Vera Jaeger (nee Wedjuschenko) passed away on Monday, May 25th, after a life journey of nearly ninety years. Life began on July 19, 1936, in a small village in Ukraine, and by six years of age, her family was on the move as a result of communism to the east and the German invasion from the west. After surviving the chaos of collectivization, Holodomor, and World War II, her family emigrated to Australia, where they settled for nine years to begin rebuilding and working to secure passage to their ultimate destination: the United States of America.
As a teenager and young woman, Vera loved school and was an excellent student, mastering several languages. She learned to sew from her mother, and that talent blossomed throughout her life. Vera was a talented seamstress and craftswoman who made clothing and countless beautiful and meaningful items for special occasions, including her own wedding dress when she met “The One” (Walter Jaeger). Vera worked for American Express as a secretary in Australia and as an operator for AT&T when the family arrived in New York in 1958. She was devoted to her family and made many lifelong friends from her years in Australia and New York.
Vera and Wally started their life together in Wisconsin, ultimately settling on their farm in the Town of Paris for the next five decades. Together, they built a house on the hill that they both decided was a great spot for a home, and they created a beautiful place for their family. Their daughter Stephanie was born in 1969, and Vera was not only a devoted mother but an amazing aunt to all of her nieces and nephews. Aunt Vera and Uncle Wally’s farm was the place to be in the summertime.
She spent her life attending to the needs of everyone – cooking, baking, gardening, canning, sewing, preparing for holidays, throwing her annual Christmas and Fourth of July parties, and taking care of her parents. She grew beautiful flowers every year, was a seed saver and sharer, and was especially proud of her perennials, her roses, and her irises. She grew fruits, vegetables, and herbs. She raised chickens, ducks, geese, and rabbits. She was up at the crack of dawn and kept going until the sun went down.
Over the years, she helped translate for Ukrainian orphans who were adopted by Americans. She spent many years working with the “Hugs” ladies at the sewing center in Racine who made stuffed animals, blankets, and other items for local children involved in the foster care system. She also had a soft spot for veterans, police officers who were injured in the line of duty, and she was a devout patriot who became involved in politics over time. Vera was a living history lesson, and she was passionate about the next generation understanding the world through the scope of history and the responsibility of safeguarding American ideals for the future.
As she slowed down in the past decade, she was fascinated by and took care of birds and her devoted German Shepherd, Riley.
Vera will be deeply missed and is survived by her daughter, Stephanie and her grandchildren, Jackson and Sophie. She was a second mother to her nieces Kim and Erika (Rick), and a loving great-aunt to Wallace, William, Daniel, and Erik. She was very close to her nephews and nieces Peter (Sue), Bart, Brigitte, and Walter (Margaret), Paul, Dianne, and their families. She was predeceased by her beloved husband Wally, her parents Olga and Andrei, her brother Alex, and many other loved ones and friends.
People who knew and were touched by Vera are everywhere – her personality, her stories, her kindnesses and her example of strength and endurance will live on, as will her abundant love.
The family would especially like to express gratitude for the compassionate, professional and extraordinary people who make the Memory Care unit at St. Monica’s the special and amazing place that it is. Vera would be moved beyond words at the kindness and care they provided in the last few years of her life. They are absolutely doing God’s work. The care and comfort provided by Gerri and Emily at St. Croix Hospice will never be forgotten.
A Celebration of Life for Vera will occur at a later date.
