Martha Susan (Preissner) Thiel

Martha Susan (Preissner) Thiel passed away peacefully on January 27, 2024 in her 100th year of life. Martha was born to Anna (Schneider) and Henry Preissner on July 9, 1924. She was proud to say that the only home she ever lived in was on Tower Road. She married Melvin John Thiel on September 25, 1945 and together they raised their three daughters – and cows, pigs and chickens — on their dairy farm. 

Community was at the heart of Martha’s life and much of it centered around her beloved St. Elizabeth’s Parish, Kloten. Martha prepared linens for weekly Mass for decades. She lived her faith through her involvement in Catholic Financial Life, CCW, Calumet Medical Center auxiliary activities, New Hope Center, and crocheted thousands of baby caps for the Knitting Ministry at Good Shepherd Catholic Church. Every grandchild volunteered side by side with her and Melvin at the Salvatorian Mission Warehouse. Martha’s crocheted towels decorate homes throughout the world as she generously gave them to anyone who visited the farm and donated them to the hospital gift shop. She taught many young 4-Hers how to crochet. Martha and Melvin took time for fun, too, with Calumet County Homemakers, at the Eagles Club where she served fish fries until she was 80, neighborhood gatherings and several card clubs.

Although they would have preferred that their daughters lived on Tower Road, Martha and Melvin enjoyed traveling across the country to visit them and their families. Return trips to the farm were filled with baseball games, jigsaw puzzles, volunteering, board games, hickory nut picking, gardening, card games and farm chores. We never left the farm yard without full tummies, hearing “drive safely” and with a wave as she stood at the front window.

Martha’s loving family includes daughters Betty and Lori, and sons-in-law, John, Allen and Mark, whom she treated like sons. Grandchildren: Tiffanie (Cliff) Eyre, Drew Propson, Kimberly (Jim) Bowen, Jeremy (Nicole) Halpern, Jen (Chris) Curran, Nathan (Shannon) Werbeckes, Nic (Katie) Robles, and Sara Werbeckes (Miles Morkri). Martha welcomed 13 great-grandchildren with baby caps: Tirzah, Kaden, Levi, Kienan and Talia Eyre, Fidelina, Beatrix, Norah and Julian Bowen, Carter and Hudson Curran, Jack Halpern and Maeve Robles. Brother-in-law Ralph Steiner and sister-in-law Carol Thiel, along with Thiel and Preissner nieces and nephews, were special visitors. Gratitude to two beloved neighbors, Gerry Steffen and Gary Ludwig.

Martha was welcomed into heaven by Melvin, her husband of 66 years, in October 2011, her daughter, Dianna Propson, in October 2023, brother and sister-in-law Frank and Alvina Preissner, Melvin’s siblings and in-laws Cyril and Margaret Thiel, Harold and Dolores Thiel, Eugene Thiel, Fr. Lloyd Thiel, Alice Steiner and Leon Thiel. 

For nearly 20 years, Martha, Dianna, Betty and Lori exchanged nightly emails with news of the day. The recent loss of Dianna changed that tradition but it lives on with John and granddaughters joining in. Many of those emails ended with Mom’s kind words, “Time to call it a day. It was sooo nice talking with you. Sweet dreams to everyone.” Sweet dreams to you, Mom.

Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11:30 am on Tuesday, February 6, 2024 at Good Shepherd Catholic Church (54 E. Main St.) in Chilton with Rev. Larry Abler, OFM Cap. officiating.  Burial will be in the St. Elizabeth Cemetery in Kloten.  A time of visitation will be held at the Wieting Family Funeral Home (411 W. Main St.) from 9:00 am until 11:00 am on Tuesday, February 6, 2024.  The Rosary will be prayed at 11:00 am at Good Shepherd Catholic Church the morning of the Mass.  At the time of the service and following, there will be a link available above for those wishing to watch a live stream or archived recording of the service, watch a memorial video, or see pictures of the funerals and gifts given to the family.

Memorial gifts will be shared with the Salvatorian Mission Warehouse in New Holstein.