Sylvia Witte

Sally passed away on December 26, 2025, after a year of ongoing heart problems, which she faced with toughness and good humor.

She always loved animals, from a childhood pet fox named Edgar and a favorite chicken to a lifetime of dogs, cats, and horses. At the time of her death, she was caring for her dog Ivy, her cat Zelda (ZZ), and her horses Sophie and Pepper.

In January 1974, Sally met Rick Sommerfeld, and they married that August. They shared 52 years together and never argued or had "fights." They had two daughters, Heather and Shannon, and were proud grandparents to Ayla, Sebestyen, Violet, Ophelia, and Edison, and great-grandmother to Aurora and Arya. Sally loved her family deeply and would do anything for them.

Sally earned an English degree from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and later graduated in the first RN class at Chippewa Valley Technical College. She worked as a nurse in hospitals, home care, and hospice, and later became a licensed Massage Therapist, always striving "to be therapeutic."

She loved gardening, especially tomatoes grown in hay or straw bales, and spent years trying to raise "sweet" onions, a goal that always eluded her! One of her quirks was accumulating stuff in what she referred to as "her piles". As we look through those piles now, it is amazing to find out the stuff she saved, usually stuff that had meaning to her.

Sally's husband, Rick, misses her terribly.