Obituary: Mavis Mae Zitzelsberger

Mavis Mae Zitzelsberger, age 95, of Chilton, died on November 24, 2022, at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton. She was born on September 8, 1927, daughter of the late Arnold and Elda Backhaus. She married Norbert Zitzelsberger on August 6, 1947, and together they had five children.

Mavis enjoyed keeping herself busy with gardening, sewing, quilting, reading and genealogy. Along with being a wife and mother, she also owned and operated several businesses with Norbert. She wrote her own cookbook for family and friends, and traveled to libraries and court houses across Wisconsin to do the research to write an extensive genealogical book about her family and their ancestors titled: The Gessner & Backhaus Family History 1822-2012.

Mavis is survived by her children: James “Jim” Zitzelsberger (special friend, Sandy Nuss), Norbert “Norb” (Mary) Zitzelsberger, and Elaine (Bud) Durman; eleven grandchildren: Joseph, Aaron, and Trevor Zitzelsberger, Dennis and Ian Koehler, Andrew, Nathan, Matthew, Joshua, and Clinton Gehl, and Angela Bruening; 21 great-grandchildren; and one great-great granddaughter; and two sisters: Marian White and Doris Frost.

Mavis was preceded in death by her husband, Norbert; two children: Janet (Keith) Bohn and Michael Zitzelsberger; her parents: Arnold and Elda Backhaus; and siblings: Margaret (Harold) Langkabel, Mildred (Art) Gerpoltz, and Robert (Lila) Backhaus.

A Mass of Christian Burial will take place at 11:30 am on Friday, December 2, 2022, at Good Shepherd Catholic Church (54 E. Main Street) in Chilton. Friends may call from 10:00 am until 11:15 am at the church on the day of the service. A committal service will take place at St. Elizabeth Cemetery in Kloten following church services.