Eugene Boettcher

Eugene Walter Boettcher, age 85, of Shawano, passed away on Tuesday, February 12, 2019, with family at his side.

He was born in a cheese factory near Cecil, Wisconsin on June 1, 1933, to August and Irene (Baehr) Boettcher.

He married Helen Mayer on August 20, 1955, and the two settled in rural Pulcifer, where they raised their family and operated a dairy farm. Eugene also worked for New View Industries in Gillett until the couple retired in 1998 and moved to Shawano.

Eugene was an avid sportsman and enjoyed hunting in his tree stand at Possum Lodge. His family affectionately nicknamed him “the Expert in the Oak Tree” when contemplating deer hunting strategies because he always seemed to know exactly where the deer would come out. He was also an extremely talented taxidermist, creating hundreds of fish, bird and animal mounts over the years.

In addition to his taxidermy work, he enjoyed polka music, wood carving, playing cards and tinkering with his hands- if something was broken, he could find a way to fix it.

He enjoyed spending time with his family and was especially fond of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who referred to him as “Grandpa Eug”.

Perhaps what Eugene was best known for was his love of having a conversation. He enjoyed reminiscing about the good old days, sharing his stories and meeting new people.

Eugene was a long-time member of Faith United Lutheran Church of Gillett (formerly St. John’s Lutheran Church of Pulcifer), where he served for many years as secretary of the congregation and played on the dart ball team.

He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Helen (Mayer); his children: Dan “Butchie”, of Shawano; Vicky (Bob) Oldham, of Pound; and Cindy (Curt) La Chapelle, of Shawano; his grandchildren: Austin (Lindsey), Alyssa, Ryan (Megan), Tanya, Rase (friend, Kelly) and Teir ; his great-grandchildren: Liam, Marley, Zuli, Miles and Maddie.

Eugene is further survived by brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law: June Boettcher, Irene Mayer, Midge (Duane) Olson, Robert Mayer (friend, Diane), David Mayer and Ron Webster; several cousins and many nieces and nephews.

Eugene is preceded in death by his parents, August and Irene (Baehr) Boettcher; infant daughter, Laurie; and grandson, Levi; mother-in-law and father-in-law, Ernest and Linda (Peterman) Mayer; his brother Norman Boettcher and several sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law: Carol Block-Webster, Ruth (Don) Van Pay, Clarence Mayer, Ruby Ste Marie and Doris Buelow.

Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, February 16, 2019, at 11:00 am at Faith United Lutheran Church, 11465 Old U, Gillett, with Pastor John Laatsch officiating. Burial will follow at The Woodlawn Cemetery in Shawano after lunch at the church. The family will greet friends from 9:00 am at Faith United Lutheran Church until the time of the service.

Online condolences may be expressed to Eugene’s family at www.muehlboettcher.com

Muehl-Boettcher Funeral Home, Seymour is assisting the family with arrangements.

In lieu of flowers a memorial fund has been established in Eugene’s name to go to Faith United Lutheran Church of Gillett.

The Boettcher Family would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the staff at Shawano Health Services for the excellent care and compassion they provided to Eugene. He often mentioned how fond he was of the entire staff and said he couldn’t have asked for better people to take care of him – so thank you!

Eugene was an impeccable example of what a husband, father, grandfather and human being should be. His wisdom, compassion, quick wit and contagious smile will be sadly missed.