H Ann Lemke

H. Ann Lemke, 84, surrounded by family, passed away peacefully on Thursday night, March 29, 2012, at Gundersen-Lutheran Medical Center.

Annie, as she was known to all, entered the world to fireworks as a Fourth of July baby in 1927. The daughter of Joseph and Hulda Trussoni of Genoa, Annie graduated from Aquinas High School in 1945. She married William Bill Lemke on May 18, 1948, and they resided in rural La Crescent, where they raised five children. They were subsequently divorced in 1977.

During WWII, Annie worked at an ordinance plant and at Truax Field near Madison. Later, as her children required less nurturing, Annie utilized those skills in working as a nurses aide at Grandview, St. Francis, and Lutheran Hospitals in La Crosse. In 1971, she returned to school and obtained her LPN license, worked for years at Lutheran Hospital, then ended her nursing career at Trane Company and with the La Crosse Visiting Nurses Association. In retirement, she enjoyed caring for and watching her grandchildren in their various activities.

She is survived by her children, Charlotte Lemke of Arcadia, Joan (Mark) Abraham, LaVonne (Ricky) Beach, Lyle (Darcy) Lemke, and Roy (Brenda) Lemke, all of La Crescent; two sisters, Lena Amundson of West Salem and Theresa (Phillip) Hess of St. Josephs Ridge; and grandchildren Erin and Nate Abraham, Leslie, Tammy, Bill, Amanda, and Gina Beach, and Nicole and Ryan Lemke.

She was preceded in death by her parents; sisters Beatrice Drendel and Eileen Otto; and brothers Joseph and Frederick Trussoni.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Tuesday, April 3, at 10:30 am at the Church of the Crucifixion, 423 South 2thndth St., La Crescent. Rev. Gregory Havel will officiate. Burial will follow in the Crucifixion Catholic Cemetery. Friends and relatives may call on Monday, April 2, at the Schumacher-Kish Funeral Home of La Crescent, with a rosary at 4:30 pm and visitation from 5 - 7 pm, and again on Tuesday morning at the church from 9:30 am until the time of the service.

Her children request that memorials be directed to either Gundersen-Lutheran Medical Center or the Church of the Crucifixion.