Constance Lou "Connie" (Balke) Kratzke, age 78 of Shawano, passed away on Sunday, August 1, 2021 with her daughters at her side.  Connie was born in Shawano on March 13, 1943, to the late Lorenzo and Elda (Genskow) Balke.  Connie was baptized and confirmed at St. Peter's Lutheran Church-Pella Opening where she taught Sunday School for many years.  She graduated from Shawano High School in 1961 and on October 11, 1980, Connie was united in marriage to Victor Kratzke at St. Peter's Lutheran Church-Pella Opening.  Victor preceded her in death on October 18, 2018.  Victor and Connie operated a dairy farm together for many years.  Connie loved to sew, cook, bake, garden, and paint.  After retiring from farming, Connie was employed as a cook at Birch Hill and Evergreen Nursing Homes and as a cashier at Family Dollar.  She was a member of St. John's Lutheran Church-Hermansfort. Connie loved spending time with her family and her grandchildren were her pride and joy.

Connie is survived by: her daughters, Julia (Randall, Jr.) Klein of Shawano and Kathryn Renard of Green Bay; grandchildren, Sam and Zoey Klein and Weston, Tristen and Maiya Renard; siblings, Ludene Balke-Smits (Dave Mittag) of Pulaski and Jeanette McGlone (William) of Darboy.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband.

Funeral services for Connie will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, August 6, 2021, at St. John's Lutheran Church–Hermansfort with Rev. Steve Conradt officiating.   Burial will be in the church cemetery.  Visitation will be held at the church on Friday from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the service.  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to St. John's Care Committee or Friends of Hospice.

Connie's family would like to extend a special thank you to the staff of Paiser's Oak Haven, ThedaCare at Home Hospice, and the St. John's Care Committee for their exceptional care and compassion.