Wallace Rudolph Zernia

Wallace Rudolph Zernia

Wallace Rudolph Zernia, age 90, died Wednesday June 30, 2021 at Gunderson Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Memorial services will be 6:00 p.m. on Friday, July 9, 2021 at the Roseberry’s Funeral Home in Friendship, Wisconsin.   Rev. John K. Stake will officiate.   Visitation will be 4:00 p.m. until the time of service on Friday at Roseberry’s Funeral Home.

The son of Fred “Fritz” Edward Zernia and Anna Lena nee Riese, he was one half of a set of twins born November 3, 1930 in Milwaukee, WI, which was very unusual at that time and they had their picture in the paper. His twin brother, Walter Frank Zernia died in 1972. Wallace grew up in Milwaukee in the old 6th ward.  He attended the 20th Street School, and then the Kilbourn Junior Trade School. His mother, Mrs. Anna Zernia had received a letter from his teacher on May 4, 1948, stating: “You have two fine boys, very cooperative and attentive in school and I don’t think they will ever give you cause to worry.  Your certainly have done a good job in bringing them up as well as you have in these days. Sincerely May Williams.”

When Wallace was very young, he loved to go swimming and fishing at the family’s cottage at Fritz’s Point on North Lake. He had drowned in that lake and was brought back to life by a rescuer.  He had memories of an out of body experience, until someone jerked him out of the water, which he said brought him back.  He and some of his siblings also spent many summers at his aunt and uncle Otto Riese’s farm in Monroe Township.  Going to movie shows was a popular past time to take dates on.

Shortly after the death of his father, in 1944 Anna and her sons obtained a farm in the town of Colburn, Adams County in 1946, and they came up on the weekends.  Wallace worked for W. H. Pipkorn Tile Company, of Milwaukee as a laborer, cleaning the hoppers and a ready-mix truck driver from 1949-1951. He was a member of General Chauffeurs Teamsters and Helpers Local Union No.  200.  On November 9, 1951, Wallace had his physical  exam at the Armed Forces Induction  Center in Milwaukee when he was 21  years old. He entered the Army in 1952. He served in the Korea War and was a U.S. Army Signal Corps lineman.  He was honorably discharged in 1954, after serving his tour of duty.

After his discharge, Wallace and his brothers started spending more time on the farm.  Wallace loved cutting wood, and cords of pine, was sold to the Nekoosa-Edwards Paper Mill.  Once while he was out cutting wood behind the farm, he came across a young timber wolf caught by his leg in a trap.  Wallace said he starred the wolf down, and firmly told him, that if he bit him, he would shoot him.  Wallace released the wolf from the trap without an incidence. The wolf followed him back to the farm and Wallace named him Lobo.  Lobo lived out the rest of years there, free to come or go as he pleased and was never tied up.

A new home was built on the farm, which took 2 years to complete.  In 1954 Wallace purchased an additional 160 acres of land 1 mile up the road from the farm, in the Town of Big Flats.  Wallace’s brother’s Walter, Fredrick and Frank also moved to the farm around that time. By 1955 it was a full working dairy farm.  Wallace’s mother Anna, moved from Milwaukee to live with him on the farm full time sometime after 1965 and she eventually put the farm in Wallace name as her other sons moved on in life.  In April 1974, Wallace narrowly escaped injury when a “little twister” of a tornado, struck on the farm.  Wallace had driving a tractor under a half wooden poll shed when he saw the tornado coming.  The tornado pulled some of the heavy supporting poles of the shed about six feet out of the ground and flipped the roof onto the tractor Wallace had been operating only moments before. Wallace’s brother Frank described, “Wallace ran “like a jet to a nearby milk house to take cover.”   While still working the farm. Wallace also worked for the Howard William’s.

Known by many as a hardworking, kind and charitable man, who was silly and fun loving.  Wallace had nicknames for many of his nieces and nephews that he often jokingly teased.  Wallace loved to dance and could be seen throughout the area at many dances wearing his black cowboy hat, vest, and western boots, from the time of the old Bohemian Hall, Schuck’s or Jim and Rita’s, Inn of the Pines and the Cedar Shack, etc.  Wallace and Darlene belonged to both the CWCMA and the MWJamboree Country Music Clubs and attended their monthly music jams and dances.

He is survived by his wife Darlene, stepchildren: Donald, John, Carl, Robert, and Raymond Ristau, Nancy Sennot, Amy Hoover, and Jean Berzano.   He enjoyed spending time with the grandchildren. He is also survived by one sister-in-law Eleanor Zernia of Tampa, Florida.  As well as many loved nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, and siblings; Harry Riese, Dorothy Genet, Frederick Zernia, Ruth Eileen Strupp, twin brother Walter Zernia, and Frank Zernia.