Merry G. Kampmeier, 96

Merry G. Kampmeier, née Tesser, 96, of Stevens Point, died Friday, Aug. 23, 2024, at Hilltop Alpine Terrace in Wisconsin Rapids. She was under the care of St. Croix Hospice.

Services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 27, at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church, 3210 Maple Drive, Plover. Pastor David Ficken will officiate. Burial will be in Edgar Cemetery, Edgar, Wis. Visitation will be from 9:30 a.m. until the time of services Tuesday at the church.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Merry’s name may be made to organizations close to her heart, such as Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church, Samaritan’s Purse, the National Audubon Society, the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, or any local church, missionary project, humane society, or conservation group.

Merry was born Nov. 6, 1927, at her family’s farm in the town of Saratoga, Wood County, Wis., to the late Lenora Lillian (née Lakin) and John Louis Tesser. She was the eighth of the couple’s 10 children.

She attended a one-room schoolhouse through eighth grade and later completed both high school and college courses at Emmanuel Missionary College (now Andrews University) in Berrien Springs, Mich. Merry was a lifelong learner, deeply engaged in studying the Bible, and had a passion for reading magazines, maps, and reference books.

During World War II, Merry moved to the Chicago area, where she worked in various roles, including as a candy striper and assembling radios for the war effort.

She married Wayne E. Kampmeier on Feb. 17, 1957, at Concordia Lutheran Church in Berwyn, Ill. He preceded her in death on March 7, 2007.

Merry cherished her role as a mother and homemaker. She shared her knowledge of farming, gardening, and food preservation with her family on their 120-acre farm in the town of Cassel, Marathon County, Wis. The family raised chickens, beef cattle, and a variety of produce, which Merry generously shared with loved ones.

After selling their farm in 1985, Merry worked part-time in the cafeteria at Edgar Public Schools until she and Wayne retired to Bolivar, Mo., where they lived until returning to central Wisconsin in 2004.

Survivors include her four children, Eric (Jody) Kampmeier of Sycamore, Ill., Laurel (Bill) Miller of Estill Springs, Tenn., Greg Kampmeier of Antigo, Wis., and Susan (Kevin) Sliwicki of Stevens Point; four grandsons, Ben (Ann) Kampmeier of Grand Rapids, Mich., Luke Kampmeier, Stephen (Ashley) Sensenbrenner of Plover, Wis., and Michael Kampmeier of Waukesha, Wis.; two great-grandsons, Reuben Kampmeier and Ian Sensenbrenner; two great-granddaughters, Abby Kampmeier and Sophia Sensenbrenner; and many nieces and nephews.

Merry was preceded in death by her parents, Lenora and John; her husband, Wayne; her brothers, Kenneth, William, John, and Vernon Tesser; her sisters, Lenora Josephine Whetstone, Anna Dehnicke, Pauline Baker, Joy Guido, and Barbara Butcher; her grandson, Richard Kampmeier; and her daughter-in-law, Michelle Kampmeier.

The family extends their gratitude to the staff of St. Croix Hospice and Hilltop Alpine Terrace for their compassionate care of Merry.

Pisarski Community Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Plover is assisting the family with arrangements.