Bertha Lensch Furey

Tuesday, July 26, 2016 9:08 pm

Bertha Lensch Furey, 93, passed away June 29, 2016, in Mequon, Wis. A memorial service is Saturday, Aug. 6, from 11 a.m. to noon, with a luncheon to follow at Crossroads Presbyterian in Mequon, Wis. The family will receive friends and relatives Saturday, at the church, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family wishes for donations to be sent to: Crossroads Presbyterian Church, Memory Garden (6031 W. Chapel Hill Rd. Mequon, WI 53097) or the Star and Stripes Honor Flight (P.O. Box 636 Port Washington, WI 53074), in honor of Capt. George B. Furey, Army Air Corps.

Bertha Lensch Furey was born on the family farm Nov. 18, 1922, in Atkins, the daughter of the late Louis William Lensch and the late Matilda (nee Fritz) Lensch. She learned to play the drums at the age of 8, while accompanying all of her brothers and sisters that played musical instruments for the traveling Atkins Band. She later attended the University of Iowa from 1940 through 1943, as a nursing student. As soldiers went off to support the war effort, Bertha filled in, playing the bass drum in the University of Iowa marching band. She left college to work for Collins Radio, in Cedar Rapids, welding Norden bombsights, used by the Army Air Corps. Bertha was united in marriage to George B. Furey April 19, 1944, on her parent’s farm, in Ely. Together their marriage was blessed with four children, Doug, Josephine, George Jr. and Jack. George and Bertha relocated their family to Mequon, Wis., in1958, where they became longtime members of Crossroads Presbyterian Church. She was a sports fan for her children and grandchildren, and for many years was a Chicago Cubs fan. Bertha enjoyed Bridge and her Bridge Club. At the age of 85, she played the bass drum for the New Horizon Band at New Castle Place, in Mequon.

Bertha is survived by her sons: Jack (Barb) Furey, George Furey Jr. and Doug (Judy) Furey; grandchildren: Mark and Genevieve Griswold, Jake, Cody, Jordan, James, Laura, George III, Luke, Jonathan and Benjamin Furey; and great-grandchildren, Conor and Violet Furey.

She was preceded in death by her husband, George Furey Sr.; daughter, Josephine Griswold; and Bertha’s siblings: Mary Lensch of Atkins, Catherine Schirm of Atkins, Wilma Schanbacher of Atkins, Dorothy Halbash of Cedar Rapids, August Lensch of Vinton, William Lensch of Phoenix, Ariz. and Kenneth Lensch of Marion.