Helen Marchel
Helen Marchel, 92, Stevens Point, died Sunday, Feb. 18, 2018.
Visitation will be at 9 a.m. Friday, Feb. 23, at St. Francis Xavier in Knowlton followed by the funeral at 10:30 a.m., officiated by Rev. Jim Trempe and Rev. Greg Michaud. Burial will follow at the cemetery.
She was born at home, Feb. 26, 1925, in the town of Carson near Mill Creek, on her parent’s farm, daughter of Martha and John Pawlowski.
She attended high school in Stevens Point, and the day after graduation, left for Chicago, where she worked for 10 years. Upon being diagnosed with tuberculosis, she returned to Stevens Point for treatment at River Pines (Atrium).
The weekend before admission, she met James Marchel at a dance in Mill Creek. He visited her every weekend for the next 5 years of her convalescence. Their marriage took place May 19, 1956, at St. Bartholomew, Mill Creek. She, in turn, stood by him for 16 years when he had Parkinson’s before his death in 1995.
While living in an apartment in Stevens Point, James Marchel and his brothers built them a house overlooking Lake DuBay. She was a stay-at-home mom and enjoyed cooking, cleaning, bookkeeping, interior decorating, landscaping, gardening, canning, knitting and sewing skills. She also became one of the first women in Wisconsin to earn a realtor’s license.
She was a meticulous housekeeper. She loved to watch the deer and wildlife that came through the yard, fed birds for many years, and enjoyed watching hummingbirds at her window feeder. She was a member of the church Cabrini Society and was a devout Catholic.
She is survived by her sister, Theresa Jazdzewski; adopted sister, Betty Paulson; three children, Lisa Marchel, La Crosse, James Marchel, Mosinee, and Greg (Jean) Marchel, Junction City; grandchildren, Gwen Maloney, Kitty and Colton Marchel, and Maria Antonetti, Terrasita and Christina; and two great-grandchildren on the way.
She was preceded in death by her husband, James; brothers, Sylvester, Ray and Phillip Pawlowski; sister, Rose Peskie; and grandson, Mateo.