Theodoris A. "Ted" Poelma
August 30, 1930 - June 16, 2019
Obituary
Lodi-Waunakee-Theodoris "Ted" Poelma, age 88, of Lodi, passed away peacefully on Sunday, June 16, 2019 surrounded by his family. He was born on August 30, 1930, in the Netherlands, the son of the late Herman and Maria (Bodewes) Poelma. In 1951, Ted chose to emigrate to Canada become a farmer. After his experiences with farming, Ted decided he could help more as a Veterinarian. He graduated in 1960 from the Ontario Veterinary College-Guelph. After earning his degree, Ted then emigrated to the United States where he joined the Waunakee Veterinary Service retiring in 1991. On May 7, 1966, he married Jane Kalscheuer and together they enjoyed 53 wonderful years together. After his retirement, Ted did volunteer consulting for US AID and traveled to Mali, Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. For many years he went annually to Honduras to vaccinate cattle. Ted was an active member of the Lodi Optimist, Dutch Club and Okee Association. He was also active in The Wisconsin Veterinary Association and is remembered as a kind, compassionate man who enjoyed reading, scuba diving, sailing on Lake Wisconsin, skiing and especially hunting and golfing with his buddies. In addition to his wife Jane, survivors include his children, Kristina Poelma, Gary (Chris) and Randall (Jenny); five Grandchildren, Emily, Isabel, Julia, Ryan and Aaron; his older brother Kees "Joke"; sisters-in-law, Bouwein Poelma, Gre Poelma, Lucy Barman and Alice (Francis) Tangney; and other relatives and many friends. He was preceded in death by his brothers Herman "Kaat", Renier "Toos", Frits "Eit", Gerard, Petrus; his sister, Tineke; and his sisters-in-laws, Marcy (Joe) Kopp and Virginia (Linus) Kuehn. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at BLESSED TRINITY CATHOLIC PARISH AT ST. PATRICKS CHURCH, 521 Fair St, Lodi, at 11:00 am on Saturday June 22, 2019, with Rev. Fr. Scott Jablonski presiding and Deacon Francis Tangney assisting. Burial will be held at St. John's Cemetery (Waunakee). Visitation will be held at GUNDERSON LODI FUNERAL HOME from 4:00 pm until 7:00 pm on Friday, June 21, 2019, and also at the church on Saturday from 10:00 am until the time of the service. In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund to be determined will be established in Ted's name. The family would like to extend a "special thanks" to Sil, Kathy, Sue and Jack for their many visits and also to our Demynck Rd. neighbors and especially to our daughter Kris for all her time, love and care she gave her Dad. Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.
Gunderson Lodi
Funeral & Cremation Care
157 South Main Street
(608)592-3201
Events
Visitation
Fri Jun 21, 2019 @ 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM CDT
Gunderson Funeral and Cremation Care - Lodi • 157 South Main Street, P.O. Box 17, Lodi, WI 53555
Visitation
Sat Jun 22, 2019 @ 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM CDT
Blessed Trinity Catholic Parish; at St. Patrick's Church in Lodi • 521 Fair St., Lodi, WI null
Mass of Christian Burial
Sat Jun 22, 2019 @ 11:00 AM CDT
Blessed Trinity Catholic Parish; at St. Patrick's Church in Lodi • 521 Fair St., Lodi, WI null
Photos
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Memories
JC
Julie & Hank Christensen
Other •
I am very grateful for all the times we spent up at Lake Wisconsin at your cottage when we were younger and your house when we were older. Ted was always willing to give us boat rides when we were young and even extended that to my children. He was a very gentle man and had a loving heart. My sympathies to all of you.
Julie & Hank Christensen
LL
LuAnn Langowski
Other •
I am also an Optimist. I loved your father, his stories and especially his accent.
I am so sorry for your loss. Lu Ann Langowski
MW
Marlin Wild
Other •
I was saddened when I saw the obituary of Dr. Poelma's passing. Dr. Poelma was a veterinarian we used for many years. He was always very professional and compassionate. Not only did he treat our animals but he went out of his way to explain how and why he treated our animals. I always enjoyed spending time and learning from him. God Bless Dr. Poelma!!
LZ
Leigh Fjeldstad Zadra
Other •
Dr. Poelma was our veterinarian for many years. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a vet because of him. He let me follow him on his route one day for my high school career day! What a wonderful human being. My condolences to your family
AK
Ann Klinger
Other •
Our sympathy to your family for your loss. Dr. Poelma took wonderful care of our cats. And Gary was ahead of Kala in high school. I just happened to sign up for obituaries last eve and saw this today. So sorry for your loss.
Ann and Bob Klinger
TE
Travis Erickson
Other •
As a kid, there were very few days in the summer I looked forward to more than going to 'Jane and Ted's Cottage.' We'd be out on the lake all day (and I'd be sunburned for a week)! Ted would take us out sailing or water-skiing, and it was all so much fun. Even at that young age I could tell that he genuinely enjoyed spending time with all of us. I also recall some of their pets: Kim, Molly, and Peter come to mind. As far as I know all of their pets had "human" names. There's probably a good lesson there. My sincere condolences to the entire family.