CHRISTINE GEHRKE
August 22, 1955 - May 22, 2023
Obituary
Christine “Kris” Kay Gehrke (Hartman), age 67, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family at Valley VNA on May 22, 2023 after a long and heart-breaking battle with dementia. She was born on August 22nd, 1955, to John and Carol (Scott) Hartman in Manitowoc, WI. She graduated from Neenah High School, class of 1973 and started her career at McKesson Chemical followed by Kimberly Clark Corporation until her retirement in 2015.
Kris married her high school sweetheart, John, in 1982 and they had 2 daughters. She enjoyed spending time with friends and neighbors, playing cards, boating, fishing, and biking. She was known to tear up a dance floor with polka at a wedding. She loved vacations in the warm sun and making memories with her friends. Frequent friend and neighborhood dinners were once a highlight to her; and while she did not partake much in the cooking, she was excellent at socializing and making sure everyone had their fill of laughs. Above all, she was a devoted mother and wife; always caring and sacrificing for her family. She encouraged her girls and was their biggest supporter in sports, hobbies, academics, and life goals. She taught them how to be compassionate and hardworking.
In addition to her husband of 41 years John, she is survived by her children: Ashley and Jessica (Kris Meyers); and by her grandchildren: Harmony, Zoe, Kasen and Kaitlyn; siblings: Pat (Rick) Leach, Karen (Larry) Vander Hyden, Mike (Peggy) Schultz, Doug (Tracy) Schultz, Jean (Mark) Larsen, and Cindy O'Brien. She is further survived by her mother-in-law, Janet Gehrke; sister-in-law, LuAnn Rasmussen; and brother-in-law, Jim Gehrke. She was preceded in death by her parents and father-in-law, Peter Gehrke.
Dementia is not a road for the weary, and it would be an impossible journey to walk alone. We are grateful and will forever be indebted to our friends and neighbors, who still visited frequently, kept extending invites, and shared in our grief along the way. We are also thankful for local restaurants and businesses who understood her disease and welcomed her and treated her like any other customer, even if accommodations had to be made. Lastly, we want to thank her caregivers, as well as Thedacare Hospice, especially Lexie, for your support and compassion and the entire Valley VNA staff, especially Jordan, for your kindness and making Kris's final days comfortable.
Per Kris's wishes, a Celebration of Life will be held at a later date when we can share our favorite memories.
I'd like the memory of me to be a happy one.
I'd like to leave an afterglow of smiles when life is done.
I'd like to leave an echo whispering softly down the ways,
Of happy times and laughing times and bright and sunny days.
I'd like the tears of those who grieve, to dry before the sun;
Of happy memories that I leave when life is done.