Helen Jane Stoffel

1938 - 2011

Helen Jane Stoffel obituary, 1938-2011, Hayward, WI

BORN

1938

DIED

2011

FUNERAL HOME

Hayward Funeral Home

15571 W County Highway B

Hayward, Wisconsin

Helen Stoffel Obituary

Published by Legacy Remembers on Dec. 29, 2011.

Helen (Jane) Stoffel

Jane passed away on December 24, 2011 in Hayward, Wisconsin.

She was born in Cleveland, Ohio to Theodore D. and Ruth R. Trackler, and attended Parma, Ohio public schools. Jane entered the University of Michigan School of Nursing, receiving a BSN degree in 1959; while there, she met Don Stoffel. They married in June, 1959 and moved to Galesburg, Illinois upon Don receiving his law degree from Michigan.
While living in Galesburg, jane raised her children to school age, then began working at Cottage Hospital, in the Coronary Care and Radiology units. She became the nursing co-coordinator of the Outpatient Surgery-Pre-Op Holding and Post-Anesthesia Recovery Unit and returned to school, earning a Masters' degree in Public Health Administration. She returned to work in 1994 when she and Don moved to Hayward.

During her residence in Galesburg, Jane was a member of Anondata Club. She enjoyed party bridge, reading, good music and her family. After moving to Hayward, her interests and pleasures involved all of those things, plus activity in the Northwoods Humane Society and, especially, the Birkie Girls, a mature women's friendship group, where she was a proud member of the club's Dragon Boat racing team. Jane was an accomplished pianist, and was for many years accompanist for the Hayward United Church choir.

Jane faced her final illness with the same quiet serenity which she displayed in all her living. Her loss is irreplaceable to those who knew and loved her.

Jane is survived by Don, her husband, of Hayward; by four children: Dr. Mary Stoffel (Rich Novotny) of Middleton, WI; Rob (Janet) of Indianapolis, IN; Dan (Jenna Sellers) of Flagstaff, AZ; and Lt. Col. Rick (Donna) of Schertz, TX; by five grandchildren: Sam and Eva Marley, and Jenna, Max and Abby Stoffel; by a brother, Dr. Richard Trackler of La Jolla, CA, and a sister, Lynn Walliser, of Bridgeville, PA.

A memorial service will be held January 28, 2012 in Hayward (time to be announced), with a celebration of her life to be held sometime in the Spring, also in Hayward.

Memorials may be directed to the United Methodist Church, PO Box 587, Northwoods Humane Society, PO Box 82, Regional Hospice, 15910W Company Lake Road, all of Hayward WI 54806.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

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3 Entries

January 7, 2012

Mary Stoffel

There are so many wonderful things that I could say about my mother, Jane Stoffel. She was always very influential, but very quietly so. She was a great friend to many, but not in a way that had any expectation. She believed in the good stuff---shopping locally, taking care of natural resources, helping animals and people in need---but most people probably weren't aware of it. She was very bright: an avid reader of the news and the New Yorker, dedicated library patron, inquisitive of religious doctrine, loved Bridge and any word games. Her great hobby passions were playing the piano (not just for the church choir!) and quilting, and her her most wonderful experiences in her later years were with her beloved group of Birkie Girls and Dragon Boat racers. She was a "jockette" late in life, but she embraced it with all she had in her, and I think she was very proud of what she could do athletically. She refused to be defined by her illness, and didn't want to succumb to her limitations until she absolutely had no choice. And even then, she was stubbornly proper, upbeat, and kind of in a very positive denial, so as not to worry or stress those around her. I will only hope to ever be half the person she was, although I think she always sort of sold herself short. She deserved so much more, and yet was eternally so thankful for what she had: a loving husband, successful and loving kids, fun and appreciative grandchildren, a wonderful group of friends, and the ability to live the fullest life she could at all times until her very last afternoon. I love you, Mom. Rest in peace.

January 2, 2012

Barbara Williamson

I consider myself fortunate to have spent a brief part of life with Jane. She sat near me in the Dragon Boat for the Birkie Girls and that is when we first met. She had such a zest for life and worked as hard as possible to make that boat go faster. When we weren't paddling she shared her killer wit and extreme grace. What a treasure she has been. Everyone who came across her path will miss her.

December 30, 2011

Mark Henderson

Most of my childhood memories involve the Stoffel family as I was best friends with her youngest son, Rick. From sleep-overs (repeatedly, every weekend, over the summers!) to joining the Stoffel family on their annual holiday to their cabin on Lake Grindstone, my presence in their lives was so constant it makes me now shudder to think about. After all, one does have limits in tolerating youth.

But I never felt Jane minded. In fact, I felt nothing but her generosity of spirit which, on a certain level, and perhaps owing at the time to my broken home, made me want to be at her house all the more. To me Jane Stoffel was the embodiment of family, home, and hearth and I wanted to be just a little part of it.

She didn't just let me in, she welcomed me with warmth, and I love her for that.

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Funeral services provided by:

Hayward Funeral Home

15571 W County Highway B, Hayward, WI 54843

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