Obit: Merlak, Johanna #2 (1880 - 1973)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Merlak, Makovec, Kosic, Bushman, Nagle, Previl, Gary, Artac, Arch, Hammersbach, Gosar, Susa, Sladich, Koopman

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 10/04/1973

Merlak, Johanna(11 November 1880 - 19 September 1973)

Mrs. Frank (Johanna) Merlak died at 8:15 a.m. September 19 at Memorial Home in Neillsville. Funeral services were held at 1 p.m. September 21, from St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Greenwood, with burial in the parish cemetery. The Rev. Leander A. Koopman officiated.

The former Johanna Makovec was born November 11, 1880, in Yugoslavia. She came to the United States in 1898 and lived in Waukegan, Il. She was married in August 1905, at St. Mary’s Church in Waukegan to Frank Merlak. In 1905, they moved to DeKalb, Il., and in 1918 they moved onto a farm near Greenwood. They farmed until 1958, when they moved into the city of Greenwood.

Mr. Merlak had resided at Memorial Home in Neillsville since 1965. She was a member of the K.S.K.J. society at Willard and the Mary of Perpetual Help.

She is survived by three sons, Roy of Venice, Fla., Matt of Loyal and Martin of Wonder Lake, Il.; three daughters: Mrs. Frank (Tillie) Kosic and Mrs. Harry (Antonia) Bushman of Chicago; and Mrs. Philip (Jannie) Nagle of Tucson, Ariz.; and by three step-daughters, 18 grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildren and two sisters: Mrs. Josephine Previl of Waukegan and Mrs. Louise Gary of North Chicago.

Pallbearers were: Frank Artac, Ernest Arch, Alfonse Hammersbach, Tony Gosar, Robert Susa and Ignatz Sladich.