Martha (Zumstein) Bernet, age 94, died February 12, 2022. She was born the youngest of five children to Rudolf and Frieda Zumstein in a beautiful chalet in Leissigen, Switzerland on April 16, 1927. From the many stories she recounted of her childhood, it must truly have been a case of being raised by her whole village. As a teenager during WWII, she spent a year working for a family in the French part of Switzerland to polish her French language skills. This was common for young women at the time who were interested in pursuing office and business careers. As was often the case with Martha, her French family soon succumbed to her bubbly and endearing personality. They quickly stopped treating her as hired help, and embraced her as if she were their own daughter. At one point, they even offered to adopt her, which her father quickly ruled out.

She met her future husband Werner Bernet in Switzerland and they married there in 1946. They came to the United States in 1947. After several years on several cheese factories in Green County, they acquired a small deli store south of Monroe Square, which later featured many Swiss imported items such as Lindt and Tobler chocolates, fondue pans and fine Swiss cutlery including Swiss army knives. Their store was open every day except Christmas and Easter.

Martha and Werner became American citizens in 1952, and she voted in every election since. During the fifties she and Werner became involved in the lively Swiss community in Monroe and New Glarus. Martha sang, yodeled and played the accordion at many local events. In 1956, Martha was asked to fill in as announcer on the local Swiss folk music program on WEKZ. That temporary gig lasted for exactly 60 years.

For many years, Martha played, sang and yodeled with many local performers including Rudy Burkhalter, the Edelweiss Stars of New Glarus, Betty Vetterli and many others. She performed at many Swiss and German festivals throughout the Midwest and beyond. She and Betty were even asked by the Smithsonian Institution in 1991 to perform at a folk fair on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. There her attempt to teach NBC weatherman Willard Scott how to yodel was broadcast throughout the country on the Today Show. She was a founding member in 1963 of the Monroe Swiss Singers, in which she continued to sing until recently. She also was a member of the Bel Canto Singers.

Martha was very involved in Green County Cheese Days for many years as an organizer, promoter and performer. In 1967, she recorded the Cheese Days Song with Rudy Burkhalter, which is played hundreds of times at each biannual festival. In 1980, she and Werner were named the first Cheese Days King and Queen, and that same week, her grandson, a future Cheese Days prince, was born. In 2012, Martha and Lois Kaster were honored for their many contributions, serving as Cheese Days parade marshals.Last year, she was proud to have her picture on billboards across southern Wisconsin promoting Green County Tourism as a “Swiss Chick” with her friend Marian Kundert.

During the 1980s and 90s, Martha escorted annual tours to Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Italy. She made her last trip to Switzerland in 2007 to celebrate her 80th birthday with many of her family coming from all over the world. Never too old to learn new things, she mastered the

personal computer in her 80s. With the advent of easy communication by phone and the internet, Martha remained in close contact with her Swiss relatives and friends. She regularly read Swiss newspapers and listened each evening to church bells from various Swiss villages over the internet. She has been a constant presence on Facebook for many years and during the pandemic she even mastered the art of the Zoom call to talk with her family in Canada and Australia.

Although Martha never gave up her love for Switzerland and its culture, she was also very proud to be an American citizen. When people asked her why she did not return to live in Switzerland, she always replied that Monroe and Green County were now her home. She was a loyal member of St. John’s Church in Monroe, singing in the choir and devoting countless hours decorating the sanctuary, trimming Christmas trees and baking for various events.

She has lived the past two years in St. Clare Friedensheim. There she renewed many old friendships and made many new friends among the residents and staff. Despite painful back problems probably caused by the heavy work she had done assisting making cheese and working in the store, she remained positive and mentally razor sharp. She loved to spend hours on the phone with Dr. George Barry and Dr. Joe Ganshert reliving the wonderful times they had experienced living in Monroe.

Martha was preceded in death by her husband of 38 years, Werner, in 1984.

She is survived by her children Hans (Bobbie) Bernet, Monroe, Kathleen (Daniel) Gilchrist, Grimsby, ON, Canada, Peter (Marianne) Bernet, Fairfax, VA, Rudy (Beth Ableman) Bernet, Monroe; four grandchildren, Sarah (Andrew) Toms, Grimsby, ON, Canada, Peter (Mechele Axford) Gilchrist, Sydney, Australia, Alex Bernet (Melanie Horton), Denver, CO, and Kate Bernet, Monroe; two great-grandchildren Zack and Maddy Toms, Grimsby, ON, Canada; niece Irene Drallmeier and nephew Fritz Rufer. Relatives in Switzerland include nieces, Monika Ruesser-Roggen, Elisabeth Zurmuehle-Roggen, Rosmarie Zurbuchen-Zumstein and Brigitte Zumstein; and nephews Rudolf Zumstein and Hansjörg Zumstein and grandnephew Reto Zumstein.

Martha’s father’s parting advice to her on that chilly November morning on the train platform on beautiful Lake Thun couldn’t have been more correct. She did keep on singing, and things did turn out all right. She has had a long and incredible life touching so many with love, humor, and music. She died peacefully under the wonderful care of the staff and several family members at the hospital in Monroe.

A memorial service will be held Monday, March 14, at 11 a.m. at St. John’s United Church of Christ, followed by a gathering at Turner Hall. Those who attend are asked to honor Martha's memory by following Covid precautions and wearing a mask.

A live stream of Martha’s service can be found on the St. John’s Youtube Page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcRh45jY7aZqojawKLF6Kfw

Shriner Hager Gohlke Funeral Home is assisting the family. Condolences may be sent to the family at: Shriner111.com.