Avila Tolk

Avila V. Tolk, age 95, of Schofield, formerly of Athens, passed away peacefully on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Traditions/Pine Meadows in Schofield. She was born June 24,1929, in Hamburg to Arnold Grell and Martha (Brunow) Grell. On September 23,1950, she was united in marriage to Ervin Tolk in Hamburg, who preceded her in death in 1993. They lived on the Tolk family homestead (est. 1905) where they ran the dairy farm and raised their family. After the cows were sold, they operated Tolk Trucking Inc. from the farm. She then married Melvin Buetsch of Marathon in 1999, where they built a house and gardens that she helped design.

Avila (Ah-vi-lah) because people always got it wrong - attended Barney School in Hamburg, speaking only German when she went to first grade. She also attended Merrill High School and graduated from Wausau High School. She worked as a dental assistant after graduation before her marriage.

Mom had a love of gardening and decorating, which she passed on to her children and grandchildren. She had a taste for the finer things in life and especially enjoyed decorating her house for Christmas and other holidays. She painted some beautiful rosemaling pieces and other paintings. She loved dancing to the German polkas and was a member of the Central Wisconsin Pommerscher Verein. She also enjoyed singing in the choir at Trinity Lutheran Church, Athens. Mom had an entrepreneurial spirit and sold Stanley home products in her early years of marriage. She was a 4-H Club general leader for the Halsey Hawks 4-H Club for several years and a member of the Red Hat Society. Later on, she joined the Marathon County Republican Women’s Group and worked at the elections for the township of Rib Falls. She also worked on the Marathon County canvass board recounting ballots. She loved talking to people, campaigning for the candidates, and attended the Republican state conventions where she met

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