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Michael Benusa, avid Mississippi River fisherman, dies at 93
Michael Benusa passed away peacefully on May 3, 2024, at the age of 93. Born on September 23, 1930, in Waumandee, Wisconsin to Michael and Minnie, he was the youngest of five children: Emil (Olive), Gilbert (Ruth), Albert (Orphie), and Mary (Edward).
He moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the 1940s and worked various jobs, including as a welder for Harnischfeger and Allis Chalmers, before he and four other Allis Chalmers employees started their own welding company, Weld Power, where he worked until retirement. He served in the Army National Guard from 1950 to 1953. He and his late wife Cheryl (Meier-Pawlak-Benusa), moved to Buffalo City in 1981. Over his lifetime, he was an avid fisherman and motorcyclist, and loved walking and biking, often walking home from breakfast at the Pier 4 in Alma.
He is survived by his sister Mary (Tulius), his son Jason, stepsons Timothy Pawlak (Kim) and Thomas Pawlak, step-grandchildren Dakota, Sierra, Thomas (Virginia), and Tiffany (Eric), and many other step-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. His brothers preceded him in death.
A Memorial Catholic Mass will be held on Wednesday, May 8, 2024 at 11:00 AM at St. Boniface Catholic Church with Father Arul Doss as Celebrant. Burial will follow at the Parish Cemetery. A memorial gathering will be held on Wednesday from 10:00 AM until the hour of the Mass.
The Talbot Family Funeral Home, Cochrane, has assisted the family with arrangements.
Please share a memory of Michael or express your words of comfort for his family at www.talbotfuneralhomes.com
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
243 N Main St P.O. Box 263, Cochrane, WI 54622
Memories and condolences can be left on the obituary at the funeral home website.
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