Franklin William Niesen

CROSS PLAINS-Franklin W.” Frankie” Niesen, age 84, of Cross Plains, passed away peacefully on Sunday, March 3, 2019, at UW Hospital. He was born on Nov. 28, 1934, in Cross Plains, the son of William and Eva (Statz) Niesen. On Oct. 29, 1955, he married the love of his life, Rosina (Spahn) Niesen at St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Ashton. Frankie farmed the first few years of their marriage and then went on to construction, eventually owning his own company, Niesen & Sons Builders, with his brother, Bob. Frankie was very good at woodworking and built over 100 homes. He also enjoyed cabinetry and many other woodworking projects. Give him a picture and he could build it. Together with Julie Esser, Judy Spahn and Julie Bemis, he made and painted many bean bag games. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus, and a very proud Knights of Columbus clown. He raised money through clowning for many different children’s organizations in the area. He was also an active member of the Cross Plains Businessmen’s Association. He volunteered his skills of carpentry on many occasions at St. Francis Church. His greatest love was Rosina, and he graciously took over the role of caretaker for her while she was ill. Frankie loved gardening and shared his fruits of labor with neighbors, family and friends. He was so proud of being a Grandpa and Great-Grandpa to his grandchildren, Sarah, Casey and Brenden, and his great-grandchildren, Rosina and Frankie! Even on his last days on this earth, he was telling jokes and sharing his smile. Frankie is survived by his children, Annette (Jeff) Koenig, and James Niesen; his grandchildren, Sarah (Trent) Beuthin, Casey (Katie) Koenig, and Brenden Niesen; his great-granddaughters, Rosina Beuthin, and his namesake, Frances “Frankie” Beuthin. He is further survived by his brother, Bob (Karen) Niesen; his brother-in-law, Harold (Betty) Spahn; sister-in-law, Barb (Walter) Brouner; and many nieces, nephews, and friends. He was preceded in death by wife, Rosina; his parents; sisters, Delores (Donald) Dohm, Rita (Joe) Kaltenberg, Betty (Clarence) Ziegler, and infant sister, Rosemary Niesen; his sister-in-law, Theresa (Vinny) Acker, brothers-in-law, Melvin (Bertha) Spahn, and Leonard Spahn. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at ST. FRANCIS XAVIER CATHOLIC CHURCH, 2947 Thinnes St., Cross Plains, at 10:30 a.m. on Friday March 8, 2019, with Father Thomas Kelley presiding. Burial will be at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Cemetery. Visitation will be held at the church from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. on Thursday, Mar. 7, 2019, and from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the service on Friday. Memorials may be made to St. Francis Catholic School. The family would like to thank all the Doctors and nurses at the UW Hospital especially nurse Amy Gail. Your guidance, caring words and empathy helped us through this difficult time. How lucky we are to have someone that makes saying goodbye so hard! We will miss you Dad, Grandpa, Great-Grandpa! Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com. Gunderson Cross Plains Funeral & Cremation Care 2421 Church Street 608-798-3141