MONROE — After a day of baking at her home in Monroe, which just happens to be Evelyn Tschanz’s favorite pastime, she’ll often call her children and announce “I baked today.”

It isn’t long before they show up to enjoy the fruits of her labor. She said she now bakes when she gets bored — but even through her busy years filled with child rearing, farming and volunteering — she always found time to sprinkle the joy of baked goods and meals into the lives of those around her.

She grew up in the Winslow area in town while she was young but later on moved to a farm. She was in the middle of a large family filled with six girls and two boys. She had farm chores daily and recalls one of her duties was to stir the milk so it cooled in the cans. She also recalls driving a team of horses to haul in grain before they got their first tractor. 

For fun, Tschanz has recollections of ice skating in the winter at a nearby pond behind the house and coming inside to enjoy her mother’s homemade hot chocolate, chocolate cake and ice cream. 

She was often helping her mother in the home and recalls her cooking for large groups of threshing teams and silo fillers at that time. 

Tschanz said she enjoyed school, and attended small country schools while the family moved to different farms. She finished eighth grade at Marty School between New Glarus and Monticello. Tschanz hoped to go on to high school like her siblings, but it wasn’t meant to be; she stayed home to help on the farm. 

While living at home, between morning and evening chores, Tschanz began working with her sister as a nurse’s aide at St. Clare Hospital. Later, she got a job at the A&W Root Beer stand as a carhop in Monroe, where she met her husband, Joe, in 1953.

The couple married about a year after they met and moved to a farm by Juda where he was a hired man. They lived upstairs for two years until they moved to a new farm west of Monroe, purchasing it on halves. 

Tschanz said she always enjoyed the rural lifestyle. The couple has five children and raised them on the farm, where they stayed until 1994. 

“It was a good place to raise a family and it was a good life,” she said.

In 1973, Tschanz said she decided to get a part time job at Swiss Colony, hoping for extra Christmas money. She stayed — becoming a flow rack supervisor, in charge of about 25 people on a line. Shortly after, Joe also began work there and became a cooler supervisor. They would do chores around their schedules and both enjoyed the work and the people. From November to Christmas, the couple wouldn’t have a day off outside of Thanksgiving. 

“We both enjoyed our work very much there,” she said. “I liked the job and I loved the people. I just love working with people.”

Tschanz stayed in the position until 2002 when she retired. Since she was still allowed to work 1,000 hours per year in retirement — she continued working until two years ago.

The couple continued to farm 230 acres, raising dairy cows, chickens, pigs, sheep and turkeys. Tschanz also found herself involved in 4-H as part of the now defunct Hilltop 4-H, formerly Hiawatha 4-H, and Joe had been a leader since the couple got married. 

She enjoyed working with children, and as her own grew older, she helped more with FFA and FHA, staying involved until her children outgrew them. She said there were many highlights through the years, including the annual FFA bonfire.

Her agriculture involvement didn’t end there. For 45 years, Tschanz has been the superintendent for field crops and gardening at the Green County Fair. She still greatly enjoys the work.

“I love to see the kids come in with their field crops,” she said. 

Tschanz was recognized in 2010 when she was named the Green County “Friend of 4-H” for being involved as a leader, and field crops and gardening superintendent of the Green County 4-H Fair. In 2014, Tschanz was inducted into the Wisconsin 4-H Hall of Fame. Evelyn and Joe were named Outstanding Junior Fair Superintendents.

The couple got involved in the dairy breakfast in the early 1980s after being asked through friends to lead the charge. They were at the head of ordering food for 5,000 people and getting donations for the popular event. She recalls cracking 400 pounds of eggs the night before.

“We just loved doing it and working with the people,” she said. “When people saw us coming they knew it was dairy breakfast time. It was a lot of work — but it was a lot of fun.”

After the first year of leading the breakfast, Tschanz said they heard more seniors hoped to come but couldn’t make it out to the farm. Tschanz said Joe went to all of the local banks asking for donations to offer a bus for them — and the idea took off. 

“Agriculture was so important to us,” she said. “We both grew up on a farm and it was in our system I guess.”

In 2011, Tschanz was recognized again, because after 28 years of volunteering with Joe she continued to organize and help with the cheese trays. The Green County Ag Chest presented her with a glider porch swing to commemorate all she continues to give. 

In 1981, she and Joe took a trip to Washington D.C. while Joe was the president of the state 4-H Adult Leaders group. The farm families became close and they kept the trips going, visiting places like Nashville, Niagara Falls and Branson over the years. They still meet twice a year, now in Madison at a restaurant, where Tschanz brings baked goods to share.

Tschanz still has their family farm but now lives in town and rents the land. Her days of a big garden, potato patch and canning until there was no room on the shelves are over, but she still enjoys her small garden, baking and cooking inside her home. 

Before Joe passed away in 2001, the couple took advantage of the free time after moving off of the farm. They often took their motor home to dairy breakfasts throughout the state. They also enjoyed weekends in Door County sightseeing and people watching — loving the outdoors and relaxation — and of course, grabbing some cherries to make pie.

She now spends her days enjoying her 20 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. Her family is almost entirely within driving distance and getting together is a regular occurrence. 

Baking has been Tschanz’s most favorite pastime through all of her years — and still is. She said she revels in making up cookies, pie crusts and homemade noodles, and loves to watch her family and friends receive and enjoy them. 

“When I get bored, I bake,” she said with a smile. 

Some of her great-grandchildren will often go right to the kitchen to find a bowl to get started as they visit her home. Tschanz enjoys the time together just as much. 

But even better than baking is giving away the things she’s made — and finding joy in people who love them. While working at Swiss Colony, Tschanz would treat her line weekly — and she always basked in their reactions as her co-workers would enjoy her cookies, bars and sweet rolls on the regular.

“It’s one of my favorite things to do,” she said of giving away her baked goods.

When her own children were young, she would send their lunch sandwiches with homemade bread and buns and found out later other students would contend to trade with them to take in some of the homemade goodness. She laughs to know her own children found a treat in purchased sandwich bread. 

After prodding from people several years ago, Tschanz published her own cookbook — sending handwritten recipes into a publisher and sold 200 copies. She still loves to hear from people who have made something of hers to enjoy with their own family.

Now in her mid-80s, Tschanz said maybe it’s baking that keeps her mind strong. She looks forward to family meals, time with her grandchildren and any get-togethers.

“I’ve always loved to bake,” she said. “It keeps my mind young.”

More than anything, she likes to be helpful — and hopes to be around when and if anyone might need her. The family gathering for a meal she’s made — usually a favorite of chicken and homemade noodles — is her happiest place. 

Her final quote reflects how much she’s enjoyed helping and giving through the years in all sorts of ways. She said she has a hard time accepting any sort of payment for what she does — because she’s filled with so much joy when giving to others, being there for someone or offering anything she can to help them.

“When I can’t give any more, then it’s time to leave this earth,” she concluded.