Clarice Henrietta Brenden Weissenberger

      

 

 

 

Clarice H. Brenden was born October 11, 1916 on the family farm in the Town of Coon, Vernon County, Wisconsin. She was the second oldest of seven children. Her mother and seventh child died shortly after the birth, leaving Clarice to help raise her siblings, Alvin, Alma, Alverda, (Arthur) Stanley, and Virgil. She also helped with the chores on the dairy farm.

As a young adult, Clarice moved to La Crosse, Wisconsin where she worked for Auto Lite Co and met her future husband John Weissenberger. After several years in La Crosse, she moved back to the family farm where she raised her three children; Judith, Richard, and Nancy.

Clarice became a homemaker to her children, her father and her two brothers; (Arthur) Stanley and Virgil. They had a large produce garden and several apple trees. The fruit and produce were canned and stored in the root cellar. Home-made baked goods were always fresh and plentiful. Clarice’s children especially loved her strawberry jam and duchess apple pies.  

Clarice loved to cook and bake Norwegian pastries. She prepared meals from the garden produce and animals raised on the farm. She slaughtered her own roosters for dinner and milked cows to provide a fresh glass of milk for meals.

Damp laundry was seen on the lines outside the house. Every day, Clarice ironed a fresh white shirt for Virgil to wear to his dental office. She starched the collars and cuffs with starch she made herself. 

In 1960 she and her brother, Dr. Virgil Brenden moved into a home at 106 Central Court in the city of Westby, Wisconsin. She was employed as a cook in the Westby School District for 16 years. When she retired she spent many hours of enjoyment with her two sisters Alma and Alverda, her children and grandchildren.

On September 25th, 2013 she passed away peacefully in her home. She is buried in the Vang Lutheran Church Cemetery, Town of Coon (Vernon County), Wisconsin next to her brother, Dr. Virgil Brenden.