Rosemary Wilke

Rosemary Wilke, age 86, of Brodhead, passed away on Sept. 7, 2020, at Aster Assisted Living in Monroe.  She was born the daughter of George and Ruth (Rodebaugh) Sands on Sept. 30, 1933.  She attended Orfordville High School, where she met her husband, Verne E. Wilke, and was married on Aug. 22, 1952.

Rosemary worked along with her husband on their dairy farm in rural Brodhead raising their two children. She is survived by her children, Steven (Marilyn) Wilke and Christine (Dan) Drefahl; grandchildren, Samuel (Jessica) Wilke, Maxwell (Sadie) Wilke and Stephanie (Pranav) Drefahl and a great-grandchild, Cayden.

Rosemary was preceded in death by her parents, George and Ruth (Rodebaugh) Sands; her brother, Arthur Sands; a great-nephew, Michael Sands, and her husband, Verne.

Her greatest joys in life were spending time with family and drinking coffee and getting together with all her friends.  She loved music and especially loved listening to her granddaughter play piano. Rosemary always tried to get to all of Maxwell’s sports events and loved spending time on the farm with her first grandchild, Sam, and taking enough photos to fill several albums.

She also enjoyed many other things in life — cooking, baking, crocheting and trying new hobbies such as cake decorating, ceramics, sewing and trying new recipes.

Rosemary was a Spring Valley 4-H cooking leader for several years, a cook at Hanover’s Ding-A-Ling for seven years and later in life worked at the Piggly Wiggly deli in Evansville until retiring from all and moving to the city of Brodhead. She was a member of the Church of the Nazarene in Brodhead and a former member of Orfordville Lutheran. She spent the last year of her life at Aster Assisted Living in Monroe, with her beloved cat, Sweet Pea.

Graveside services were held at the Greenwood Cemetery, County Highway T in Brodhead, on Friday, Sept. 11. The DL Newcomer Funeral Home in Brodhead is assisting the family. Go online to

dlnewcomerfuneralhome.com or call 608-897-2484 for more information.