Viola (Mader) Winkel
1909 – 1990
Viola was the first daughter of Frank Jr. and Magdaline Mader born in 1909.
Her mother died when Viola was 20 and it was up to her to keep house for her father Frank. He did not want her to leave and get married and broke up any friendship Viola had with a boy.
Finally claiming her independence, Viola left for Milwaukee to go to beauty school where she met Ray Winkel at the Wisconsin Roof Gardens. Viola and Ray got married against her father’s wishes. “I was just lucky,” Viola said. “I was 36 years old.” In 1952 their only daughter Mary was born.
Ray’s father was a co-founder of the Milwaukee Vocational School in Milwaukee. Ray worked as a security guard for the Milwaukee Museum.
Some time later, Viola moved back to La Crosse with her family. Ray Winkel has since passed away and Viola lives alone on Jackson St. [Updated 2005 : Viola passed away on April 27, 1990]
- Mary Rose Winkel (named after Maria Rosa Mader) was the only child born in 1952. She is married to Michael Strasser who teaches at the University of WI in La Crosse and is also a pilot. They are residing in West Salem, WI. [Updated 2005: now living in Onalaska with my husband, Michael.]