Margaret J. Kostrivas

SHEBOYGAN FALLS - (Nee Nuss) Margaret Jean Kostrivas of Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin passed away peacefully in her bed on Tuesday, May 24th. Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on April 28, 1932, she was the eighth of ten children of German immigrants Fred and Anna Nuss. She grew up in Old North Milwaukee, a neighborhood filled with her extended family and many other “Volga Germans”.

A resident of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin from 1965 until 2017, Margaret took great pride in her beautiful home, which she decorated and maintained with a great sense of style. It was filled with many of her personal handicrafts, family keepsakes, photos of family, and love. For many years, she hosted Sunday dinners with her grown children and grandchildren.

Everybody who met Margaret was charmed by her quick wit, her big heart, her bright blue eyes, and her genuine interest in their lives. If you told her about your children, your parents, your joys, or your troubles, you could be sure she would ask you about them the next time you spoke, and try to help if you were in need. She loved nothing more than spending time with her family, and kept in touch with family and lifelong friends by telephone. Just a month ago, she gathered with all of her children to celebrate her 90th birthday with a Vienna Tort like the ones she remembered from Millitzer’s Bakery in the old neighborhood.

Margaret is preceded in death by Charles, her high school sweetheart and husband of more than 70 years, who passed away in November 2020, and by her grandson Austin Williams. She is survived by her brother David (Beverly) Nuss of Milwaukee; her sons Bill (Mary) Kostrivas of Paradise Valley, Arizona and Tom (Susan) Kostrivas of Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin; daughter Zoe (Tim) Williams of St. Charles, Missouri; five grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

Margaret grew up worshipping in the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of her parents, and in her final months she took great comfort in listening and singing along with the hymns of her childhood.

Ruhe in Frieden, liebe Gretche,

Wenig Funeral Home 920-467-3431 www.wenigfh.com