Mass.

Memorials sent in Ann's name will be donated to Salesian Missions, EWTN, and family masses.