Betty J. Wieckert

It is with great sadness that the Wieckert family announces the death of our much-loved mother, Betty Wieckert, who passed away on December 19, 2023 at the age of 93.  The daughter of Oliver and Vinney (Gabrielson) Marks, Betty was born on July 16, 1930 in Big Falls, WI.  When Betty was young, the Marks Family moved to a farm in Marion, WI.  As the oldest of 5 children, Betty would tell stories of early mornings spent milking the cows and doing farm chores.  She was no stranger to doing hard work.  In 1949, Betty graduated from Marion High School and then went on to getting her beautician's license.  Upon completion of beauty school, Betty worked in the beauty salon at Gloudemans & Gage Department Store on College Ave. in Appleton. 

It was while she was working as a beautician that Betty met a nice young real estate agent, Kelly Wieckert, who worked across the street at H.F. McCarthy Real Estate.  Kelly and Betty were married on Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 1952.  Their first home was a small apartment on College Avenue with a tea cart for a table and suitcases to sit on for chairs.  It was a humble beginning but the start of many great adventures. 

As they started a family, Betty and Kelly bought a home on Lorain Court in Appleton where they raised their 3 children.  Betty was a stay-at-home mom who was actively involved in raising her children.  Whether it was taking Carla to the horse stables, going to Jeff’s sporting events, or attending Steve’s debate competitions, Betty was on the go and told of having to make dinner 3 times on many nights to accommodate the kid’s schedules.  Betty was a friend to all in the Lorain Court neighborhood.  Betty hosted vary popular block parties at her home, complete with homemade ice cream. 

After the children were grown, Betty became a licensed realtor and joined Kelly in his own real estate company, Wieckert Real Estate.  Together, Betty and Kelly were quite successful as real estate developers with their largest project being the acquisition of the Schroeder Farm on Highway 41, which subsequently was developed into the Fox River Mall.  It was a major development for Betty and Kelly that took 13 years to complete with the opening of the mall in 1984. 

In her spare time, Betty loved to shop.  Weekends were spent with her brother and sister-in-law, B.G. and Beverly Wieckert, searching for treasures at auctions and estate sales.  Together, they were known as the “Three B’s” and could be seen driving up to an auction with an empty horse trailer in tow for ample space to bring home their treasures.   

As a realtor, Betty always had plans for building her dream home.  In 2002, that wish came true when Betty and Kelly built the home of Betty’s dreams on a pond on Gosling Way in Menasha.  It was a comfortable home built for the entire Wieckert family to enjoy and to showcase the many, many treasures Betty had acquired over the years. 

It was a heartbreaking loss to all when Kelly passed away unexpectedly in 2007. 

Those who knew Betty best say she was kind, generous, stylish, fun-loving, and had a wonderful laugh.  She was an avid bird watcher and a lover of nature.  For the past 15 years, Betty’s faithful feline companion, Molly, was always by her side.   

Betty will be dearly missed by her three children, Steve (Amy) Wieckert of Appleton, WI, Jeff (Paula) Wieckert of St. Louis Park, MN, and Carla (Tom) Pasteur of Ocala, FL; her grandchildren, Sarah (Ramiro) Prado of Chicago, IL and Adam Wieckert of Nashville, TN.  Betty is also survived by her brother-in-law, Walter Wieckert of Appleton, WI and her sister-in-law, Joan Wieckert of Madison, WI; as well as numerous nieces and nephews. 

We would like to thank Cheryl Schmidt for helping out Betty for the past 20 years.  We would also like to thank the staff of Moments Hospice for all of their loving care of Betty, especially Ashley and Kim who, on a daily basis, took such good care of her. 

A celebration of Betty’s life will take place on Saturday, January 20th, 2024 at Wichmann Funeral Home, 537 N. Superior St, Appleton.  Visitation will be held from 9:00am -11:00am followed by a service at 11:00am.  In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Betty’s memory to The Fox Cities Humane Association or the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin using the links below.