Natalie C. Andraski

 

Natalie “Nat” C. Andraski, age 96, of Wausau, WI, passed away on Thursday, August 10, 2023 at Aspirus Hospital, Palliative Care Unit.

Natalie was born August 26, 1926, in Chicago, IL to the late Clarence and Agnes (Dallman) Pagryzinski (Page). At the age of three, she and her parents moved to the Town of Reid, WI, and the Pages took over the Dallman family farm after the death of Theodore Dallman. The move to WI and the farm coincided with the timing of the stock market crash and the beginning of the Great Depression.

Natalie attended Rosenberry School (a one-room schoolhouse) through the eighth grade, but was unable to attend high school. Instead, she continued to work on the 80-acre farm with her mother while her father worked one or more jobs to supplement the family’s income. About half of their land was devoted to potatoes and Natalie milked seven cows in the morning and evening, all work was done by hand. There was no phone, nor electricity, and lanterns or candles were used for light. The Pages owned two plow horses, Dan and Pet — Natalie loved working with Pet as “he was the speedy one and turned corners neatly while cultivating the fields.”

The farm was sold in 1943 and, following her 17th birthday, Natalie worked in Milwaukee for three winters — first as a waitress, then as a nanny, and then as a retail clerk at Schuster’s department store. Each summer she returned home to help with family chores and to supplement their income by grading and sorting pickles and green beans picked by neighboring farmers. Natalie often talked about how she loved her Milwaukee experience, the people she met there, and how it opened her eyes to life away from the farm.

Natalie married John Andraski on August 30, 1947 at St. Ladislaus Church in Bevent, WI. They first met at her parent’s tavern (Page’s Place) when she was 18 and John was home on leave from the Navy, serving in the Pacific. Their first meeting didn’t go all that smoothly, but it ended well — John put a nickel in the juke box and asked Natalie to dance, but it was the Lenten season and she replied “I don’t dance during Lent.” However, John also asked Natalie if she would write to him, she agreed, and the rest is history.

Natalie and John moved to Chicago after their wedding and lived there for 4 years. Their first child, Kenneth, was born in Chicago. They returned to Wisconsin in 1951 and lived in Schofield for the next 35 years. In concert with their raising and feeding four children, Natalie applied her farm-girl skills and excelled as a creative cook and bread maker, and tended a large garden that supplied enough fresh and canned vegetables for year-round consumption. During her (limited) free-time, Natalie loved to walk and run for miles, often inviting and convincing others to join her — yes, Natalie was a jogger well before jogging became fashionable. She also enjoyed bowling at Coral Lanes with her dear friends Francis King and Sophie Delikowski, and really enjoyed the day she bowled a 500 series! When her children were older, she took on a job as a retail clerk for the H.C. Prange Co. Natalie loved interacting with and assisting customers, as well as being part of the Prange team — so much so that she worked there for 22 years.

In 1986, Natalie and John decided to move to a smaller home in Wausau because John had become ill. After John passed away, Natalie continued her caring ways by serving as a volunteer for many organizations including Meals on Wheels, Colonial Manor Health and Rehabilitation Center, and Hospice care for 7 years. She also volunteered at St. Michael Church for funerals and collating Sunday bulletins. Natalie was an active member of the Altar Society, Rosary Society, Catholic Women’s Club, and Prange Breakfast Club. She continued her love of walking for many years, often trekking in to town to meet with friends at the Mint Cafe and, in the winter, to do laps in the mall.

Natalie was known for her warm and engaging communication style, and for sharing many, many stories about her life adventures — stories that were enjoyed by her family, friends, and new acquaintances. After (or in between) her storytelling sessions, she would often smile and say “oh, I talk too much.” Natalie loved attending Newman High School sports events. But her favorite sport was football — and she was never shy about telling her friends (and strangers) that “all three of my sons played quarterback for Newman.” She also enjoyed watching “her” Wisconsin Badgers and the Green Bay Packers. But her time in Chicago fostered a deep love for that city and she always had fun teasing Wisconsin folks (including kids in church, with a wink) that she was a Cubs and Bears fan — and she was! Natalie was also the proud Busia (grandmother) of many grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Natalie is preceded in death by her parents Clarence and Agnes Pagryzinski (Page); sister Cecilia (Novak) Page; husband John, son Kenneth, and granddaughter Sarah Andraski. She is survived by her sister, Joyce (Mitchell) Page of Oak Brook, IL; one daughter, Connie (Will) Ott of Prescott, AZ; two sons, Brian (Janet) Andraski of Minden, NV, and Todd (Louise) Andraski of Stoughton, WI; three daughters-in-law, Jeanne Kohlbeck (Andraski/Hahn), Kathleen Grant, and Alice (Weller/Peterson) Andraski; eight grandchildren, Willard B. (Darlene) Ott IV, Jessica (Michael) Ott-Pfeifer, and Erik, Alissa, Allison, Andrew, Lauren (Steve Blette), and Megan Andraski; one great grandchild, Willow Pfeifer; three step-grandchildren Nathan (Kelly), Jeremy (Emily), and Abram (Vicky) Weller; seven step-great grandchildren; many Andraski, Novak, Folwarski, and Kaye nieces, nephews, and their children and grandchildren; and her dear friend Patti Mortenson.

The funeral service will be held on Wednesday August 16, 2023, at Saint Michael Catholic Church, 611 Stark Street, Wausau. A praying of the rosary by Natalie’s nephew, Kevin Novak, will begin at 8:30 am, followed by visitation at 9:15 am, funeral mass officiated by Father Al Slowiak at 10:30 am, and then internment at Natalie’s final resting place next to her husband, John, at the Restlawn Memorial Park Mausoleum in Wausau.  

In lieu of flowers, donations in honor of Natalie can be made to the Saint Michael Catholic Church Endowment Fund and/or Newman Catholic High School.

The Family wishes to Thank the great staff at Aspirus Wausau Hospital Palliative Care Unit.