Arline E. (Volbrecht) Wegner
November 20, 2018
Arline E. (Volbrecht) Wegner, 98, of
Baraboo, formerly of Milwaukee, passed away on Sunday, Nov. 18, 2018 at Oak
Park Place in Baraboo. Arline, birth name Elenore Zacher, was
born on April 2, 1920 in Milwaukee. She was adopted shortly thereafter through
The Lutheran Children’s Friend Society of Wisconsin, by Meta (Wieland) and
Louis Volbrecht who was a coffee merchant. Arline was raised in Cudahy and
graduated from Cudahy Senior High School in 1938. On April 18, 1942 Arline was united
in marriage to Lt. Edmund John Wegner. Eddie was part of the “Flying Badgers”
and a Navy air instructor at Glenview Illinois Naval Training Center. He
preceded Arline in death on Dec. 2, 1943. As a single mom, Arline had the
business skills, financial savvy and “grit” to support her mother and daughter.
She eventually purchased a car and a home on Quincy Avenue in Milwaukee near
General Mitchell Field Airport. Arline worked for Perfex Corporation
in Milwaukee as a bookkeeper/machine operator. She then entered the accounting
field at Ladish Company in Cudahy, a metal forging shop and important contributor
to NASA space vehicles. Attending night school, Arline honed her typing and
shorthand skills eventually becoming an executive secretary at Ladish Company.
She retired in 1982 after 26 years of service. Arline was a long-time member of
Ascension Lutheran Church, Milwaukee, where she sang in the choir. A soprano
soloist, Arline added her voice to the candlelight concerts, the Choir Capers,
and on tour in Germany and Austria in 1989. Always an advocate of the “arts”,
Arline supported and chaperoned many Lake Band activities, of which her
daughter was a member. She also attended oil painting classes in the 1970’s and
had a talent of painting beautiful landscapes. In addition, she enjoyed
swimming and was a Milwaukee Senior Olympics Breast Stroke winner in 1995.
Arline loved the water and was often seen donning her cap and goggles to swim
laps. Survivors include a daughter, Sandra
Jeanne Perry of Baraboo; two grandchildren, Kari Choi (Zack) Billings of
Pewaukee and Soon-Chul Choi of San Francisco, California. A celebration of life service will be
held at 1 p.m. on Friday, November 30, 2018 at Oak Park Place, 800 Waldo St., Baraboo,
in the Bluffview room, with Pastor Karen Hofstad officiating. Private interment
will take place in Arlington Park Cemetery, Greenfield. In lieu of flowers, please consider a
donation to one of Arline’s charities; the Alzheimer’s and Dementia Alliance in
South Central Wisconsin or Concerts on the Square UW Baraboo/Sauk County or to
a charity of one’s choice. The family would like to extend a special thank you to all
the staff and volunteers at Oak Park Place, Baraboo, especially those working
in Autumn Lane. We know that Arline could be feisty at times, but she always
had a song in her heart. Baldwin Funeral Services, 520 East St., Baraboo, is
assisting the family with arrangements.
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