Edith L. Roth

Edith L. Roth, age 93 of Boscobel, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, in Richland Center. She was born on December 12, 1931, in Racine, WI to the late Fay and Velma (Davis) Gallant. The family moved to Petersburg WI where she attended Gays Mills High School. She excelled in school and was an avid reader throughout her life.

Edith was united in marriage to Walter Junior Roth on May 11, 1951, at the Gays Mills Methodist Church, and he preceded her in death on September 20, 2007. They began married life as dairy farmers at the family farm near Mt Zion, WI where Edith embarked upon her mission in life to create a stable loving environment for her family.

With her love of gardening, (digging in the dirt was a balm for her soul) she nourished the family with stores of green beans, sweet corn, potatoes, raspberries, peas, radish, lettuce, asparagus, and especially tomatoes. Wild blackberries and black caps as well as maple syrup were also family staples.  Throughout her life, pouring over the seed catalogs when they arrived in winter was a consuming passion.

Edith was a very talented cook. A master at creating meals that even now, the memory of, brings a sense of comfort and home. She came from a generation that could scrape together wonderful meals seemingly out of nothing.  Her bread and her pies were legendary. She always had a pan of cookies in the freezer to pop in the oven anytime grandkids visited. She began the family tradition of a children’s Christmas cookie bake. This past year was the 48th year of Grandma’s cookie bake.

She was active in the Mt Zion United Methodist Church where she taught Sunday School and Summer Bible School. She was also active in the Mt Zion Ladies Aide which provided monthly meals for the farming community at Hurlbut Hall in Mt Zion.

At the age of 45 Edith began oil painting on somewhat of a whim (and gentle pressure from friend and Boscobel artist Dawn Clark). Her paintings won awards at the Wisconsin Regional Arts Exhibition as well as being selected for the state competition at the Annual Conference and Exhibition. Family members and friends cherish the paintings that Edith gave to them. Painting continued to be a passion of hers throughout her life.  She would often look at the different hues of green on the trees and work out what color oils she would need to blend to match.

Caregiving became an integral part of Edith’s life. She cared for her mother Velma, and then her brother George, and her husband Walter. She volunteered at the Boscobel Nursing Home for years and eventually was hired to assist the activities director.

Anyone that knew Edith grew to cherish her laughter and her bouts of giggling. But what outshined everything was the love and care Edith consistently provided to her entire family (children, grandchildren and in-laws). Each felt that theirs was a special bond, nurtured by a trust that her love and support would always be there. She lived her life making her family’s needs a higher priority than her own.

Her memory lives on through her children, Dean (Joyce) Roth of Boscobel, Wayne (Mary Ann) Roth of Baraboo, Bryan (Bev Brudos) Roth of Gays Mills, Sheryl Richter of Boscobel, and Melodie (Jeff) Gehrke of Appleton; 11 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren, other relatives, and friends. Edith was preceded in death by her parents, husband Walter Junior Roth, son-in-law Nick Richter, brother George Hornby, sister Lulumae Showen, and sisters-in-law Doris (Melvin) Smith and Ruby (Floyd) Ritchie.

The funeral service for Edith will be held at 11:30 am on Friday, May 16, 2025, at Back Roads Methodist Church – Mt. Zion, 21588 Mount Zion Road, Boscobel with Rev. Stan Pegram officiating. A visitation will be held at the church from 9:30 am until the time of the service. Edith will be laid to rest in the Union Hill Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Union Hill Cemetery or a Library of your choice are appreciated. Online condolences can be offered at www.kendallfuneralservice.com.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Edith L. Roth, please visit our floral store.