Edna Sielaff

Sielaff, Edna MIDDLETON - Edna Sielaff, age 90, passed away on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2006, at Alterra Clare Bridge in Middleton. She was born on July 12, 1916, in Boyd, Wis., to the late Edward and Mary (Fedler) Wanish. A 1933 graduate of Boyd High School, Edna went on to further her education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison earning a B.S. in education in 1938 and in 1939, she earned a master of philosophy degree and a major in history. Edna was united in marriage to Gerald W. Sielaff on Oct. 18, 1941. He preceded her in death in 1974. She was employed with Forest Products Lab after graduation. After being a stay-at-home mom she returned to the UW for several refresher courses and then worked in the periodical room at UW Memorial Library from 1968 until 1979. Edna was a member of AAUW, Civic Club and the Womens Club of Madison. She is survived by a daughter, Mary Jo (Jay) Brennan of Watertown; a son, Jerry (Jill) Sielaff of Middleton; five grandchildren, Stephanie (Chris) Chamberlain of Santa Cruz, Calif., Jennifer Gullickson of Austin, Texas, Zachary Sielaff at Purdue University, Corey Sielaff at the University of Kansas and Chris Sielaff of Middleton; three great-grandchildren, Jaime, Logan and Jesse Chamberlain of Santa Cruz, Calif.; along with many other relatives and friends. In addition to her husband, Gerald Sielaff, Edna was preceded in death by a daughter, Sandi Gullickson; two brothers, Harvey and Bill; three sisters, Clara, Alice and Helen; and a son-in-law, John (Jay) Brennan. Take my bones, every muscle, every fiber and nerve in my body and find a way to make a crippled child walk. Explore every corner of my brain. Take my cells, if necessary, and let them grow so that, some day, a speechless boy will shout at the crack of a bat and a deaf girl will hear the sound of rain against her window. Burn what is left of me, and scatter the ashes to the winds to help the flowers grow. If you must bury something, let it be my faults, my weaknesses and all prejudice against my fellow man. Give my sins to the devil. Give my soul to God. If, by chance, you wish to remember me, do it with a kind deed or word to someone who needs it. If you do all I have asked, I will live forever. "Do not stand at my grave and weep. I am not there, I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow; I am the diamond glints on snow. I am the sunlight on ripened grain; I am the gentle autumns rain. When you awaken in the mornings hush, I am the swift uplifting rush of quiet birds in circled flight. I am the soft star that shines at night. Do not stand at my grave and cry. I am not there; I did not die." Edna lived, she loved, she left this world with no regrets! Gunderson West Funeral and Cremation Centers 7435 University Ave. (608) 831-6761 www.gundersonfh.com