Ann Wike died at Region's Hospital in St. Paul on Sunday evening, May 15, 2011. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, May 19, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. from Redeemer Lutheran Church in Amery, WI. Visitation will be at the funeral home on Wednesday May 18 from 4 to 7 p.m. and for one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will be at the East Immanuel Cemetery in rural Amery.
Ann Caroline Wike was born on October 1, 1936 in Cushing, Wisconsin to Melvin and Ena (Andrewson) Nelson. The family lived on a farm in Milltown and she attended school in a one room schoolhouse. She had fond memories of riding her bike to school in the spring and fall, and in the winter her father would hitch up his team of horses and pull her on the sled. Later the family bought a farm north of St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin where she continued her schooling, graduating from high school in 1954. She enjoyed school, especially typing, shorthand and book keeping courses, and was involved in band and choir. After high school, Ann worked for a real estate office in St. Croix. In the fall of 1956 she went to work for an office in the College of Education at the University of Minnesota. She met her future husband, Orville, roller skating in Rush City, Minnesota in September of 1959. They were united in marriage on June 4, 1960 and to this union two children were born. In 1963 they moved to Amery. Ann started working at the Union State Bank (now Bremer bank) for the president in April of 1964, and retired from there in 1995. She enjoyed working there part-time so she could see her children get on and off the bus. After retiring from the bank she went back to work, again part-time, for an accounting firm, Kubnick & Warren. She was active in the VFW auxiliary, the Amery Senior Center, Redeemer Lutheran Church where she was also a member of the choir and was involved with the local food shelf. She enjoyed quilting, sewing, spending time with her grandkids, and was a great historian of her family and her community. She loved her Scandinavian heritage and enjoyed making Lefse and pepper nuts with her grandkids. She passed away on Sunday, May 15, 2011 at Region's Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota. Ann was preceded in death by her parents. She is survived by her loving husband, Orville; daughters, Susan (Dan) Heathfield and Julie Wike; and grandchildren, Stephanie and David Heathfield as well as many other loving relatives and friends.