Roma R. Prinz

Roma R. (nee Wais) Prinz, passed away peacefully, on October 19, 2017. She was 96 years of age. Roma Wais, was born on October 24, 1920 to Lewis and Hattie Wais, on a farm in Two Creeks, WI. She went to school there and graduated from Kewaunee High School. When the war started, she felt that the Uncle Sam posters that said “WE WANT YOU” were speaking to her. She did some research and decided to enlist in the Coast Guard to see the world. Roma went to Miami Beach FL. for basic training, and then was stationed in Brooklyn, N.Y. as a “store keeper” 3rd class (book keeper). These were new worlds for her. After the war, Roma studied cosmetology and became a beautician. She also attended Layton School of Art majoring in dress design and watercolor. She soon met her husband –to-be, Robert Prinz. They married in Whitefish Bay in 1949. Their first child Janis, was born in 1950. They then moved to Cedarburg in 1952. Their second child Diane, was born in 1955. Roma was always very active in her daughter’s lives. She participated in P.T.A., was a “room mother”, Girl Scout leader for many years, and always the class or troop’s chauffer. While the girls were in high school and college respectively, Roma and Bob began to travel. They visited nearly every state in the country, including Alaska and Hawaii. Bob’s roots took them to Germany and most of Europe, while Roma’s took her to Prague in the Czech Republic. They traveled the Caribbean Islands, Mexico, China and Africa. Bob tired of travel, and opted to stay home and tinker with antique cars. Roma continued to explore the world. Her love of nature took her to the rain forests of Peru, Belize, and Costa Rica. She boldly climbed ruins and shined for alligators, in a canoe on the Amazon River. Roma was preceded in death by her siblings, Louis and Lowell Wais, Arleen Wagner and her loving husband, Robert Prinz. She is survived by daughters Janis Busch, of Cedarburg, and Diane Prinz, of Grafton; granddaughters Jennifer Busch, of Grafton, and Kate (Daniel) Brinkley, of Madison. Private services will be held.