Died: 24 February 2011

Beverly Joan (Grefe) Revels Rothe, 78 years, died Thursday 24 February 2011 at Meriter Hospital in Madison. She was born 16 May 1932 in Necedah to Henry and Laura (Wermuth) Grefe. Beverly was united in marriage to Robert Revels on 15 May 1954; he preceded her in death 8 November 1973. She was then married to Stanley Rothe on 6 August 1976. Bev worked for the Wisconsin Dells School District for 26 years, eight of those years as food service manager. She also owned and operated a motel in Wisconsin Dells for 32 years.

Bev was a member of the St. John’s Lutheran Church in Portage, where she was active in the Sunday School, Ushering, Greeting, Women’s Guild, Alter Guild and other church activities. She also belonged to the Senior Citizen Club of Portage and a member of the Ladies Auxiliary VFW Post 1707.

Survivors include husband, Stanley of Portage; daughter, Candace (Carl) Baumgart of Reedsburg; son, James (Mary Jo) Revels of Portage; one stepchild, Terri Halligan of Sharpsburg, Ga.; four grandchildren, Katherine, Matthew, Nicholas and John; three step grandchildren, Brenda, Donna and Glenn; four great-grandchildren, Blake, Tyler, Sophia and Evan; numerous step great-grandchildren; four brothers, Paul Grefe of Wisconsin Dells, Fredrick (Norma) Grefe of Wisconsin Dells, Robert (Verda) Grefe of Prairie Farm and Henry Grefe of New Lisbon; two sisters, Doris Gourley of Rockford, Ill., and Phyllis Moore of Mauston; and many nieces, nephews and other relatives.

Besides her husband, Robert, she was preceded in death by her parents; brothers, Harold and Gaylord; sisters, Eleanor Huffman and Dorothy Ruf; great-grandchild, Emily; and stepson, Duane.

Memorial services were at 11 a.m. 5 March at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Portage, with the Rev. Alan Boeck officiating. Burial will be held at Spring Grove Cemetery, Wisconsin Dells, at a later date. Friends called from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to “Expanding God’s Love” at St. John’s Lutheran Church.  Picha Funeral Home in Portage assisted the family.

Bev is pictured in the fourth edition of the Friedrich Seidemann Family Tree Book on page 180 with her parents and siblings and on page 183 with her husband on their wedding day, and also with son James, and daughter Candace. Bev is also listed on page xi with her husband as donors to this book. She is listed on page 200 with her parents, her husband, her children, and her grandchildren. Bev is a fifth generation descendant of Friedrich and Rosine Seidemann and her genealogy line is as follows: Friedrich, Friedericka, Oscar, Laura, and Beverly.