South Milwaukee woman who slipped on ice and likely froze to death at bus stop mourned by friends

Friends of a woman who likely froze to death after she slipped on ice and fell at a Milwaukee bus stop are mourning her loss and expressing anger and disbelief at how it could have happened at a busy street corner.

Jolene Waldref, 49, of South Milwaukee, was leaving her job as a receptionist at a home health care agency on Jan. 15 when she slipped and fell, hitting her head on a fence on a nearby property, according to records from the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's office.

After some time, a passerby saw her and called 911, paramedics tried to revive her but couldn't. The medical examiner is investigating it as a probable hypothermia death, marking the fourth person to die from exposure to the elements this January. The other three were homeless men, ages 40, 64 and 69, found outside during the same cold snap.

Questions remain over the conditions of the sidewalk where Waldref slipped and fell, at the corner of North 76th and West Congress streets on the city's northwest side, and how no one apparently called for help until it was too late.

South Milwaukee woman 'just loved life'

Waldref leaves behind two daughters, ages 14 and 21. Her longtime partner, Kevin, died about six months ago, said former neighbor Jodi Pelczynski. Waldref had served as the caregiver for her partner, who was disabled.

Pelczynski and Waldref lived across the street from each other for about 17 years until Pelczynski moved away from South Milwaukee in October. She has fond memories of their children playing in Pelczynski's pool and roasting marshmallows in the summertime.

Waldref "adored her daughters," Pelczynski said, and was a generous and joyful friend.

"She'd give her shirt off her back if you needed it," Pelczynski said. "Always had a smile, always had a story. Always just loved life."

Her supervisor at the home health care agency, Deborah Johnson, said Waldref was friendly, outgoing and a hard worker. She had been a caregiver with Life Touches Home Healthcare for much of the last decade and had switched to receptionist work in the last year and a half.

Clients and caregivers alike loved Waldref, Johnson said, and would drop off Christmas gifts for her.

"She was exceptional in this position," Johnson said. "We should all just be pleasant the way she was."

The rest of the staff has been in disbelief since her death. They have closed the office early for several days, struggling with the pain of her loss.

Johnson realized something was wrong when Waldref didn't arrive at the office the next day. A reliable employee who rarely missed work, she always texted if she would be late.

"It's going to be hard to fill her shoes," Johnson said.

More:In bitter cold, Milwaukee's homeless find shelter at St. Ben's overnight warming center

Friend calls death 'senseless' as questions remain over whether it could have been prevented

Pelczynski, who now lives in Wausaukee in northern Wisconsin, had been planning to visit Waldref come springtime. Over Christmas, they exchanged text messages and the friends said they missed each other.

When she heard of how Waldref died, Pelczynski felt angry. She thinks the city should be responsible for salting and clearing the sidewalks. Currently, it is the responsibility of property and business owners.

"It’s senseless, and it could have been avoided," Pelczynski said.

Paramedics were dispatched around 5:45 p.m. It wasn't immediately clear how long Waldref was lying facedown in a snowbank, as she was found, but investigators said Waldref's phone was unlocked and she had tried to call 911 before she became unconscious.

WISN-TV (Channel 12) broadcast surveillance footage that appeared to show someone step over her body on the sidewalk and continue walking. The footage also showed several cars passing through the intersection.

At the time, temperatures at the nearby Timmerman Airport were 2 degrees below zero, with wind chills of minus-20 to minus-21, according to the National Weather Service.

The bus stop where Waldref slipped was an unsheltered square of pavement next to the street corner.

In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, the Milwaukee County Transit System said it doesn't have the resources to clear snow from its 4,000 bus stops around the county.

"We rely on municipalities, property owners, and businesses to clear bus stops and sidewalks as described in their local ordinances," the statement read. "Seniors and persons with disabilities who rely on transit need a clean pathway to access to the bus. Please do your part by helping to keep bus stops safe."

Pedestrian advocate calls for more to attention to sidewalk, bus stop conditions

Marybeth McGinnis, program manager at MilWALKee Walks at the Wisconsin Bike Federation, said Waldref's death indicates a bigger problem. Officials should take steps to address the issue of pedestrian injuries and deaths from slipping and falling, and they should consider sidewalk and bus stop conditions as part of the city's "Vision Zero" pledge to end traffic deaths, she said.

The true scope of the issue is likely underreported, McGinnis said, as people who are hurt on ice are not likely to receive the same level of police investigation as, say, a pedestrian or cyclist struck by a car.

Because the roads are maintained with cars in mind, it creates a "massive inequity" for those who must walk or take public transit, or those who choose not to drive to be socially responsible, McGinnis said.

Officials should make walking and taking the bus during hazardous winter weather "safe and appealing and actually the better option," she said, instead of making it "sort of a punishment to have to climb over a foot of snow or ice."

"In the long run, do we only expect our public dollars to go towards car infrastructure, or should we support people who are making the safer choice not to drive on dangerous days?" McGinnis said.

Meanwhile, Waldref's daughters must plan a funeral for their mother (a GoFundMe raised about $4,600 as of Tuesday). And Pelczynski is left with her last memory of Waldref.

Over Labor Day weekend, Waldref and her younger daughter spent an entire day at Pelczynski's house, grilling, chatting and enjoying the beautiful weather.

"That day I will carry with me for the rest of my life," she said.