PHOTO: Courtesy of WMTV
(WTAQ-WLUK) — The home where a fatal fire broke out over the weekend, killing six people with ties to Northeast Wisconsin, did not hold a Juneau County lodging license.
14 people were in the home, which has been referred to as vacation rental, when the fire broke out. Eight of those people survived.
The six victims include a former Green Bay pastor, Steve Witte; two of his daughters, Charis Kuehl and Lydia Witte; and three of his granddaughters — Stella Kuehl (5), Lena Henselin (8) and Merci Henselin (2).
While the cause of the fire remains under investigation, those who knew the victims are trying to come to terms with what has happened.
Ty Schmidt has known Charis Kuehl since she was in high school. The two went to college together and stood up in each others weddings. They even joked that one day, Schmidt’s son would marry one of Kuehl’s girls.
“We had all these plans. Of course, Nora and Carter were going to get married. We were going to be in-laws together, and thinking about how all of that just gets ripped away from you. And all of us have those things, all of us have something that you said we’re going to do that with them next year, we’re going to do that with them tomorrow, and sometimes tomorrow doesn’t come,” said Schmidt.
As she reflects on her friendship with Kuehl, one moment stands out.
Charis Kuehl married her pastor husband, Steve, just weeks after Schmidt lost her own father. She said the Witte family embraced her that day.
“The entire Witte family was so kind, particularly Pastor Witte. He kind of was fatherly to me that day. He didn’t have to be. It was kind of the family’s day to celebrate, and I was just so grateful to them for that, and that’s why this loss is so devastating,” she said.
Charis Kuehl, according to Schmidt was a loving mother who was going to turn 39 on the 4th of July. The daughter of a pastor, who married a pastor, she was kind and nurturing and had the most memorable laugh.
Schmidt said, “She was absolutely charismatic and magnetic and she had the type of personality that people were drawn to, but for the right reasons, and she used it for good.”
For Schmidt, coming to terms with the deaths of so many people from one family, so strong in their faith, is incomprehensible.
She added, “I’ve had friends say, she’s going to have her best birthday yet. And I don’t agree. Or she’s okay, because she’s with Jesus. And I somewhat agree with that, because of course we’re happy she’s with Jesus, of course we’re happy she’s with her sweet daughter and her dad and everybody else. But it’s just not fair. It’s so sad for those of us left behind.”
John Parlow is the pastor at St. Mark Ministries in De Pere. He took to social media Wednesday with a devotion for his congregation and the community, as it comes to terms with the deaths of members of the Witte, Henselin, and Kuehl families.
“For me personally, Steve Witte was someone I’ve known since college and worked with several times,” said Parlow.
He offered support to fellow Pastor Steve Kuehl in his time of need. And he encouraged everyone to follow the Henselins’ lead. Karl and Hannah Henselin, longtime partners at the church, lost two daughters in the fire.
Reciting a Bible verse, Parlow said, “Less than 24 hours after her family’s tragedy, Hannah posted on Facebook the words of another man, Job, who lost 10 family members in one day. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, blessed by the name of the Lord.”
Parlow is continuing to ask for prayers for those affected by this tragedy — not just this week, but for weeks, months and years to come.
Online fundraisers have been set up for both the Henselin family and the Kuehl family.
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