Jean L. “Jeanne” Freitag,
Verona, WI/New Glarus, WI/Jean L. “Jeanne” Freitag, age 80, and known as Auntie Jean to her family died on Friday, January 25, 2013 at St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison. She was born on April 11, 1932 at Deaconess Hospital in Monroe, WI to Arthur and Lenore (Weir) Schuett. Jean grew up in New Glarus and was a frequent visitor at the ballpark with her brother Doug. She worked at the theatre ticket office during high school. Jean and her family were avid Badger and Packer fans and enjoyed the local teams, attending as many games as possible. Jean always said she had been a Packer fan from the age of three, when her Dad and brothers told her to sit down and be quiet and listen to the game broadcast on the radio. She participated in school sports, chorus, band, forensics, the school newspaper, Annual, and was a drum majorette. After graduation, she was employed at the embroidery factory before beginning her accounting career at Hickory Farms. She married Alan R. Freitag on April 10, 1954 in the E & R Church in New Glarus. They lived in Madison until they built their home in rural Verona in 1969. When Hickory Farms was destroyed by a fire in 1956 she went to work for Jacobson & Strickland, CPA’s and became the office manager. She worked for a short time in the private sector before beginning her own accounting in 1963. Jean was President of the Alpha Iota chapter and President of the City Council when Beta Sigma Phi hosted the National Convention in Madison. She was a Charter Member, Secretary, and then President of the Madison Area Builders Association Auxiliary, where she enjoyed working on PAC projects. She served on the Boards of Nob Hill, Inc., Cherokee Park, Inc., and Creative Woodcrafts Corporation, her husband’s business.
Jean loved her family, friends, kids, dancing, ice and roller skating, sports, her St. Bernards, and her “Heinz” dog, Schatzi. She also enjoyed entertaining at their home and Tall Oaks, their cottage on Long Lake near Rice Lake. She loved taking care of her flowers and taking videos of her nephews sports activities and became “Auntie Jean” to some of the players. She traveled with her husband Alan often to her favorite places were the Grand Tetons and Waterton Lakes in Canada. She enjoyed her work and poor health forced her to stop working in 2010 after 47 years of “tax seasons”.
She is survived by her husband, Alan, a nephew D. J. (Kate) Schuett, grandnephews Darris, Drew, and Declan of New Glarus; grandnieces Molly, Laura, and their father Ken Beecher of Racine, WI; and Madeleine Martinez, grandnephews, John and Michael and four great-grandnephews, and nieces of South Bend, IN; sisters-in-law Molly Freitag of Verona, WI and Carolyn McNary of Dayton, WA.
She was preceded in death by her father Arthur in 1963, mother Lenore in 1987, brothers Douglas in 1974, Gregory in 1989, Harrison in 1985, and Max in 1998, sisters-in-law Gladys, Mavis, Genevieve, and Mary Ann, Marty Quest, nephew A.J. Schuett; a niece Susan Beecher, brothers-in-law Harold Freitag and Bill McNary.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, February 1, 2013 at the Zentner-Beal Funeral Home, 29 Sixth Ave., New Glarus, WI.
A private family graveside service will be held at a later date at the Swiss Church Cemetery in New Glarus.
Memorials are suggested to the American Family Children’s Hospital, St. Jude’s, or your local county Humane Society.
An online memorial with guestbook is available at www.bealfuneralhomes.com
