William J Benzschawel

William "Bill" J. Benzschawel, age 91, of Owen, passed away surrounded by his loving family on Thursday, March 23, 2023 at the Clark County Rehabilitation and Living Center in Owen under the tender care of ProMedica Hospice.
Bill was born on March 23, 1932, the son of Frank and Margaret (Gengler) Benzschawel in Thorp. He graduated from Thorp High School in 1950 and he joined the U.S. Air Force just 5 days later. Bill served in the US Air Force as an Airman First Class from 1950-53, stationed at Lackland Air Force Base and then Korea. On August 6, 1955, he was united in marriage to Dolores Bolf in Greenwood. Together they farmed for 40 years in Thorp, Greenwood, and Longwood; retiring in 1993 and moving to Owen.
Bill was a member of Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Owen and served on numerous boards and committees for many years. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus and earned the title of Grand Knight. Bill also served on Coop boards, including President of the Farmers Coop in Thorp. In October of 2014, Bill, accompanied by his son, Stephen, joined 100 other veterans on the Honor Flight to Washington D.C. – a special once in a lifetime experience. He loved the outdoors, especially hunting, fishing, camping, and making maple syrup for over 45 years. Most importantly, Bill loved and cherished his family and has passed many special traditions and knowledge down for years to come.
Bill is survived by his wife of 67 years, Dolores; five children: Pauline (John) Spiegel of Jim Falls, Pamela (Ben) Emerson of Appleton, Marcia Resch of Green Bay, Stephen (Tonia) Benzschawel of Eau Claire and Tina (Jeff) Theisen of Eau Claire; 12 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. He is further survived by his sister, Joan (Seamus) Clarke of FL; two brothers: Frank (Nell) Benzschawel of WA and Allen (Sam) Benzschawel of FL, brother-in-law Vern York of FL and sisters-in-law Bev and Alice Benzschawel of Thorp; his special friends, Eugene and Lois Nolt; many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. He is preceded in death by his parents and four siblings: Claude, Eugene, Diane and Dennis.
The Benzschawel family would like to thank the nurses and staff of Oakbrook Health & Rehabilitation and Clark County Rehabilitation & Living Center, for the care Bill and the family received. Additional thanks to friends Brian Bredlau and Dan Tolzman for their help and support during the past year. In lieu of flowers, memorials are requested to be made to Holy Rosary Church.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 1, 2023 at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Owen with Father Michael Hayden officiating. Burial will follow in Riverside Cemetery. Military rites will be conducted by Owen American Legion Post #123, Owen-Withee Vets Club and Thorp VFW Post #9057. Family and friends are welcome from 9:00 a.m. until time of service Saturday at the church.