On Monday, February 10, 2025, Helen Joyce (nee Reinfeldt) Pawlisch of Chetek passed away at Meadowbrook Nursing Home at the age of 92.

She was born in Reedsburg, Wisconsin on December 8, 1932, to Ervin and Viola (nee Schneider) Reinfeldt, and is survived by her son, Curt Pawlisch (Robin Carlson), and two granddaughters, Zoe Pawlisch (Ben McKinney) and Tess Pawlisch. She was predeceased by her brother, Donald Reinfeldt (2023), and her husband whom she deeply loved, Paul Pawlisch (2024).

Helen worked her whole life until she retired to Chetek in 1994. Born in the Great Depression, she never forgot the humble circumstances of her childhood and worked hard to ensure she would never see such days again.

Upon graduating from Reedsburg High School, she began work as a teller at Reedsburg Bank, soon becoming secretary to the Vice President of the bank’s insurance sales division. She also participated in beauty pageants, finishing as runner-up in the Ms. Alice in Wonderland contest.

Throughout adulthood, Helen cared for her appearance, not just to appear professional, but because of her belief that that was what a lady should do.

In her early twenties, she met Paul, a student at UW-Madison, who carpooled home to Reedsburg on weekends with her brother. Helen and Paul soon fell in love and married on October 16, 1954, in St. Peter’s Church in Reedsburg.

After moving to Madison, she continued her secretarial career. While Paul pursued his Ph.D, she worked for future UW Chancellor Edwin Young, arranging for child care after the birth of her son. After Paul became a professor at Texas A&M, she worked as a secretary in a realty firm. When the family returned to Wisconsin for Paul’s new job in Milwaukee, Helen commenced a thirty-year career at Whitefish Bay Bank where she became secretary for the bank’s president. She valued assisting the bank’s clients, including former Wisconsin Governor Warren Knowles. She was awarded for her excellence in customer relations. Long after her retirement, she took pride in her shorthand and typing skills.

Helen loved her life with Paul in Chetek, finding wild asparagus in the spring, looking for boysenberries in the summer, visiting the Blue Hills in autumn, and nestling at home through the winter.

She had a lifelong love of games. At Meadowbrook she enjoyed bingo. She was a player of sheepshead and cribbage. She died just four days after beating her son at cribbage in two out of three games, a lady to the end.

A Funeral Service will be held on Saturday, February 15, 2025, at the Burnham-Ours-Kolstad Family Funeral Home in Chetek, Wisconsin, at 1:30 PM. Visitation will be held from 1:00 PM until the time of the service. Helen will be interred next to her husband at the Lakeview Cemetery in Chetek, Wisconsin.

Last Update: Feb 13, 2025 1:11 pm CST