Sonja J. Maas died Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2014, at Luther Manor in Milwaukee.
Born in 1923 in Bergen, Norway, she immigrated to the United States with her parents, John and Sanny Johnson, through Ellis Island and settled in Jamaica, New York, in 1927. She moved to Washington, D.C., with her father and mother in 1941. She attended the University of Maryland and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Social Studies in 1945 and a Master of Arts degree in Education in 1946.
She received her Certificate of Naturalization in June 1948 and taught school in Maryland. She was finishing her Ph.D. and needed a course in Scandinavian area studies to complete her thesis, which took her to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She had been offered a position in the state department in Scandinavian Affairs when she finished but chose to marry Duane instead and settled in Wisconsin. She often said she got a Mrs. instead of a Ph.D.
She married Duane H. Maas in March 1950. She held teaching jobs in Middleton, Wisconsin; Houston, Texas; Peekskill, New York; Owensboro, Kentucky; Plainfield, Illinois; and Shawano, retiring after 40 years of teaching in 1988.
Upon retirement from teaching in 1988, she concentrated most of her time and efforts for the Republican Party. She worked for both Gov. Tommy Thompson and Rep. Mark Green. She was a member of the Presidents Club and attended two Republican National conventions as a delegate from Wisconsin in 1996 and 2000.
She helped form the Literacy Council of Shawano County and served as a board member of the Friends of the Shawano County Library. She also served as a board member of Homme Home, a nonprofit Christian nursing home.
In 2004, she moved to Pewaukee, until moving to Luther Manor in April 2012. A special thank you to Luther Manor and to the Hospice Care for their tender attention to Sonja.
She is survived by her husband, Duane H.; her sons, Jon (Martha), Duane A. (Kay), and Thomas (Susan); as well as her grandchildren, T.J., Bill (Liz), Charlie, Katherine, Jon David, Nicholas, Benjamin (Rachel), Molly, and Hannah; and great-grandchild, Mika.
To celebrate her life, a memorial service will be held at Cross of Life Lutheran Church at 20700 W. North Ave. in Brookfield, Wisconsin, on Dec. 29. Visitation will be from 3-5 p.m. with the memorial service at 5:30 p.m. Reception to follow.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Luther Manor Foundation, 4545 N. 92nd Street, Milwaukee, WI 53225.
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