Everyone at Cowsmopolitan wishes to pass along our most sincere sympathies and condolences to the family and friends of Wisconsin Brown Swiss breeder Becky Wegmueller of Monroe, who passed away on February 19th.
Becky Wegmueller (née Anderson), of Monroe, Wisconsin, passed away peacefully on February 19, 2017, at University of Wisconsin-Madison Hospital following a sudden illness. She was born on June 13, 1949 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the daughter of Alfred and Martha Anderson. She graduated from Wauwatosa East High School. She married the love of her life, John Wegmueller, on April 19, 1975 at the First Congregational Church in Elm Grove, Wisconsin. Becky and John were dedicated to progressive conservation farming practices, and worked together on their Brown Swiss dairy farm for nearly 40 years.
Becky was a lifelong Christian Scientist and was dedicated to First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Monroe, as a teacher, reader, and board member.
Becky graduated from University of Wisconsin-Superior with a Bachelor of Arts in German and English. She earned her Master’s Degree from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, in Germanic Studies. She studied German in Regensburg and Freiburg, Germany, and was a teaching fellow at University of Colorado-Boulder. Upon graduating, she worked at Allis-Chalmers in Milwaukee as a translator of technical German. She taught Oral and Written Communications at Blackhawk Technical College in Monroe. Becky’s passion lay in teaching, and she loved tutoring students in German and English as a second language throughout southern Wisconsin.
Becky and John had four children. She shared her love of music and church with her daughter, Genia Allard (Craig), her sense of adventure with her son, Commander David Wegmueller (Christina), her tireless dedication to the family farm with her son, Daniel Wegmueller (Ashley), and her love of academics and languages with her daughter, Sarah Kettenmann (Chris).
She loved horseback riding and cherished her dear horse, Tootsie. She loved the outdoors and spent countless hours gardening, hiking, and cross-country skiing. Becky enjoyed playing the cello, as well as canoeing, biking, camping, reading, learning new languages, and traveling. She traveled the world with John, rode horses in Australia with Dan, hiked the Great Wall of China with Sarah, toured Switzerland with Genia, and explored Native American ruins with Dave. She hitchhiked across Europe, explored behind the Iron Curtain, waterskied on the Atlantic, canoed the Boundary Waters, and skied the Alps. Becky’s vivacious spirit constantly sought new adventures.
Becky was active as a volunteer with Master Gardeners, sang with Monroe Swiss Singers, and participated in a local writers’ club. She and John served in Cheese Days celebrations, and were crowned Cheese Days Queen and King in 2012. She and John also hosted on their farm international students from France, Switzerland, England, Germany, China, Japan, Italy, Brazil, and Colombia.
Becky is deeply loved and missed by her children; her grandchildren: Samuel and Jesse Allard, Faith, Grant, and Brooke Wegmueller; her godchildren: Kristin Gover, Paul Bosak, and Laura Ritter; siblings: brother Dave Anderson (Kathy) and sisters Karen Weidman (Dan), Sonja Anderson, Beth Anderson, and Patty Anderson (Yanli); and countless aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, dear friends and students. Her husband, John and her parents, Alfred and Martha Anderson, precede her in death.
Becky never entertained an unkind thought about anyone. She was simply the most loving person on Earth, utterly unselfish and genuinely interested in everyone she met. She will be missed by all.
A celebration of Becky’s life will take place at the Monroe Arts Center (1315 11th Street, Monroe, WI 53566) on Saturday, February 25, with a formal memorial service starting at 12:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers a memorial fund has been established in Becky’s name.