Claudia M. Spaulding

On Friday, July 31st, 2026, Claudia Marie Spaulding (nee Thelen) 89, passed from this life into the arms of our God who created her and into the Communion of Saints who preceded her, especially her husband, Richard “Dick” Spaulding, in a peaceful and glorious moment she had been longing for since he preceded her in death 19 years ago. Just as she had hoped for, she entered the Kingdom as an old and Loving wife, Mother of 6, Grandmother of 28 and Great Grandmother of 33. As an aunt of too many to list, as a friend of too many to list, as a neighbor of too many to list, as a bearer of God’s Love to all.

The younger of twins, Claudia and her sister Paula were born on May 28th, 1937, to Claude and Virginia Thelen, so she learned to share her life as one of two. (Her mom died when she was 6 months old) At every birthday, during every day and event at school, she shared those days and celebrated with her sister, and the result was the most unselfish human being the world could have known. She was raised by her grandparents in Whitefish Bay, WI on Lydell St in the fall and winter, and in Hayward, WI on Callahan Lake in the spring and summer. She was a homecoming queen brainiac and a log roller fisherman who cut trees and turned them into log cabins at the same time. The last cabin she helped her grandparents and brother and 5 sisters build is still the summer retreat for all her family. She attended St. Monica Catholic Grade School in Whitefish Bay and, sometimes, because she didn’t make it back home from Hayward in time, “The Indian School” in the middle of the woods. She graduated from Messmer High school in 1955, where, yes, she really was a homecoming queen and quite a catch for the boys.

The first and only boy to luck out and catch her forever was Dick Spaulding, a young greaser from Marshfield, WI, in town learning how to be an electrician. On October 25, 1958, they started the marriage that still exists to this moment in heaven. Starting in 1959 and ending in 1972, they proceeded to “bless” our world with 5 sons and one daughter, Ricky,Robby,Randy,Renee,Ronny,Rodney, whose mission always was and always will be to try to match her faith, kindness, generosity and Love for all.

For work through her life, she started at Oster Inc in Glendale in the office, as her secretarial skills were well documented and appreciated. She was always the person who typed for many people who knew her, including term papers and campaign literature and things for schools and churches, but her best work was as the typist for the “Loony Lane Newsletter” for her husband’s gang of rebellious friends. She eventually became the secretary for Dick Spaulding and Sons-s-s-s-s Electric (all work vans were named after daughter Renee) until she couldn’t handle the Sons-s-s-s-s, and also be at work anymore. When only the tame boys were still living at home, she started working again, in the office of the Wisconsin Province of The Society of Jesus, aka the Jesuits. The rumor is that Bert Thelen S.J., her only brother, got her the job, but all the other Jesuits in the Province kept her there as long as they could.

She eventually retired when Dick became handicapped, but didn’t slow down, which led to her greatest most cherished most meaningful award that surely she snuck with her into heaven, The Volunteer of the Year Award in 2014, from her home parish since 1966, St. Bernadette Parish, 8200 W. Denver Ave., Milwaukee, where Visitation will be held on Monday, August 17th, from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM, and her Mass of Resurrection will be at 12:00 PM. A luncheon and gathering of joyous but tearful hearts will follow at The Elks Club, 5555 W. Good Hope Rd, Milwaukee. Graveside committal service will be on Tuesday, August 18th, 11:00 AM at Resurrection Cemetery, 9400 W. Donges Bay Rd., Mequon. The arrangements are being made by her longtime friends at Schramka Funeral Home.

If she would have left us a million dollars she would have insisted we list every single person in her entire life whom she Loved as God Loves, and who know it without factchecking. Instead, she asks that we know that she is with her husband Richard “Dick” Spaulding, her grandparents, Albert & Agnes (Hopp) Thelen, her mom and dad, Claude & Virginia (Klatte) Thelen, her late Sisters, Mary Williams (California), Nancy Voboril (Milwaukee), Ellen Leveque (Milwaukee), Carol Van Blarican (Virginia), and Paula Taylor-Becker (Pewaukee) and her late brother Father Bert Thelen S.J., who served in many places, but mainly Milwaukee and Omaha, NE. She knew that one of the greatest things about heaven is that there are many rooms prepared for us, and she’ll also be with us as well as ALL who have gone before us, and she will FINALLY have the time she always needed to achieve that!

She would also like us to know and remember all deceased and living results of Albert & Agnes Thelen, who numbered easily into the hundreds. We all know who we are and we all know that her light and life will live within us. Starting with us kids and our kids and our kids’ kids, Ricky Spaulding (Monica Delladera) +22, Robby Spaulding (Karen Novy) +14, Randy Spaulding (Amy Rickey) +23, Renee Spaulding Griswold (the late Tim “Whitey” Griswold) +4, Ronny Spaulding (Clare Conway) +7, and Rodney Spaulding (Susan Roneid) +2.

And again, even though it would cost a million dollars to list all of her friends and all of the people she loved so dearly, she has instructed us to try for the rest of our lives to remind every single person that she now Loves you more than she ever could and will be with you in your hearts until you catch up to her. You can talk to her anytime, she believes her promise that she’ll be listening.

Thanks to St. Bernadette, thanks to Schramka Funeral Home. Your work will help us all survive our sorrow and pain. Thanks to everyone from all of us, our forever memories of our mother will always include our memories of you! In lieu of Flowers, Claudia asked that you could instead make a free will donation to the St. Camillus Jesuit Community and/or St. Bernadette Parish.

Even though she now has the power to lead her Milwaukee Brewers to a World Series Championship, I guess the odds are slim that she’ll be able to keep the flowers alive, but who are we to assume?