Alma Gertrude Jung, 97
Alma Gertrude (Hentschel) Jung lived a long, active life of 97 years and died peacefully surrounded by her son and daughter-in-law. During the latter portion of her life, she was grateful to live independently in her home near her son’s family in Charlotte, NC.
She was born on December 7, 1920, the daughter of the late Max and Ella (Teichen) Hentschel. Alma was raised on a small dairy farm in Birnamwood, Wisconsin along with her four sisters and one brother. From early childhood, Alma had a sharp, inquisitive mind and loved going to school and studying academics. Alma was also feisty, stubborn, and very independent, and always had a mind of her own. Her sisters told the story that when Alma was walking home from school, she would plop down on her lunch pail, stomp her feet and declare, “No one moves now because Dad said we have to all stay together”. Unfortunately, her Dad grew wise to her mischief and one day witnessed this entire event while hiding behind the bushes. After Dad was done with her, she never sat down and stomped her feet on her lunch pail again.
As she got older, Alma left the farm and moved to Milwaukee with her sister Harriet. During the day, she would do precision factory machining work and in the evenings she would attend night school to improve her career through education. In Milwaukee, she met her husband Joe on a blind date and finally got married after dating many years. In 1963, they had a son, Gregory Mark and in 1968, they moved to Maryland where Joe worked as a technical instructor for NASA. During this time, Alma began her career as an H&R Block tax consultant and worked her way up the ranks to become the Executive Tax office manager with an extremely loyal client following. She also developed a passion for golf and played several times a week. In 1994, she moved to Charlotte, NC to be closer to her son and his new family. She helped the elderly as a volunteer library tax preparer and continued to play golf and bridge weekly. Alma was also a talented seamstress and baker. When asked how she learned these skills so well, she would chuckle and say, “It was the only way to get out of working in the fields and milking cows on the farm everyday”.
Alma’s life is a legacy of education. Not only did she put herself through school, she also helped with the educational expenses of her sister, her husband, her son, and both her granddaughters. She was also an expert tax instructor and taught many advanced tax classes at H&R Block. Her influence and impact in this area is truly appreciated and cherished by all who worked with her.
Alma was a very loving and nurturing mother, grandmother, and mother-in-law and was a patient teacher who was selfless with her time. Alma enjoyed many hours of reading and playing games with her young grandchildren. She was also their greatest supporter and faithfully attended their numerous basketball and soccer games (even in the freezing cold and pouring rain). Her grandchildren have fond memories of baking cookies with her and eating their fill of ‘health ice cream’ at her house.
Alma will be remembered for the deep love she had for her family. She willingly gave her time, talents, and energy and showed love and compassion to those around her. We’ve been truly blessed to have someone who was always there for us, cheered us on, and loved us so deeply. Alma, thank you for brightening our lives for so many years with your kindness. We’re grateful for all you’ve done and you’ll be dearly remembered.
She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Greg (Denni) Jung and granddaughters, Laura and Grace Jung and sister Dorothy Defferding.
Alma was preceded in death by her parents, Max and Ella Teichen and siblings, Arthur Hentschel, Harriet Sturzenegger, Virgina Pietz and Florence Peterson.
A funeral service will be held at 1PM on Saturday, November 17, 2018 at Schmidt & Schulta Funeral Home, Birnamwood. Rev. Amy Perron will officiate. Interment will be in Forest Cemetery, Birnamwood. Visitation will be on Saturday from 12NOON until the time of service at the funeral home.