Honestly, Wausau is one of those places where the morning paper—or the daily digital scroll—still feels like a community meeting. When you look at Wausau obits past week, you aren't just seeing a list of names. You're seeing the literal architecture of Central Wisconsin shifting. These are the people who built the machine shops, farmed the ginseng, and taught three generations of kids at Wausau West or East.
Lately, though, I’ve noticed people get a few things wrong when they’re looking for these records. They think it’s just about the Daily Herald or a single website. It's not.
Between January 10 and January 17, 2026, we’ve lost some incredible local fixtures. The sheer variety of lives lived here—from Army veterans to 100-year-old matriarchs—is staggering.
The Names That Defined Our Local Landscape
Take Jack Neuens, for instance. He passed away on January 15 at age 81. If you grew up around Athens or Wausau, you probably knew a "Neuens." He was born in ’44, a classic Northwoods soul. Then there’s John S. Petroski, who left us on January 10. He spent 40 years at Gordon Aluminum. Think about that for a second. Forty years of helping run a local industrial staple. That’s a kind of loyalty you just don’t see in the "gig economy" era.
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He was only 74.
We also lost David Allan Herman, 79, who passed on the 15th over in Marshfield, and Willard "Bill" Dieringer, who was 92. These guys saw Wausau change from a gritty paper mill town into the medical and insurance hub it is today.
Why the "Past Week" Search is Tricky
Most people just Google a name and hope for the best. But in Wausau, the info is actually scattered across a few specific "hubs." If you're looking for someone specific from this past week, you have to check the Big Three:
- Brainard Funeral Home: They’ve been around forever. They recently handled services for Roger Pickering, who lived to be 96. Ninety-six!
- Peterson/Kraemer: They often handle the folks out in Marathon City and Edgar, too. They recently posted for Ardus Jane Schoepke and Rev. James F. Schaefer.
- Helke Funeral Home: A downtown staple. They’ve been busy lately with folks like Louis William Moser, who was 93 and passed away on the same homestead where he was born in Rib Mountain.
Is there anything more "Wisconsin" than passing away in the same house you were born in nearly a century later? It’s poetic, kinda.
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The Quiet Impact of the 100-Year Life
We have to talk about Rosalie Elizabeth Allen. She hit the 100-year mark and passed on January 11. She lived through the Great Depression, WWII, the moon landing, and the rise of the internet—all likely from right here in the Merrill/Wausau area. When someone like that passes, a library of local history goes with them.
Then you have the younger losses that just gut the community. Brandt Thomas Butler was only 23 when he died on January 6. People remember him as a kid who loved building things with K’Nex. It’s a reminder that the Wausau obits past week isn't just a ledger for the elderly; it’s a snapshot of a community’s collective grief.
What People Get Wrong About Finding Obits
Most folks assume everything is on Facebook. It's not. Or they think the Wausau Daily Herald has every single record. Increasingly, families are opting for "private services" or skipping the traditional newspaper fee, which can be hundreds of dollars.
Basically, if you can’t find a friend’s info, you've gotta look at the funeral home sites directly.
Pro tip: Check Legacy.com, but filter specifically for "Marathon County." Often, someone might have lived in Wausau but passed in a facility in Weston or Marshfield. If you only search "Wausau," you might miss them.
Handling the Logistics
If you’re the one currently navigating this for a loved one, honestly, it’s a lot. Wausau has some specific quirks. For example, the City Pages used to be a go-to, but the landscape for local news is constantly shifting.
If you are looking for a service at St. Anne’s or St. Matthew’s, the church bulletins often have more detail than the online snippets.
Actionable Steps for Staying Connected
- Set up a Google Alert: Use the phrase "Obituary Wausau WI" so you get an email once a day. It’s better than manually searching every morning.
- Check the "Everest Chapel" specifically: If they lived in Weston or Rothschild, Brainard’s Everest site is where the info usually lands first.
- Don't rely on the "Past Week" filter: Sometimes an obit isn't published until 10 days after the passing because the family is waiting for out-of-town relatives to travel. Expand your search to 14 days to be safe.
Wausau is a place where we take care of our own. Seeing names like Gail Elizabeth Woods or Joy Sickler in the logs this week reminds us that while the town grows, the people who gave it its heart are still the ones we need to remember most.
If you're trying to track down a specific service time for someone mentioned above, your best bet is to call the funeral home directly. Websites are great, but the staff at places like Helke or Peterson/Kraemer are usually way more up-to-date than a cached Google search result.