Norman Leslie Werthwein, 80, passed away on August 12, 2026. He was born on September 13, 1945, to Roger and Virginia (nee Gustafson) at Sherman Hospital in Elgin, Illinois. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Percy, sister Rita, and his wife & high school sweetheart, Sandy. They had been married since October 24, 1964 until her death on May 2, 2022. He is survived by four children, Suzanne Yazel, of McHenry, IL, John, of Soldiers Grove, Jeff (Carla Krueger) of Soldiers Grove, and Keith (Dawn) of Soldiers Grove. He is also survived by four grandchildren: Cody (Jordon) McCann of Gays Mills, Damian Werthwein, of Sparta, Gabrielle (Devin) LeMay of Augusta, and Mason Werthwein of Muscoda, additionally, a great-granddaughter, Addysyn McCann. He is also survived by his remaining six sisters: Judy Nimtz of Belvidere, IL, Kay (Dick) Irving of Sycamore, IL, Sue (the late Gary) Olson, of Hinckley, IL, Valerie (Orris) Ruth of Hampshire, IL, Ginny of Homer, AK, and Renee (Rick) Niederman of Pekin, IN. Lastly, he is survived by many nieces and nephews in addition to a special family friend, Eldoris Ekern.
The family wishes to express sincere appreciation to St. Croix Hospice for their unmatched care and service with heartfelt gratitude to Carly and Laurie who brought care, conversation and laughter to Norm over the last two years. The family also wishes to express their gratefulness to Joe & Hailey Boland and Joe Lein for their companionship and their assistance to Norm over the past several years. (Here's is the remaining portion of the obituary as written by Norm.)
Norman L. Werthwein was born September 13,1945 and was raised on the Werthwein family farm, in northern Illinois near Burlington. His dad, Roger, raised feeder cattle and hogs, and planted beans and corn. Norm used to hunt rabbits, pheasants, and squirrels with his 22, and his single shot, 16-gauge shotgun. In 1964, Norm's mother, father, younger sisters, and brother moved to Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin to start their new family farm. Norm married his high school sweetheart Sandy that same year, and they joined the forces to help build the farm. This was a start-from-scratch operation. There were two houses that needed major renovations, which included adding indoor plumbing. There were dairy barns on the land that needed to be remodeled, which included roof repairs, adding a heifer shed and feed room. He rough-sawed lumber from the woods for the necessary repairs, which kept Norm and his father very busy for years.
In 1979, Norm and Sandy purchased the farm that Norm and his father worked so hard to establish. Their passion was registered Holsteins!! Building a reputation for top purity type and milk production. They enjoyed their involvement at District Holstein Breeder fairs, shows, and sales. They were able to achieve goals like the first embryo transfers in Crawford County and sale of bulls to artificial insemination experts in France and China. In life, they enjoyed the camaraderie of friends, neighbors, and Holstein breeders from Crawford, Vernon, Richland, and Grant County. He cherished the memories of friends and family, and of raising their four children, and their cows. The family will be holding a Celebration of Life open house from 11am to 2 pm on Saturday, September 12, 2026, at the farm. Please join us to share stories and enjoy the company of his family and friends. Online condolences can be made at www.rothfamilycremation.com
