VIRGINIA SUE RIECKHOFF

February 5, 1941 – July 20, 2026

Virginia Sue Rieckhoff, 85, of Franklin, WI (formerly of Racine, WI, and Bradenton, FL), passed away peacefully at her home on July 20, 2026, following a courageous, multi-year journey with Alzheimer’s disease.

Sue was born in her beloved hometown of Racine on February 5, 1941, to Robert H. Wanless and Hildred M. Wanless (née Womack). She fondly recalled her childhood on Racine’s south side, spending countless days playing with neighborhood friends on Jerome Boulevard, walking to and from Washington Park High School, and volunteering as a Candy Striper while her mother worked as a nurse at St. Luke's Hospital.

On September 3, 1960, Sue married Merwyn “Mike” Rieckhoff at First Baptist Church in Waukegan, IL, following a whirlwind courtship that began unexpectedly at a Gonsky family reunion. Although Mike was a Gonsky descendant, Sue attended the gathering as the guest of a friend who was also a member of the family. The two met that day, and their romance quickly blossomed. Mike spared no expense on their first date, treating Sue to a free local baseball game followed by a quick snack afterward, a story she loved to tell with a smile.

Mike was a standout student and athlete at Union Grove High School and later in the U.S. Army, where he played fastpitch softball for his base's championship team. He was also the recipient of Union Grove High School’s inaugural Dick Dilley Award, presented to the most outstanding senior boy in honor of classmate Richard Dilley, who had tragically died in an automobile accident. Mike passed away in Bradenton, FL, on October 7, 2009.

Along with her role as a devoted homemaker and mother, Sue held several part-time positions throughout her married life, including sales at Brass Bell Music in Hales Corners and receptionist positions at Bardon Rubber Products in Union Grove, and Maple Leaf Farms in Yorkville. In each of these roles, Sue demonstrated remarkable resilience in overcoming a life-changing injury sustained shortly after she and Mike were married. At just 19 years old, while working at Racine’s Twin Disc, Sue was pinned between a freight dock and a runaway delivery truck after the truck rolled loose. The accident nearly claimed her life and ultimately resulted in the amputation of her right leg. Despite this tremendous hardship, Sue met every challenge with grace, determination, and quiet strength.

Sue was a faithful member of Calvary Memorial Church in Racine and later Trailer Estates Covenant Church in Bradenton. During the last five years of her life, she resided at New Perspective Senior Living in Franklin, where she could be closer to her daughter and devoted caregiver, Linda Schauf.

While living at New Perspective, Sue met Frank Gulgowski, and the two soon became engaged to be married. They were inseparable, sharing breakfast, lunch, and dinner together each day, attending weekly worship services, and participating side-by-side in the many activities offered at the community. Their companionship brought great joy to both of their lives.

In 1961, Sue and Mike built their dream home in Yorkville on land that had once been part of her father's hobby farm. Sue's parents built their home next door, and the two families enjoyed being neighbors until Robert and Hildred retired to Florida in 1981. Sue and Mike retired in 1989 and sold the family home to their daughter, Linda, and her husband, Don, in 1993. They eventually became permanent Florida residents, where they lovingly cared for Hildred following Robert's death in 1991. Hildred passed away in Racine on August 21, 2014, just months shy of her 102nd birthday.

Sue is lovingly survived by her fiancé Frank Gulgowski; daughter, Linda (Donald) Schauf of Yorkville, WI; her grandchildren, Elizabeth (Luke) Tyler of Dubuque, IA, and Ethan (Cassandra) Schauf of Yorkville; and her great-granddaughters, Theia and Elowyn Tyler. She is also survived by her dear niece, Colleen Wanless Platt of Clements, CA, and her cherished cousin, Linda Catton of Wyanet, IL.

In addition to her parents and her husband, Sue was preceded in death by her brother, Robert Wanless Jr., of Stockton, California.

A celebration of Sue's life will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, July 31, 2026, in the chapel at New Perspective Senior Living, 7220 S. Ballpark Drive, Franklin, Wisconsin. Interment at West Lawn Memorial Park in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, will take place at a later date.

Those who knew Sue will remember a woman whose life was marked by quiet strength, gentle humor, and unwavering love for her family. Whether as a daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, neighbor, or friend, Sue's life was defined not by the hardships she endured, but by the grace, humor, quiet strength, and steadfast love with which she met them.