Germaine Lois (Blase) Clifford

Germaine Clifford, 81, of the Lake Geneva area passed from this life to her next life on Friday April 22, 2022, with a smile on her face and her family by her side.  

Germaine grew up in Watertown, Wisconsin, spending much of her childhood on a farm.  Moving into town she graduate from Watertown High School, where she met her future husband, Joe.  After a seven-year courtship, they were married in December of 1963.  She raised her family and whole-heartedly embraced the role of a coach’s wife.  

Germaine dedicated her life to two pillars, her faith and her family.  She was an active member of First Evangelical Lutheran Church, holding numerous positions and serving on many committees.  She viewed her service to the church as her calling.  Along with her faith, her family always came first, making sure she was always available for them.  

Germaine’s life of service was extensive as she had an impact for several decades with athletes at Badger High School.  She spent countless hours volunteering for many athletic programs at Badger.  Her years of service at her church and at the high school laid the foundation for her service to the community of Lake Geneva as City Treasurer.  

Alongside Germaine’s strong commitment to the Lake Geneva community, she had many other talents and interests.  She enjoyed sewing, arts and crafts projects, and also had a talent for oil painting.  The walls of her home are a wonderful display of her talents and depth of her artistic abilities.  Germaine especially cherished sharing her artistic talents with her grandchildren.  Working on arts and crafts projects in Grandma’s basement was a very special time for them.  

Germaine loved to travel.  She took many trips to different parts of the world, accompanied by Joe, family, and friends.  Special trips included family skiing out west, visits to Germany, and adventures at Disneyworld with her grandchildren.  Germaine and Joe could usually be found at Camp Randall stadium on football Saturdays, supporting the Wisconsin Badgers.  Their Badger passion also took them to many bowl game destinations as well, including a few trips to the Rose Bowl.  

Germaine also had a passion for music.  Her interests ranged from liturgical to country western.  She was also an “under the radar” Parrot Head and could be seen at a Jimmy Buffett show every summer.  

Germaine had a broad range of interests, which led to her involvement in many things, while never losing sight of what was important.  Germaine always put the needs of others ahead of her own.  Her passion for faith, family, and helping others permeated every day for her.  She impacted the lives of many and will be lovingly missed by family and friends.  

Germaine is survived by her husband of over 58 years, Joseph, her sons Michael (Paige) and Daniel (Melissa), her sisters Marie Buff (Jerry) and Bernadine Blasé.  Her parents, Theodore and Irma, and her brother Otto preceded her in death.  Germaine was a loving and proud grandmother to Timothy (Mary Kate), Andrew, Matthew, Maureen, Connor, Kiera and Morgan.  She was a sister-in-law to Thomas (Carol) and William (Colette).  She was an aunt and Great Aunt to many nieces and nephews.     

Services for Germain will be held on Saturday, April 30th, 2022,  at First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lake Geneva at 10:00am.  Burial will immediately follow the service at Oak Hill Cemetery.  Visitation will be held on Friday April 29th, 2022, from 4:00pm till 7:00pm at Derrick Funeral Home.  

In lieu of other expressions of sympathy the family has asked that you make a donation in Germaine’s name to the Badger High School Scholarship Fund.  A link is provided below.

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