Gladys Schild, our mother and grandmother, is heaven bound to reunite with our father and grandfather, Otto Schild. She passed away on October 16th, just a few hours before her 94th birthday. Gladys and Otto were married for 73 years when Otto died 2 years ago in April. Gladys had a full and active life but the last several months had been difficult.
Gladys was the youngest child of Herman and Louise Brecklin’s seven children, Ed Brecklin, Wilma (Brecklin) Hanson, Erma (Brecklin) Anderson, Glenn Brecklin, Esther (Brecklin) Elmer and Gail Brecklin. She was born twenty years after her oldest brother, on the Schaegger farm between Woodford and Wiota on October 17, 1926. Fortunately, Dr. Williams of Argyle was facilitating the birth because Gladys was born a blue baby with the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck. There didn’t seem to be any ill effects as she was an excellent student who graduated with honors from Monroe High School and was known for her quick wit, great sense of humor and commonsense approach to life.
Gladys was at a dance at Turner Hall with friends when she met the Schild boys. Soon she started seeing Otto and after high school, they were married on August 26, 1944 at St. John’s Church in Monroe. Otto was in the navy at the time and the newlyweds lived in New Orleans where he was stationed until the end of the war.
Gladys and Otto returned to the Monroe area and started farming and raising a family of three boys and a girl. In 1958 Gladys and family moved from the Idle Hour Farm to a new house just north of Monroe designed by her and packed with enough innovations and design elements to be featured in some home magazines. This was the family home until Gladys and Otto decided to downsize in 1997. This was also the home where most of the Schild and Brecklin family holiday and birthday celebrations took place.
Gladys and Otto loved to play cards, watch the Brewers and Packers and travel. They traveled all around the United States, sometimes visiting family and friends and sometimes just seeing new places and making friends along the way.
Gladys was a great mother, a fun grandma and an excellent cook, baker and candy maker. Every Christmas, she would bake and decorate Christmas cookies, make bratzeli and all kinds of candies including the most incredible chocolate covered cherries that she would gift to family and friends. She also baked pies, casseroles and other dishes for socials and events at St. John’s and the American Legion. Her last two lemon meringue pies were made for Otto’s funeral. Although she hadn’t cooked or baked for the last few years, she still taught and supervised the family and we are extremely rich with all the recipes and wisdom she shared.
Gladys worked as a bank teller, bookkeeper and was a full-time student at the University of Wisconsin- Whitewater for two years and a teacher’s aide for fifteen years. She lived a life of service and volunteered countless hours at church and Legion events well into her eighties. She also had served as president of the women’s auxiliary at St. Johns United Church of Christ and the women’s auxiliary at the Zilmer Riley Post of American Legion. She was always a busy lady and until recently was always the first one up and the last one to sit down. She always had something going on but always put family first.
Gladys was preceded in death by her husband, Otto, her brothers and sisters, daughter-in-law, Ann (Tesch) Schild and grandson, Scott Schild. She is survived by her children, Jim Schild of Janesville, Tom Schild and wife Melanie of Germantown, Tennessee, Ken Schild of Dunedin, Florida and Betsy (Schild) Miller of Grafton and six grandchildren and fourteen great grandchildren.
A memorial service for family will be at St. John’s United Church of Christ with Pastor Todd Hackman officiating. Shriner Hager Gohlke Funeral Home is assisting the family.
