Sylvia Marie Wisti 1922-2023

101 years, 4 months, 2 weeks and 4 days after her birth in Superior, Wisconsin, Sylvia Marie Wisti came to a peaceful end in her life's journey as she held her daughter Cindy's hand, while her son Bill, daughter in law Minnie, and granddaughter Robin were standing sadly nearby. We lost someone very special on the afternoon of November 8th.

Earlier in the day, Mom had visitors to her Diamond Willow apartment in Proctor. Jake, a hospice musician, played his guitar and sang many of Mom's favorite songs, then later in the afternoon Pastor Schield from Christ Lutheran Church visited with Mom, and other hospice staff also stopped by to insure Mom's comfort.

Born in Superior, Wisconsin to Finnish immigrants Otto and Anna Newman on July 12th, 1922, Sylvia grew up with her five sisters and two brothers on a farm that their father Otto had built on what is now the Neuman Road in South Range, Wisconsin, where she was also a mom to her nieces Nancy and Sandra.

Mom learned to drive the tractor at an early age, and while not doing other farm chores, she attended the Black River School, then Central High in Superior.

Mom married William (Bill) Wisti just before he left for Europe as an anti-aircraft artilleryman in WWII, and after Dad's safe return from the war, they started a family on Hwy. 35 near Superior, where they had their first three children, then moved to Oroville, California, eventually having five children in all.

Mom had received a sewing machine as a high school graduation present which she still had to this day, and she made good use of it!  Dad and the boys never lacked for new shirts, and Cindy had plenty of fancy, frilly dresses. (I think Mom enjoyed making them the most).  After Dad's retirement in California, they moved back to Superior, Wisconsin, and with the kids all grown up, Mom found a new outlet for her passion for sewing; their church has a quilting club, making and providing warm winter quilts for anyone that needed one. Mom made well over 2000 quilt tops at home, bringing a few to the church every week where Mom and the ladies gathered to add the backs and filler to make complete quilts. Mom certainly kept them busy for quite a few years!

Mom made sure that holidays were always special, and Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners were always a feast for the eyes, as well as the stomach. Even Valentines Day was extra special... Mom would take a fairly large cardboard box and decorate it especially for that day. We would all put our Valentine cards into that beautifully decorated box, Mom would give the box a shake to mix them all up. and we all took turns taking a single card out of the box and handing it to whoever's name was on the envelope. Mom always enjoyed baking, so naturally, we always had a fancy Valentine's cake for that special day.

Besides all the cooking, baking, and keeping a large home spotlessly clean (with enforced help from the kids), Mom found time to be a Cub Scout Den Mother, and then, later a Campfire Girls Leader, finding numerous projects to keep the children busy and entertained.

Our family was quite active in the Calvary Lutheran Church in Oroville, but Mom & Dad found the time to join a square dancing club in Oroville which they belonged to for many years. Naturally, Mom opened up the sewing machine and made some special square dancing dresses for herself with matching shirts for Dad. After returning to Superior, they discovered the senior citizen's dances, and you couldn't keep Mom & Dad off the dance floor when the band started playing waltzes, schottisches, and polkas!

Dad passed in 1983 after 41 years of marriage, and Mom eventually reconnected with and married an old high school classmate and all around great guy, Jerry Bloxham. They were together for ten years until Jerry's passing in 2006.

Preceded in death by parents Otto and Anna, her husband of 41 years William W. Wisti, her second husband Jerry Bloxham, son Brian, sisters Evelyn, Alma, Ruby, Martha, and Hazel, and brothers Russell and John.

Sylvia will be sadly missed by daughter Cindy, son Bill and his wife Minnie, son Todd, and son Craig and his wife Vickie,  as well as grandsons Devin, Aaron, Brian, and Andrew, granddaughter Robin, special nieces Nancy and Sandra, as well as many other nieces and nephews, and her good friend of many years, Juanita.

The family would like to thank the staff at Diamond Willow in Proctor for taking such good care of our Mom, as well as a special thank you to the caring people from St. Croix hospice who made her final days comfortable.

Visitation will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 15th until the 11:00 a.m. service at Downs Funeral Home, 1617 N 19th Street, Superior.

Burial will be in Greenwood Cemetery, Superior.