Ilse Marie Ida Wuttke Apitz, 85, of Sheboygan and a longtime resident of Cedarburg, passed away peacefully Thursday, January 13, 2022 at St. Nicholas Hospital. She was born on May 26, 1936 in Rathenow, Germany to the late Johannes and Wilhemine Marie Mina (Gebhardt) Wuttke. Ilse went to school in Tonning in northern Germany. She grew up during the Second World War, life was hard for her. Ilse moved to Bornholm, an island in the North Sea, when she was 14 to work on a farm. She then moved to the Black Forest of Germany and Naples, Italy. Ilse returned to Stuttgart in Germany where she met her husband. In April 1966, they moved to the United States to begin raising their family.
Ilse took great pride and joy in her work at the Sheboygan County Employment Center. She loved the independence it gave her and kept it working until she was 84.
Having an adventurous side, Ilse loved to travel. Her passion for interior design and fashion made her a fixture at TJ Maxx and made her a fashionista extraordinaire. Her favorite fashion designer was Halston. She was an amazing cook, preparing many of her family’s favorite dishes like pork tenderloin, potato salad, pancakes, lemon/orange mousse, red cabbage and her “Ilse salad”. Ilse also enjoyed listening to classical music, gardening flowers and has just joined the Thai Chi class at Generations in Plymouth. Most important to her was her family, Ilse was a talented knitter and loved knitting hats, mittens, scarves and baby blankets not only for her family but also for many charities. She even started knitting blankets for the Humane Society.
Her daughters were her pride and joy, and above all she loved creating lasting memories with them.
Ilse is survived by her daughters, Tosca Apitz Hoffmann of Loveland, CO and Constance (Butch) Apitz Nelson of Wild Rose.
She leaves to mourn her big dog Don and her big cats Dakota, Roxy, Kaiah and Stassi (named by Ilse herself), as well as many nieces and nephews, Ricky (Shelia), Natalie, Erica, Ken (Diane) , Gavin (Jennifer), Kayla, Lauren, Lindsey, Preston (Susan), Kim, Craig (Tricia), Spencer, John, Barry, Max and Aaron, extended family and countless friends.
Ilse was predeceased by her parents, her sisters, Katia Richards and Ruth Pate, and her beloved little dogs, Pedro, Benny, Lou, Maggie and Strabo.
Per Ilse’s wishes, no services will be held.
In lieu of gifts or flowers, please donate to the animal shelter of your choice in Ilse’s name.
The family would like to give special thanks to Plymouth first responders and staff at St. Nicholas Hospital, Dr. Reyes, hospice nurses, Kara and Holly, and all support staff, who rendered the death of our peaceful mother and your compassion and care for us during this time. A special thank you also to Terry and Bob from Quit Qui Oc Manor for taking care of our mum.
To send flowers to the family or to plant a tree in memory of Ilse Marie Ida (Wuttke) Apitz, please visit our floral shop.
Posted by Ballhorn Chapels on January 16, 2022.