Menomonie Minute

Richard (Dick) C. Nehring passed away peacefully with Lynn at his side on Friday, December 20, 2024, at The Neighbors of Dunn County, Menomonie, after a six-year battle with cancer.

Dick was born February 15, 1934 to Julius and Mabel (Hockenbrock) Nehring in the Town of Cleveland, Chippewa County. He graduated from Baldwin High School in 1952 and worked in a grocery store for one year before he enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving from 1953 to 1956. He worked odd jobs in a cannery, creamery and pea factory. Dick completed one year of a Machinist program at Voc Tech. He worked as a machinist from 1959 to 1999 at McDonough Manufacturing in Eau Claire.

He married Mary Lou Morissette in 1960. Together, they had three daughters, Denise, Karen, and Julie. They lived in the Eau Claire area, where they were members of St. John’s Lutheran Church. He enjoyed doing things with his family and friends. His hobbies included fishing, hunting, vegetable gardening, woodworking, and watching basketball and football games. He was an avid Green Bay Packer fan, and he was quite the fisherman! Dick lost Mary Lou to cancer at a young age.

In 1985 Dick married Lynn (Maves) McMahon. They lived in the Colfax area about 38 years. After retiring, Dick became more interested in landscape work and preparing perennial garden areas for Lynn to plant. Together, they created a place for others to visit and tour their gardens. Dick enjoyed the friendships that developed through these garden visits. He was a long-time member of the Northern Wisconsin Hosta Society (NWHS). He was also a member of the Eau Claire Garden Club (ECGC) for a brief time. Dick was a member of the Tainter United Methodist Church, where he and Lynn created garden areas around the church and maintained them for about 10 years.

Dick enjoyed spending time with his family, getting together with friends to play cards or enjoy a meal out. Friends were amused by his quiet humor. He loved going to his grandchildren’s basketball games as well as attending their cross-country competitions. He enjoyed visiting gardens and arboretums with Lynn, always looking for ideas for their own gardens. They spent endless hours planning garden spaces and watching birds, deer, and other wildlife at home.

He is survived by Lynn Nehring; three daughters, Denise (Todd) McMahon, Karen (Brian Nelsen) Nehring, and Julie Enloe; five grandchildren, Nissa, Karissa, and Tala Enloe, Nathan (Cassie) McMahon, and Sarah (Mike Capobianco) McMahon; three great-grandchildren Catalina Enloe, Sabrina Larson and William McMahon.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Julius and Mabel Nehring; first wife, Mary Lou Nehring, son-in-law Dennis Enloe, brothers Carl, Howard, Allen, Phillip, William, Oliver, Harold, and Arthur Nehring, sisters Ruth Auburt, Dorothy Hop, and Ramona Britton.

The family wishes to thank the Mayo Clinic Health System Cancer Center staff, especially Ruta Kirstein, for their wonderful care and support throughout the last six years and, more recently, the staff of The Neighbors of Dunn County and St. Croix Hospice for their care and support.

Memorial services will be held on Thursday, January 2, 2025, at 12:00 noon at the Tainter United Methodist Church, rural Menomonie, with Pastor Hae Jin Bahng officiating. Visitation at the church from 11:00 a.m. to noon. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Olson Funeral Home in Menomonie, WI, is serving the family.

To share a memory, please visit obituaries at www.olsonfuneral.com.

Join Sylvia Tiala (UW Stout professor) for an introduction to genealogy research. Find your family roots and start building your family tree. Sylvia will give a presentation on Jan 11th from 1-2pm in the Library meeting room.

She’ll also offer help sessions on the 2nd Saturday of each month from 9-11am starting Feb 8th in the storytime room (or by appointment [email protected]).

From the Facebook event page.

Join the challenge for a chance to win a $20 Amazon gift card & a signed copy of a William Kent Krueger book!

Sign up HERE.

From the Menomonie Public Library Facebook page.

Once Christmas is over and you're ready to un-deck the halls, Christmas trees can be dropped off at Elmwood Park, Wakanda Park or the Solid Waste Site. The City Community Services staff will pickup Christmas trees curbside on Wednesday, January 8, 2025.

Trees must be bare with no posts, decorations or ornaments. No tree bags, stands or artificial trees and wreaths will be accepted.

