Christine F. Wiltzius

Christine F. Wiltzius, 62, of Sheboygan, passed away Saturday, January 13, 2024 at Sharon S. Richardson Community Hospice surrounded by family after a nearly 10-year battle with cancer.

Chris was born on April 21, 1961 to a loving mother and father, the late Patricia (Schmidbauer) and Joseph F. Pepitone, Sr. In a house full of music, she was raised with all the wonderful traditions of both German and Italian heritages. Chris attended Holy Name School and graduated from North High School. In the 70’s, she was part of the Sheboygan Accents color guard and rifle drill team that won three consecutive national championships.

Chris Pepitone and Peter Wiltzius were united in marriage on October 25, 1986 at St. Peter Claver Catholic Church. They were blessed in marriage with a daughter and son. She spent most of her career with the Sheboygan Area School District, starting with Jackson Elementary School. The majority of her 26 years she spent in the Information Technology department as a software support technician at the district’s central office. Chris valued gaining knowledge and experience through education and work earning an associate’s degree from Lakeshore Technical College in 1990 and an associate’s degree from Moraine Park Technical College in 2013.

Chris is survived by her husband, Peter; two children, Sarah (Joshua) Clavette of Manitowoc and Matthew Wiltzius of Sheboygan; two grandchildren, Eleanor and Amelia Clavette; four siblings, Gail (John) McBride of Rhode Island, Connie (Marshall) Meseck of Sheboygan, Joseph (Jeanne) Pepitone, Jr. of Sussex, Mary (Terry) Ver Duin of Howards Grove; her mother-in-law Agnes (Binversie) Wiltzius of Plymouth; two sisters-in-law, Cathy (Joel) Conrad and Louise (John) Goode, both of Sheboygan; as well as many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, father-in-law, Frank K. Wiltzius of Sheboygan.

Influenced throughout her childhood by gardening, cooking, baking and wine making, Chris instilled the value of nature, history and the arts in her children and granddaughters. She enjoyed sharing the ups and downs of life with her friends and treasured the diversity of friends and family. Chris felt her blessings grow with the addition of her son-in-law Josh and granddaughters Eleanor and Amelia. She cherished each moment she had to share her life, her story, her family and her abounding love with her precious granddaughters.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Tuesday, January 23, 2024 at 12:00 pm at Ss. Cyril & Methodius Catholic Church, 822 New Jersey Avenue, Sheboygan with Fr. Paul Fliss as celebrant. Visitation will be held at Ss. Cyril & Methodius from 9:00 am until the time of service.

The family of Chris Wiltzius wishes to thank the staff of Sharon S. Richardson Community Hospice for their expert and compassionate care and for supporting the family during her final days. They would also like to thank the staff at the UW-Health Carbone Cancer Center for the outstanding care she received and their commitment to providing new and ever-changing treatment for cancer patients.

In lieu of flowers a memorial fund has been established for Sharon S. Richardson Community Hospice to support the end-of-life services they provide and the UW-Health Carbone Cancer Center to fund further research for the ever-changing treatments for cancer patients.

“To all those who fought the fight before me, thank you for all you did to advance cancer research and treatment. For those who work to alleviate cancer and support those afflicted, thank you for your dedication and perseverance.”