Below Family Obituaries of Clark County Wisconsin

Below, Bertha (18 Mar. 1872 – 20 Dec. 1937)
----Source: Marshfield News-Herald (Marshfield, Wood County, Wis.) Wednesday, 22 Dec. 1937

* Spencer – Rites will be held Friday for Mrs. Fred Below, 65, who died about 7:15 o’clock Monday evening at her home near Spencer. Mrs. Below was severely burned on the morning of Dec. 9 when her clothing became ignited from an overheated stove, and although the burns were healing, the shock and other complications were believed responsible for her death.

Funeral services will be conducted at 1:30 o’clock Friday afternoon at the Below residence and at 2 o’clock at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran church. The Rev. A. C. Stapel will officiate, and burial will take place in the West Spencer cemetery.

Bertha Luepke, a native of Germany, was born March 18, 1872; and came to the United States with her parents when she was a small girl. She has resided in this vicinity for the past 56 years. Her marriage to Fred Below took place on Sept. 1, 1892, in the town of Unity. At the time of her death she was a member of the Lutheran Ladies Aid society.

Surviving besides Mr. Below are 12 children: five sons, Ernest, Martin and Herman Below, Spencer; Carl Below, Milwaukee; and Ray Below, Stratford; and seven daughters, Mrs. Freda Deering, Marshfield; Mrs. Fred Foth, Mrs. Emil Karau, Mrs. Russell Stoup, and Miss Ruth Below, Spencer; Mrs. Clarence Schallock, Menominee, Mich.; and Mrs. Henry Kalkopf, St. Paul, Minn.

She also leaves two brothers, William Luepke, Mendota, Ill.; Fred Luepke, Spencer; and five sisters, Mrs. Frank Benike, Wauwatosa; Mrs. Louis Cramer, Mrs. John Voelker, Mrs. Charles Oelrich, and Mrs. William Schweke, all of Spencer, and 24 grandchildren.

*** Note: The surname Benike was spelled as Beneke and Cramer was spelled as Craemer in the original text. They are early variations of the present-day spellings of theses names.

Below, Jennie (15 Mar. 1906 – 8 Apr. 1996)
----Source: Marshfield News-Herald (Marshfield, Wood County, Wis.) Apr. 1996

* Services for Jennie Below, 90, of 508 LaSalle St., Spencer, who died suddenly in the Emergency Room of St. Joseph’s Hospital on Monday, April 8, 1996, will be at Trinity Lutheran Church, Spencer.

The Rev. William Ruhbusch will officiate, Mrs. Arnold Bruesewitz will be the organist for congregational singing.

Burial will be in West Spencer Cemetery. Pallbearers will be David Hederer, Richard Hederer, Willard Anderson, Kent Below, David Below and Richard Hoops.

Visitation will be at Community Funeral Home, Spencer, from 4-8 p.m. today and then at the church on Thursday after 10 a.m.

Jennie was born March 15, 1906 in the town of Richfield, to Halvor and Julia (Norby) Moen. She grew up in the town of Richfield and attended school there. She also attended McKinley High School, Marshfield.

She was married to Martin Below on Nov. 6, 1924, at St. Matthews Lutheran Church, Klondike. Mr. Below died Jan. 1, 1995.

The Belows farmed at Veefkind and later on the Fred Below farm in South Spencer until 1958 when they moved into the village of Spencer.

Jennie was a homemaker and enjoyed making quilts, growing flowers, watching football games and card playing with her friends.

She was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, its Ladies Aid and the Ladies Sewing Group.

Survivors include one daughter, June (Lloyd) Hoops of Spencer; two sons, Lawrence Below of Spencer and Jerry Below of LaGrange, N.C.; one brother, John Moen of Marshfield; seven grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

She was predeceased by her husband; one son, Arnold Below, formerly of Marengo, Ill., who died Nov. 4, 1995; one grandchild, her parents, three sisters, and three brothers.

Memorials may be designated to Trinity Lutheran Church or Marshfield Medical Foundation.

Below, Martin F. (1 Oct. 1902 – 1 Jan. 1995)
----Source: Marshfield News-Herald (Marshfield, Wood County, Wis.) Jan. 1995

* Martin F. Below, 92, Spencer, died Jan. 1, 1995, at Continental Manor Nursing Home in Abbotsford where he had resided for two years and nine days.

Services will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Trinity Lutheran Church with the Rev. William Ruhbusch officiating. Music will be provided by Isabelle Bruesewitz, organist, for congregational singing.

Burial will be in West Spencer Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Carl Graupner, Roger Woodkey, Vilas Luepke, Ray LaBarge, Arnold Bruesewitz and Arlyn Ewert.

Visitation will be at 4 p.m. today at Community Funeral Home and again on Wednesday until 9 a.m. and then at the church until service time. A family devotion will be conducted at 8:30 tonight at the funeral home.

He was born Oct. 1902, to Fred and Bertha (Luepke) Below in the town of Spencer. He attended public school and parochial school in Spencer.

He married Jennie Moen Nov. 6, 1924, at Salem Lutheran Church at Klondike. They celebrated their golden anniversary in 1984 and their 70th wedding anniversary in 1994.

Before marriage he worked as a carpenter and also with a bridge crew in Athens. After marriage he went on to farming in Veefkind, Clark County. He served several times on the School Board. In 1942 he purchased the Fred Below farm in the town of Spencer. He served three terms on the Town Board.

In 1957 he moved to Spencer where he was employed by Pathfinder until his retirement.

He is survived by three sons, Arnold (Ruth) Below of Marengo, Ill., Laurence Below of Spencer, Gerald Below of LaGrande, N.C., one daughter, June (Lloyd) Hoops of Spencer; one sister, Ella Kalkopf of Milwaukee; seven grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, four brothers, Ernest Below, Herman Below, Carl Below and Ray Below; and six sisters, Freda (Below) Deering, Martha (Below) Foth, Minnie (Below) Karau, Adela (Below) Stoup, Laura (Below) Schallock, and Ruth (Below) Ball.

He was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church. Memorials may be designated to the different organizations of the church.