Make sure your tree is placed on the curb by 6 AM on January 8, 2025 for pickup.

From the City of Menomonie Facebook page.

Teams of up to four compete to finish a custom jigsaw puzzle featuring an image from the Rassbach Museum’s collection. The winning team will receive a limited edition prize from Anshus Jewelers.

Help us get ready for our 75th Anniversary celebration by supporting the museum and being part of the latest puzzling trend.

The competition will be followed by a free puzzle exchange open to the public at 1 p.m. (Puzzle participants get first choice at the puzzle exchange.)

$75 donation to reserve your table for a team of up to four contestants, aged 15+

Each table will get to bring their puzzle home with them. Each team will get four soft drink tickets. Additional drinks and snacks will be available.

Official Rules

1. Each table will have up to four team members. Teams will be competing for one first place prize, no matter how many people are on the team of up to four.

2. All teams receive the same puzzle.

3. Puzzle boxes will be hidden until the timer starts..

4. No observers allowed in the competition area.

5. Competitors are asked to maintain a respectfully quiet atmosphere in the competition area. Teams may not distract other teams or purposefully create an environment of distraction.

6. Cell phones should be silenced. No phone calls, texts or photos allowed during the competition. Headphones or earbuds are acceptable.

7. There will be no organized breaks. Team members are encouraged to take bathroom and snack breaks as needed.

8. Teams are restricted to their own table and may not approach another table during the competition, and are not allowed to study an opposing team's puzzle.

9. The team that finishes the puzzle first wins.

10. When a team has completed the puzzle, they must immediately hail the timekeeper to record the end time and inspect the finished puzzle.

11. If no one has completed the puzzle within the allotted time, a winner will be declared by the remaining number of loose pieces. Pieces of fewer than four connected pieces are considered loose pieces.

12. Should there be a tie, the timekeeper will allow a ten-minute tie-breaker round.

13. Rulings of the official timekeeper are final.

From the Facebook event page.

The Menomonie Athletic Booster Club's Annual Cribbage Tournament is coming up on Sunday, February 2nd at Dean & Sue's. Find a partner and call or text Patsy at 715-456-5869 to register.

All proceeds support every athletic team at MHS!

Xcel Energy's Bank Stabilization project near their Menomonie Dam is wrapping up! The bank stabilization and shoreline protection are fully installed. The renovation of the Tainter Gate Historic Outlook is nearly complete and will be open to the public in early January 2025.

Staff from the City, Xcel Energy and the contractor did a walk through earlier this week and it’s looking great!

There will be an official open house in the spring.

Thank you for your patience with the sidewalk and temporary lane closures.

From the City of Menomonie Facebook page.

UPDATE:

The operator of the vehicle involved in this crash on December 12th was transported to a local hospital following the accident.

On December 23, 2024, the Dunn County Medical Examiner’s Office reported that the operator

died at the hospital due to complications from injuries suffered in the crash.

The operator was identified as 80 year-old Gregory Allen Nerbovig of Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

ORIGINAL POST

On December 12th, 2024, at approximately 3:16 PM, the Dunn County Communication Center was notified of a train vs. car crash at the railroad crossing near the intersection of 970th St and US Hwy 12 in the Village of Elk Mound, Dunn County, Wisconsin.

The Dunn County Sheriff’s Office, Wisconsin  State Patrol, Elk Mound Police, Elk Mound Fire, Colfax Rescue, and Eau Claire Ambulance responded to  the scene.  

Preliminary investigation shows the driver of a southbound SUV, failed to yield right of way from  the stop sign at the railroad crossing, causing the collision on the passenger side of the SUV, with the  eastbound train. The SUV had three occupants inside. The driver of the SUV was flown from the scene by  Mayo Helicopter.

The two juveniles in the vehicle were transported to the hospital by private vehicle.  This crash remains under investigation by the Dunn County Sheriff’s Office and Elk Mound Police  Department.  

Media release.

The Caring Closet will be open on Saturday, January 4th, from 10am-noon. All clothing is donated and free to whomever needs it. Donations (gently used clothing and bedding) are accepted during open times. The Caring Closet is located in the New Life Nazarene Church basement at 1002 8th St, Menomonie. From the Caring Closet Facebook page.

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