Sylvia Louise Tepp Kunst

Heaven received a new angel, Sylvia Louise Tepp Kunst, early morning Saturday, February 20, 2021.

She was born in the Town of Linwood on May 24, 1932 daughter of Leo and Helen (Jezeski) Niemczyk. With her sisters being much older, Millie was 13 years older, she always had someone willing to play with her. Being that the farm she grew up on was about five miles from Stevens Point when Sylvia attended St. Joseph’s Academy in Stevens Point, she lived with various relatives. She missed her parents so much during that time. She graduated from the Academy in 1949. She worked for Hardware Mutual for a short time.

She married her first love in 1949, Leon Tepp. They were both the youngest in their families, so she was immediately surrounded by in-laws, nieces, and nephews. They had six children: Timothy, Marcia, Jenifer, Jeffrey, Mark, and Christopher. She took care of their children full-time until Christopher, the youngest was in school for a full day. She then worked part-time at Roshka Pharmacy, always home every night to make dinner. She then returned to Sentry Insurance and was part of the life insurance company for over 30 years, retiring in 1991. During that time, she obtained her security license to better serve customers.

Sylvia was a great cook; well known for her pierogis. She was willing to teach anyone her secrets and pass along recipes. She and her friend Carol Kiefer had many adventures with cooking and sewing. Many thought they did it just to have time away from their large families. She loved fishing and would stay out in the lake until she could no longer see her bobber. You could see her frustration when others close by were catching fish and her line was silent. Sylvia and Leon enjoyed playing bridge and any other type of cards. They passed that love onto their children as they helped them learn to play cards on Sundays at the Niemczyk farm.

She also liked to have fun with friends, bowling, dressing up, playing poker with her lady’s group, and traveling to places in and around Wisconsin. Of course, trips to casinos were one of her favorite. Sylvia always had a joke to share, and Lena and Ole jokes were one of her favorite. Leon passed away in September 1994, after a battle with cancer.

In August 1995 Sylvia married Tony Kunst, found to be the second love of her life. They enjoyed polka music and traveling. Tony played the accordion and that led to great winters as snowbirds in New Mexico and then in Arizona for over 21 years. They would participate in the many jam sessions in Arizona, first the music and then cocktail hour afterward. They formed special relationships with music people from all over the U.S. and Canada. When they were in Arizona, Sylvia picked up knitting and many are fortunate to have a knitted afghan from her.

Tony and Sylvia also liked to travel. There were the trips to Las Vegas with friends or family, never big winnings but always fun. They had great experiences in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Hawaii, and Alaska. They enjoyed cruising the seas.

Tony passed away on October 11, 2020. This was difficult for Sylvia and she never seemed to recover from the loss. She is now dancing away listening to Tony play.

She is survived by her six children: Timothy Tepp, Marcia Tepp (Gary Hetzer), Jenifer Napruszewski (Ken), Jeffrey (Jill) Tepp, Mark (Lisa) Tepp, and Chris Tepp (Fiancé Angie Koziel); 11 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. She also is also survived by the children of Tony that joined her when they married: Nancy (Lewis) Smith, Rose (Steve) Depoe, Joe (Debbie) Kunst, Alan (Cathy) Kunst, Julie Johnson, and Tony Kunst. Jr.

She was preceded in death by her husbands Leon Tepp and Tony Kunst, parents Leo and Helen and her two sisters Millie Olds and Isabelle Bialas, and one great-grandchild, Evelyn Dudley.

The family would like to thank Brookdale for the kindness they provided to Sylvia and Tony for the past 2.5 years and especially for the last month when Sylvia moved to assisted living. Thank you, Peggy, from Synergy Home Care, for being such a kind and caring friend to Sylvia. Heartland Hospice, thank you for the help and comfort provided for Sylvia and the family in her last days.

A Mass of Christian Burial for Sylvia will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, at St. Stephen Catholic Church. Burial will be in the Guardian Angel Cemetery. Friends and family will gather to share memories from 4-7 p.m. on Monday at the Shuda Funeral Chapel in Stevens Point.

A General Rosary will be prayed at 6 p.m. Monday night at Shuda’s. Masks will be required at the funeral home and church.

Online condolences may be sent by visiting www.shudafuneral.com.