Vilja Lorenzsonn

Madison-

Vilja Waldtraut Lorenzsonn passed away peacefully after a short illness at the age of 94 on

April 5, 2017. She was born on April 29, 1922 in Riga,Latvia to her Baltic-German parents

Elvire(Schiller) Nettelhorst and Paul Nettelhorst. She experienced the Second World War in

medical service on the German side; at the end of the war she met her husband Edgar who was

also from Riga in Bavaria and was married on January 6 1946. She had three boys by 1955

when the family was sponsored for emigration to Madison by Bethel Lutheran Church. She was

able to attain a Bachelor and Master’s degree in Zoology and Biology while working full time for

the University Pathology Department; she subsequently worked in research in the

Gastroenterology section of the VA Hospital and was an accomplished electron microscopist

co-authoring several research papers. After retirement she and Ed spent summers on Lake

Wisconsin enjoying their owner-built cottage among the century pines; she was a prolific

gardener and enjoyed the outdoors as well as literature and music; she knitted beautiful mittens

and sweaters in the Latvian style, cooked all meals for her family and baked for holidays and

birthdays. Going out to eat was rare as the cuisine was thought to be better at home.

She was preceded in death by her husband in 2003, by her sister Inga Boltz, and by her son

Lennart in 1996.

She is survived by her sons Axel and Elger, daughters in law Nandini and

Barbara, grandchildren John(Summer), Elizabeth (Dimitris) Erik(Laurel) and Faye(Zivan)

Lorenzsonn and great grandchild Darian Kelly. She will be remembered as a loving mother who

always gave more than she received and modeled an indomitable spirit to all who knew her.

A private family interment will be held at the Lutheran cemetery in Dekorra, WI

Memorials may be directed to the American Foundation for the Blind, afb.org . To view and sign this guestbook, please visit: www.ryanfuneralservice.com.