Rosemary (Sands) Wilke

Obituary Brodhead – Rosemary Wilke, age 86, of Brodhead passed away on September 7, 2020 at Aster Assisted Living in Monroe. She was born the daughter of George and Ruth (Rodebaugh) Sands on September 30, 1933. She attended Orfordville High School where she met her husband Verne E. Wilke and was married on August 22, 1952. Rosemary worked along with her husband on their dairy farm in rural Brodhead raising their 2 children. She is survived by her children Steven (Marilyn) Wilke, Christine (Dan) Drefahl; grandchildren, Samuel (Jessica) Wilke, Maxwell (Sadie) Wilke and Stephanie (Pranav) Drefahl and a great grandchild, Cayden. Rosemary was preceded in death by her parents, George and Ruth (Rodebaugh) Sands; her brother, Arthur Sands; a great-nephew Michael Sands and her husband, Verne. Her greatest joys in life were spending time with family and drinking coffee and getting together with all her friends. She loved music and especially loved listening to her granddaughter play piano. Rosemary always tried to get to all Maxwell’s sports events and loved spending time on the farm with her first grandchild, Sam and taking enough photos to fill several albums. She also enjoyed many other things in life – cooking, baking, crocheting and trying new hobbies such as cake decorating, ceramics, sewing and trying new recipes. Rosemary was a Spring Valley 4-H cooking leader for several years, a cook at Hanover’s Ding-A-Ling for 7 years and later in life worked at the Piggly Wiggly Deli in Evansville until retiring from all and moving to the City of Brodhead. She was a member of the Church of the Nazarene in Brodhead and a former member of Orfordville Lutheran. She spent the last year of her life at Aster Assisted Living in Monroe, with her beloved cat Sweet Pea. Graveside services will be held at the Greenwood Cemetery, County Road T in Brodhead on Friday, September 11, 2020 at 1:00 PM. Per Covid-19, the family asks that everyone wears masks and social spacing apply according. The DL Newcomer Funeral Home in Brodhead is assisting the family. www.dlnewcomerfuneralhome.com 608-897-2484 To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Rosemary (Sands) Wilke, please visit our floral store.

Rosemary (Sands) Wilke

September 30, 1933 - September 7, 2020