Rosemary Roehl

[caption id="attachment_5514" align="aligncenter" width="236"] Rosemary Eunice (Axtell) Roehl, 87, died on August 16, 2017. She was born October 5, 1929, the youngest of 7 children, to Lloyd A. and Lora (Hill) Axtell in Pepin, WI. Rosemary began piano at the age of 5. She played piano for Sunday school at the Methodist Church where she was a member. She attended Pepin Elementary School and High School, graduating in May 1947. During her high school years, Rosemary and a classmate provided piano music for all school functions. She played trumpet in the school band and was a pitcher on the girls' softball team. The highlight of her summer activities was swimming in Lake Pepin- beginning on Memorial Day and ending when the water got too cold. This often required Rosemary and friends crawling under the railroad cars when the freight train was stopped at the crossing on the way to the lake. Rosemary enrolled at the University of Wisconsin- Madison in 1947, majoring in mathematics and minoring in chemistry, biology and music. In the summer of 1948, she studied at the MacPhail School of Music in Minneapolis and worked at Bridgeman's Ice Cream. In 1949, she transferred to River Falls State Teacher's College. In addition to her studies at River Falls, she played in the band and accompanied the college choir on piano. She graduated with honors in 1951. She married Reuben Roehl on August 26, 1950 in West Bend, WI. She joined her husband in Wausau who was on the faculty at the Wausau Vocational School in 1951. Rosemary was employed by the Audit Department of Wausau Insurance. She joined Immanuel Lutheran Church with her husband and became active in Mothers' Club, Couples' Club, Circle and accompanied at choir rehearsals. As a young housewife she learned to sew beautifully, can vegetables, knit and developed a green thumb as evidenced by her beautiful flower gardens. In 1967, Rosemary was asked to serve as organist for Immanuel Lutheran Church. To further her organ studies, she enrolled in the Music Department at Colorado State University, Fort Collins in the summer of 1968 while her husband completed his Master's Degree. In 1969-70, she continued her organ studies on Saturdays at the University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point under the tutelage of John Thomas. For the next 25 years Rosemary's routine was two practice sessions at church each week and one hour before the service on Sundays. After retiring from the bench at Immanuel, she would fill in as interim organist for congregations searching for a new organist. She especially enjoyed her time at First United Methodist. In addition to her time on the organ bench, Rosemary was very active with the Wisconsin River Chapter of the American Guild of Organists and accompanied the Wausau Lutheran Choir under the direction of Lowell Larson through the 1970's. In 1977 Rosemary re-entered the work force putting in two years at Wausau Homes, three years at Wausau Insurance Companies in the audit department and finishing her career life with eight years of work at the Wausau Area Chamber of Commerce. In their retirement, Rosemary and Reuben enjoyed camping, bus tours and elder hostels. Rosemary is survived by her husband of almost 67 years, Reuben; Linda Lotito, Cornelius, NC; grandson Gregory Lotito, Charlotte, NC; and great-grandsons Casen and Camden. Robert (Pam) Roehl, Summerville, GA; granddaughter, Kristin (Ryan) Cox, Atlanta, GA. Carolyn (Derek) Melby; granddaughters, Elise and Kerste Melby, Northfield, MN; and Julie (Frank) Coffin; granddaughters, Evelyn and Eleanor Coffin, Spencer, IN; Elizabeth Coffin, Boston, MA. Visitation will be held Friday, August 18, 2017 from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm at Brainard Funeral Home, 522 Adams Street, Wausau. A funeral service will be held Saturday, August 19, 2017 at 2:00 pm at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 630 Adams Street, Wausau. Visitation will be at 1:30 pm until the time of service. Burial at Restlawn Memorial Park to follow. In lieu of flowers memorials may be directed to Immanuel Lutheran Church. The family would like to thank the staff of Aspirus Hospice and Stonecrest of Forest Park Village for care and support provided to Rosemary and her family for the past month.