Schneider-Michaelis Funeral Home

06/09/2026

Steven L. Becht, 59, of McFarland, Wisconsin passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, May 30, 2026.
Steven was born on August 12, 1966, in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. He was the son of Donna and Horst Becht. Steven graduated from Jefferson High School in 1984. After graduation, he attended UW-Madison where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry in 1989. In 1996 Steven earned his PhD in Medical Microbiology and Bacteriology.
Steven was a Lead Scientist and was able to manage large and small molecule GMP Mass spectrometry groups and led several research and development projects.
Throughout his life, Steven enjoyed tending to his garden, relaxing with his beloved cats, and spending time with his nieces and nephews. A dedicated fan of both the Denver Broncos and the Milwaukee Brewers, he also had a passion for Dungeons & Dragons and collecting vintage computers and gaming systems.
Steven is survived by his loving mother, Donna Becht, brother Kevin (Christina) Becht, sister Susanne (Andy) Flater, nephews Brendon Campbell, Mitchel Becht, Andrew Flater, nieces Calley Flater, Ashlyn (Devon) Smith, and great niece and nephew Amara & Levi Smith.
Steven is preceded in death by his father Horst Becht, and sisters Barbara Becht and Julie Becht-Campbell.
VISITATION: Visitation will be held on Thursday, June 18, 2026, at Schneider-Michaelis Funeral Home (900 West Racine St. Jefferson, Wisconsin) from 12:00PM – 1:45PM.
SERVICE: A Memorial Service will take place following the visitation at Schneider-Michaelis Funeral Home (900 West Racine St. Jefferson, Wisconsin) at 2:00PM.
Schneider-Michaelis Funeral Home is proudly serving the family.
Online condolences can be made at:

View Steven L. Becht's obituary, send flowers, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.

06/02/2026

Dr. Jerry Calvin Keiser was born March 29, 1938 to Othar and Adah (Haycraft) Keiser on a farm in Jasper County, Indiana, the youngest of four boys. He graduated from Wolcott High School in 1956, enlisted in the Army, then attended Purdue University earning his Bachelors and Masters, while working full time. Then earned his Ed.D at WSU. He was a part of the education world in IN, WA, and WI and shared his big heart during his time as a Guidance Counselor.

At a local basketball game, he spotted Marilyn Yerk, and two years later married on January 22, 1961, at Pine Grove Methodist Church. He loved a good joke and told many. He had many hobbies but his favorite was fishing with friends and family. They traveled to 50 states and 8 countries.

He was a member of the Immanuel UMC in Jefferson and was involved with various boards and sharing his voice in song on many occasions and enjoyed singing with his sons. He was involved with the Boys Scouts, Rotary Club, Jefferson HUD Commission, Food Pantry, and CPA.

He is survived by his wife of 65 years Marilyn, four children: David (Melissa), Darin (Lisa Siedzkowski), Darel (Holly), and Denise(David) Last, 12 grandchildren, 7 great-grandchildren and one more arriving in October. Along with his brother James of Kansas and many nieces, nephews, and other family and friends.

He is preceded in death by his parents, and his brothers, John, and Julian, and sister-in-law Charlotte.

Visitation will be held at Schneider-Michaelis 900 W Racine St, Jefferson, WI on June 4th, 2026 from 3-6p, Funeral will be held at Immanuel UMC, 201 E Racine St, Jefferson, WI on June 5th, 2026 with visitation from 10a-11a and service from 11a-12p.

Schneider-Michaelis Funeral Home is proudly serving the family. Online condolences can be made at www.schneidermichaelisfuneralhome.com

https://www.altogetherfuneral.com/obituaries/schneider-michaelis-funeral-home/jefferson-wisconsin/jerry-keiser/may-2026

View Jerry C. Keiser's obituary, send flowers, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.

05/25/2026

Remembering and honoring those lost while serving our country this Memorial Day.

05/22/2026

Richard Allen Sterwald, age 72 of Fort Atkinson, passed away suddenly at home on May 20, 2026. He was born November 28, 1953, in Watertown, the son of Robert and Charlotte (Fischer) Sterwald. He graduated from Johnson Creek High School in 1972.

Richard worked at Crepaco in Lake Mills from 1972 to 1973. He then went to Waukesha Engines for 30 years from 1974 to 2004. He worked as Maintenance Manager at the Fireside in Fort Atkinson for 13 years until his retirement in 2016.

Richard married the love of his life, Claire Ann Lukas, on December 15, 1972 in Jefferson, WI. They were married for 53 years.

Richard was a devoted deer hunter all his life. He also enjoyed fishing. After retirement he started doing woodworking, building bird houses and feeders in his spare time.

Richard is survived by his wife Claire Ann Sterwald (Lukas); four children, Christopher (Milton, WI), Richard Lee (Buckeye, AZ), Michael (Jefferson, WI), and Nichole (Milton, WI); sisters Sandra (Donald) Messerschmidt and Debra (Dennis) Johns; brothers Steven (Sue), Gary (Nancy), Dale (Cheryl); grandchildren Kaity, Christopher, Keiana, Zachery, Adriana, Lukas, Kenna, Keirah, Bryce, Brayden, Vanessa and 6 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents and sister Dawn.

Visitation will be held on Wednesday, May 27, 2026 at Schneider-Michaelis Funeral Home (900 West Racine Street, Jefferson, WI 53549) from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM.

Schneider-Michaelis Funeral Home of Jefferson is proudly serving the family. For online condolences, please visit the funeral home website link below.

