Obituary Archive

Gareth P. Betts, age 71, of the Town of LaGrange, passed away at his home on Friday December 13^th 2019.

Gareth was born on February 3, 1948. He was adopted at the age of one by Francis A. and Josephine (Mlodzik) Betts, Portage, WI; where he spent his early life. He took great pride in his Welsh ethnicity, but was never able to make a trip to Wales in the United Kingdom.

He received a Master’s Degree from UW-Milwaukee.

On September 14, 1985 at St. Rita’s Catholic Church in West Allis, WI, he was united in marriage to Theresa Marie Datka. Following their marriage they resided in the Town of LaGrange, WI. Gareth was a Tenured Professor of UW-Extension in Elkhorn, WI, with Emeritus Professor distinction upon retirement from the UW-Milwaukee Continuing Education Department.

He was a member of the St. Pius V Roman Catholic Church, Mukwonago, WI for more than 28 years. He served, with honor, as Sacristan for several years. Gareth was an artist with a remarkable God-given talent. He enjoyed history, and imparting his knowledge of that history to those who were interested; along with his knowledge of our faith, Church history, and vital information on the current crisis in the Church to help save souls.

Gareth is survived by his wife, Theresa. He was preceded in death by his parents.

The Rosary will begin at 10:30 a.m., with a Requiem Mass to follow at this Saturday, December 21, 2019, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Pius V Roman Catholic Church, 509 Grand Ave., Mukwonago, WI. The Mass will be offered by Fr. Frank Kurtz, along with the faithful in attendance. Burial will follow at South Heart Prairie Cemetery, LaGrange, WI.

Memorials Offerings may be given to either the: Universal Living Rosary Association, P.O. Box 1303 Dickinson, TX. 77539 or to the SSPX USA District, PO Box 206, Farley, MO 64028 and specify for the Foreign Missions Trust.

Theresa would like to thank all members of the Hospice Team of Mercyhealth at Home in Janesville, WI for all the wonderful care, compassion, and support Gareth and she received for the last 20 weeks of his life.

Theresa would also like to express Gareth’s and her extreme gratitude to all those who prayed for them throughout his battle with lung cancer. 

Nitardy Funeral Home , Whitewater, WI is serving the family.

www.nitardyfuneralhome.com 

Lucy T. Conway, 92, of Whitewater passed away on Friday, December 13, 2019 at Our House Senior Living in Whitewater. Born on May 15, 1927 in Kenosha, she was the daughter of the late Ignatius and Barbara (Justis) Steponitis.

Lucy attended local Kenosha schools and worked at LaBlanc Musical Instruments in Kenosha until early 1960. On May 20, 1960 she was united in marriage to Hugh R. Conway at St. Mark Catholic Church.

Hugh and Lucy moved to Whitewater in 1979 where they made their home. After Hugh died in 1997, Lucy continued working as a housekeeper for a number of local Whitewater businesses until her retirement in 2008.

Lucy is survived by stepson, Dennis Conway, nieces Carole Miller and Barbara Schmitz, nephews Tom Conway, David Steponitis, and Lawrence Steponitis. She was pre-deceased by her brothers Peter, Anthony and Stanley.

A special thank you to the entire staff at Our House and to Rainbow Hospice for their care and compassion and to the doctors, nurses and social workers at Fort Memorial Hospital.

As per Lucy’s wishes there will be no services with burial to be determined at a later date.

Nitardy Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.

www.nitardyfuneralhome.com

Shawn D. Spoo, 57, of Delavan, WI passed away on Saturday, November 30, 2019 at his home.

Shawn was born in Exira, IA on October 21, 1962 the son of David and Margaret (Farstrup) Spoo. Shawn graduated from Whitewater High School in 1981. He worked as a lineman for CenturyLink Phone Company for the majority of his working career. On October 22, 1983, Shawn married the love of his life, Jeanne Donahue in Kapaa, HI. Shawn was an avid outdoorsman. He was happy when he was outside hunting, fishing, and training his dogs. Shawn also was an excellent cook and made delicious meals for his wife during her battle with cancer. He could be stubborn, but had a good heart and loved his family and friends. Above all else, Shawn loved his wife, Jeanne. She was the apple of his eye and he would do anything for her. Shawn’s family takes comfort in the fact that they are together again, forever.

Shawn is survived by: his brother, Shane Spoo; his nephew, Taylor Spoo; his mother-in-law Barbara Donahue; and his siblings-in-law, Anna Donahue, Margaret Donahue, and Rita (Paul) Ristow. Shawn is also survived by a number of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

He is preceded in death by: his beloved wife, Jeanne Spoo; his parents; and his father-in-law, Thomas Donahue.

A funeral service to honor Shawn’s life will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, December 6, 2019 at the Gibson Family Funeral Home (320 W. Main Street, Palmyra, WI 53156). Visitation will take place from 12:00 Noon until the time of service at the funeral home. Shawn will be laid to rest next to his wife, Jeanne, in St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Palmyra, WI immediately following the service.

Gibson Family Funeral Homes of Eagle & Palmyra, WI is serving the family. To place an online condolence please visit gibsonfuneral.com

Herminia R. Vasquez of Whitewater, Wisconsin passed peacefully on November 26, 2019, surrounded by family and friends.

