Joseph Pucher

Pucher, Joseph Of Cedarburg, formerly of Milwaukee, passed away on March 23, 2019, age 85 years. Dear brother of George (Colleen) Wigh. Further survived by cousins, nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Preceded in death by his loving wife, Patricia (nee DeVorse). Memorial Service on Friday, March 29, 2019, 2 PM at the Mueller Funeral Home, in Grafton. Visitation will take place on Friday, from 1 PM until the time of service. In lieu of flowers, memorials to the charity of your choice are appreciated. The family would like to give a special thanks to Compassus Hospice and Lasata Care Center for their loving care of Joe. Joseph Pucher was born on June 22,1933 to Donauschwaben parents Martin Pucher and Barbara (nee Melcher) Pucher in the town of Gakowa in the Batschka region of Yugoslavia now present day Serbia. It was a peaceful life in this farming town. That began to change with the German Invasion of Yugoslavia in 1941. In 1942 Joe’s father was drafted into the German Army never to come home again. In November 1944, the ethnic Germans(Donauschwaben) of Gakowa were rounded up by the Russians and Partisans. Eventually Joe’s mother was sent to a labor camp in Russia. Joe was watched and cared for by his Paternal Grandmother Barbara Pucher in the local internment camp. Released in 1948 they eventually made their way to Germany where they lived until Barbara Pucher’s death in 1960. In the meantime Joe’s mother, Barbara now a widow was released from the Russian Labor Camp and made her way to West Germany where she met George Wigh and subsequently remarried in Austria. Their son George Jr was born Dec. 6, 1952 in Leoben in the province of Styria, Austria and they immigrated to the United States in January 1956 with the help of Barbara’s sister Maria and husband Tony Eckert and St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Milwaukee. Joe joined his mother and family in the U.S in April 1962 and began working while taking English classes at night. He eventually started working at the Falk Corporation in 1966 which is were George Wigh Sr. and later George Wigh Jr. also worked. In 1968 Joe met Patricia DeVorse and after a short courtship, they were married May 10, 1969 at St Philip Neri Church in Milwaukee and enjoyed 35 plus years of marriage until her passing in 2005. Joe carried on as best he could without the love of his life until succumbing to cancer on March 23,2019. Joe lived the last couple of years at Lasata Care Center in Cedarburg where he was a favorite of fellow residents and staff alike.