View Richard A. Sterwald's obituary, send flowers, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.

05/19/2026

Patricia 'Lulu' Fitzgerald (nee Stephenson) sang her final song Thursday May 14th in her home in Madison. Pati was born 5/28/1958 to Ken L. Stephenson and Dawn Delight Nelson in Janesville, Wisconsin.

She graduated from Janesville Craig in 1976 before obtaining her degree in education from UW-Whitewater in 1980. She enjoyed a long career at Jefferson high school as an administrator.

She loved and was deeply loved by her son, Sean Fitzgerald of Madison, siblings Sigga Fagan and Jeff Stephenson, stepparents Robert Nelson and Virginia Stephenson, as well as many nieces, nephews and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband, Michael J. Fitzgerald, and a sister, Jodie Stephenson-Allen.

A time of remembrance will be held at Schneider Michaelis funeral home (900 West Racine Street in Jefferson) on May 30th at 2:00 PM. All are welcome to attend.

Online condolences can be made through the link listed below. Schneider-Michaelis Funeral Home is assisting the family.

View Patricia 'Lulu' Fitzgerald's obituary, send flowers, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.

05/18/2026

Serving families with dignity and respect since 1892.

05/10/2026

We are thinking of all the mothers and mother figures in your life today.

Some might be gone, but they are never forgotten.

We had the privilege and honor yesterday to serve our community once more by hosting a Mother's Day Service of Remembrance Event.

Thank you to all who attended. And thank you to all of the mothers and mother figures in all our lives, yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

05/08/2026

Mark L. Genz, age 53, of Monticello, formerly of Jefferson, passed away at University Hospital and Clinics on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, into the arms of his Lord and Savior.

Mark was born on May 25, 1972, in Portage to Nielan and Carol (Mundt) Genz. Mark was baptized on June 2, 1972, at St. John’s, Montello. He was confirmed on April 12, 1989, at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Jefferson. Mark graduated from Jefferson High School in 1993 and then worked as a general laborer for most of his life in various positions for Piggly Wiggly, Schiller’s, ETI, Opportunities, Greenco, and MARC Center. Mark was very proud to be a dedicated member of the workforce.

Mark lived an extraordinary life with a list of accomplishments putting doubters to shame. He lived life to the fullest; he loved singing, dancing, any sport, golf, and dartball league. He followed the Milwaukee Brewers and was a devoted Green Bay Packer fan. He enjoyed the annual trips to Brewer games and the Packers training camp to watch his favorite players to include Aaron Rodgers. Mark enjoyed camping trips with his parents as well as attending camp BASIC for over 40 years. He was a dedicated attendee of Jesus Cares in Watertown. Mark was a dedicated member of St. Peter’s Church and proudly served Jesus wherever he had the opportunity to usher.

Mark participated in Special Olympics for over 40 years. Mark participated in running, long-jump, speed walking, basketball, bowling, and golf. For many years, Team Cheese and Golf, (Mark and Harry) were a force to be reckoned with together on the golf course. He was awarded the Male Athlete of the year in 1999 with his proud family watching him give his acceptance speech. The motto of Special Olympics is “Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.” If the event Mark did not do as well as he would have liked, his motto was “next year”.

Mark was always happy, known for his famous line, “you owe me a soda.” If only we knew how many sodas were owed. People and animals were drawn to his gentle demeanor and loving personality.

Mark is survived by his father, Nielan Genz of Jefferson, brother Paul (Dawn) Genz of Windsor, sisters Ruth (Dennis) Affeld of Juneau and Rebecca (Robert) Blodgett of Monticello. He is also survived by nephews Thomas (Jyssica) Genz and Sean Affeld, nieces Megan (Travis) Banegas, Elizabeth Affeld, and Lindsay Affeld. He is also survived by his great niece Caroline Genz. Mark is further survived by cousins, relatives, and many friends. He was preceded in death by his mother, Carol Genz, Aunt Dorene Mundt and his faithful dogs Charlie and Sam.

Funeral Services will be held at 1:00PM on Monday, May 11, 2026, at St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Helenville with the Rev. Titus Buelow officiating. Burial will follow at St. Peter’s Evergreen Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 10:30AM until the time of the service.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Camp BASIC and Jesus Cares in Watertown.

Safe in the arms of Jesus, Safe on his Gentle Breast, There in His arms enfolded, safely my Soul shall rest.

I will miss you for the rest of my life. I love you. ~Sister Becca

Schneider-Michaelis Funeral Home in Jefferson is proudly serving the family.

View Mark L. Genz's obituary, send flowers, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.

05/06/2026

Happy Nurse's Day via Schneider-Michaelis Funeral Home!

Our very own administrative assistant Caitlyn hand-delivered gift baskets to all of our hard-working nurses!

Thank you for all that you do within the community!

04/30/2026

Please join us for a Mother’s Day Remembrance Event on Saturday, May 9, 2026, at 12:00 PM, at Schneider-Michaelis Funeral Home, 900 West Racine Street, Jefferson, WI 53549.

Mothers and mother figures will forever be in our hearts. Join us as we honor that notion and love kept close.

Light refreshments and snacks will be made available before, during, and after the program. All are welcome to join.

For those of you attending, please call the funeral home to RSVP with the total number of guests. Please consider sending us a picture of your mother or mother figure to use during our slideshow video tribute.

Please call us at 920-674-3960 or email [email protected] with questions or to RSVP for this special event.