Herminia, or Minnie, as many people called her, was born in Laredo, Texas on July 19th, 1936 to migrant farmers Abraham and Elvita Rossell. She married her husband Eutimio Vasquez in 1958 and in 1959 they moved from Texas to Whitewater to build a new life in Wisconsin. Herminia at first was a stay at home mother, then worked at the Whitewater Foundry until she eventually found a permanent position at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater food service as a checker/cashier, where she retired after 30 years of dedicated service in 2012. Herminia loved her job at the University, especially the students who greeted her every day! She touched many students’ lives as she was the first face they would see in the morning prior to getting their breakfast. Always quick with a sweet smile and some funny comment, she was voted “favorite employee” many, many years in a row, not only from the company for which she worked, but campus wide! She was always very proud of that achievement! At the beginning of her retirement, she missed her job immensely but eventually settled in to be happy at home with her husband, either planning trips with her sister around the United States or going shopping or to the Casino on a whim. Minnie took pride in being an amazing cook, she loved plants and to landscape her yard but also took time on the weekends to watch her favorite sports teams: the Milwaukee Brewers, Wisconsin Badgers, Green Bay Packers, as well as a good boxing match.

Herminia was a very strong, funny, and hardworking woman. She and her husband took great pride in being one of the first Latino Whitewater residents to build their very own home on the corner of E. North and Newcomb St. where they lived for over 35 years. She was a completely selfless wife, mother, and grandmother. She loved babysitting her grandkids and loved dogs. She lived her life to make her entire family happy at all times. She encouraged her children and grandchildren to get a good education and to work hard. Her wisdom and her ability to make us all laugh, will be forever missed!

She is survived by her siblings: brother Jesus (Maria Guadalupe) Rossell, Juana (Avelino) Rodriguez, Eustulio (Eva) Rossell, Maria (Juan) Ramos, Gloria (Donato) Rios, her children: Jose (Elizabeth) Vasquez, Yolanda (Daniel) Hollenbeck, Arturo (Lina) Vasquez, Gloria (Michael) Vasquez-Leemkuil, grandchildren: Vanessa and Alessandra Hollenbeck, Gabriela, Sebastian, and Gianna Vasquez. She was preceded in death by her husband Eutimio Santos Vasquez, and her mother and father: Abraham and Elvita Rossell as well as five half-siblings.

We would like to give an immense thank you to Agrace Hospice from Janesville as well as Saran Bathchuulun, John Hethorn, their daughters: Kima and Oka, caretakers: Urna, Sunny, and Nimka, and all the other wonderful, kind, sincere caregivers who made it possible for both our parents to live out the last days of their lives together with dignity and respect! We will be forever grateful for the care and kindness you bestowed upon our parents and our family.

Visitation will be at the St. Patrick’s Church in Whitewater, Wisconsin at 10 a.m. on Friday, December 6, 2019 with the funeral service following at noon. Herminia will be laid to rest following the funeral service at Hillside Cemetery alongside her husband in Whitewater.

Nitardy Funeral Home, Whitewater, Wisconsin is assisting the family with arrangements.

Ralph Gordon Mundinger, 89, of West Bend received his offer to heaven on Tuesday, November 19, 2019 to head off to the major leagues. Upon hearing this news and with unbelievable emotion, his family cheered him knowing he is going to have the game of his life and that they’ll all catch up with him down the road.

Ralph was born on February 1, 1930 in Fort Frances, Ontario, Canada and grew up in Whitewater, Wisconsin. After proudly serving in the United States Air Force (603 A/C Squadron), he attended the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater where he received his B.A./M.A. After graduating Ralph taught in Warren IL, Livingston WI, and St. John’s Military Academy before coming to West Bend. Ralph taught Business Education at the high school and coached multiple sports from 1961-1992.

Ralph’s greatest gift was his ability to help you understand your potential and ability to reach your goals through hard work not only in sports, but in everyday life. He also taught the importance of learning from your mistakes and quickly moving forward. Over the years, he cherished the success stories of those he invested in. The updates were priceless. Thank you, West Bend.

Ralph leaves behind to cherish his memory his loving and caring wife, Sally; his devoted children, Jay (Kim), Mark (Julie) and DeAnn (Joe) Seaman. Papa to: Jase, Sally (David) Syzdek, Charlie, Jack, Daniel, and Lydia; Nicholas (Brittany), Molly, Mark II, Darren and Cassady; Ben, Michael, and George Seaman; and great-grandsons, Lincoln and Oliver. He is further survived by a sister-in-law, Barbara Larson; nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends.

A “Celebration of Ralph’s Life” will be held at Kettlebrook Church on Saturday, November 23, 2019 at 12:00 p.m.(NOON). Visitation will be at Church from 10:00 a.m. until time of the service. There will be a private inurnment at Washington County Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the Stars and Stripes Honor Flight or West Bend Columns Scholarship.

Myrhum-Patten Funeral and Cremation Services has been entrusted with Ralph’s arrangements. Additional information and guest book may be found at www.myrhum-patten.com.