Obituaries

Carole Ellen Oker, age 80, was called home by the Lord on April 28, 2021. Carole was married to her devoted husband Don for 60 years after a 6-year courtship. They raised two wonderful children: Kimberly Schauder (Brandt) and Marc (Jessica) Oker. She loved her grandchildren: Emily Schauder, Samantha Oker, Sydney Oker, Steven Lorenzo and Alyssa Lorenzo. She was born in Chicago, IL to Francis and Regina (nee Osadnik) Leavy on April 6, 1941. Carole was preceded in death by her brother James and sister Sharon.

A service will be held on Saturday June 12, 2021 at St. Patrick Catholic Church, 1225 West Main Street, Whitewater, WI: 10:00 a.m. visitation; 10:30 a.m. dedication presentation; and 11 am Mass with Father Mark Niehaus officiating. 

Please join family and friends after the service at 841 Brewhouse – Whitewater Room, 841 E. Milwaukee Street, Whitewater.

Patricia Yvonne Maas, 78, Whitewater, passed away on Saturday, May 1, 2021 on her return trip from their winter residence in Green Valley, AZ.

Pat was born on April 20, 1943 in California to Joe and Esther Anderson. She graduated from Beaver Dam High School in 1961. She married Dale Maas on October 13, 1962 in Beaver Dam. Pat and Dale owned and operated Dale’s Bootery in Whitewater for 37 years. She enjoyed reading, camping, skiing, and many other outdoor activities. Pat also enjoyed cooking with Dale most of their 58 year marriage. Pat and Dale spent many of their retirement winters in Arizona.

She is survived by her husband Dale; children Jeffrey ( Sharon) Maas, Cortland, IL, Renee (Rick Oberlin) Maas Cerney, Bryant, AR; grandchildren Sarah (Matthew Larson) Maas, Jacob Maas, Spencer Chapman, Mackenzie Cerney, and Ben Cerney; sister, Sandy (Richard Ross) Anderson, Arizona.

She was preceded in death by parents.

A celebration of Patricia’s life will be held at a later date. Online condolences may be made by visiting www.nitardyfuneralhome.com. Nitardy Funeral Home, Whitewater is assisting the family.

Mary Ellen Pope, a long-time resident of Whitewater, Wisconsin, lost her battle with Multiple Myeloma on Friday, March 13, 2020, at the age of 91, at Agrace Hospice & Palliative Care in Janesville, Wisconsin. Born to August and Helen (Wellnitz) Frei on March 8, 1929, in Chewelah, Washington, she was the fifth of eight children. When she was a toddler, the family packed up everything they could fit in their 1927 Chevy sedan and traveled back to Wisconsin during the Great Depression. She attended Finch School in La Prairie, a one-room schoolhouse through 8th grade, and even though she was bothered by her lack of a high school diploma, it never stopped her from going for something she set her heart on achieving. While working on the family farm with her parents and siblings, she learned a strong work ethic, which showed when she was named the Chicken Plucking Champion at the Rock County Fair as a teenager. Mary Ellen was a fun-loving girl who loved to dance and it was at a barn dance she met Charles Donald Pope and fell for him and his motorcycle. In 1950 they married in Janesville at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, and in 1965 they moved their family to Whitewater. Each time Mary Ellen had one of their nine children, she was back in the barn, with the baby in a stroller, helping milk cows and finish chores. After Donald’s death in 1967, Mary Ellen ignored popular opinion about a woman in business and continued to run the farming operation with her sons. In 1971, Mary Ellen married Robert James McCulloch at St. Patrick Catholic Church and in 1972 they had a daughter, Yvonne. Even though the marriage ended in divorce, they remained great friends until his passing in 1985. Mary Ellen was a very active member of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Whitewater and through the 55 years she attended she served as a Parish Council Member, Parish Trustee, Acolyte, and on the Christian Women’s Altar Society. One thing was always clear that St Patrick’s was a second home to Mary Ellen.

Mary Ellen will be missed by her children: Charles (Linda), Michael (Karen), Kevin (Nancy), Virgil (Sandra),Craig (Cathleen), Anne (Brian) Morgan, Serena (Lance) Elliott, Donald (Sally) and Yvonne (Scott) Fanshaw; daughters in law: Betty, Kathy, and Lisa; as well as her grandchildren: Carrie (Jason) Mathison, Christopher (Jill) Pope, Nathan (Carrie) Pope, Abigail Zinzow, Charles J.(Liz) Pope, Michael A. Pope, Olivia (Chris) Hale, August Pope, Ryan Pope, Anson (Sara) Pope, Wade (Shalanna) Pope, Shane (Rebecca) Pope, Angie Pope, Rebecca (Paul) Morris, Sarah Pope, Virgil S.(Marissa) Pope, Elyssa Pope, Emma Pope, Audrey Pope, Jonathan Pope, Helena Pope, Ashlee (Jacob) Prochnow, Torrin (Angela) Thatcher, Madeleine (Craig) Spangler, Carli Pope, Peyton Pope, Savannah Pope, Gabriel Pope, Jenna Pope, Kenley Pope, Grace Fanshaw, and Sophia Fanshaw; 24 great grandchildren; her sister, Linae Frei; sisters in law: Agnes Frei, Shirley Thompson, and Darlene Pozin; plus many beloved nieces and nephews and close friends. She will be greeted in heaven by her sons, Mark and Paul; son in law, Thomas K. Thatcher; daughter in law, Sonja Isaacsen; grandchildren-in-law, Jason Zinzow and Teresa Pope; her parents; and siblings: Cecelia Sowles, Joseph Frei, Leo Frei, Marguerite Frei, Cletus Frei, and Patricia Clark.

Through all the hard times and tragedies in her life, Mary Ellen’s faith in God and Jesus sustained her and held her up. Her strength is an inspiration to everyone who knew her and she will be greatly missed.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 15, 2021, at ST. PATRICK CATHOLIC CHURCH, WHITEWATER, with Rev. Mark Niehaus officiating. Due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic all guests are asked to please wear a mask and practice good social distancing practices. Interment was in Mt. Olivet Cemetery. SCHNEIDER FUNERAL HOME & CREMATORY is assisting the family with arrangements.  Donations in Mary Ellen’s name can be made to the UW Carbone Cancer Center and Agrace Hospice & Palliative Care, Janesville.  For online condolences and guestbook, please visit: www.schneiderfuneraldirectors.com

The family would like to thank Dr. Natalie Callender, Michelle Lackner, and the team for Multiple Myeloma at the UW Carbone Cancer Center for giving us two years longer with Mom.  A grateful thank you to Agrace Hospice and Palliative Care in Janesville for their caring and kindness through the loss of mom and helping her make a dignified passing to Heaven.

Eugene Goeglein
Born: November 10, 1949 in Fort Atkinson, WI
Died: April 26, 2021 in Lake in the Hills

Eugene “Gene” Thomas Goeglein , 71, of Lake in the Hills Illinois, passed away peacefully on Monday, April 26, 2021 surrounded by his family. Gene was born November 10, 1949 in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin to parents Eugene and Rosemary (nee Roe) Goeglein.

Gene resided in Whitewater, Wisconsin until he went off to study education at the University of Nebraska. He received his Bachelor’s in education while playing football for the Nebraska Cornhusker’s as a walk on. This is where the start of his lifelong love for the Nebraska Football Program began. Gene went onto receive his Master’s in Education from the University of Madison and completed his education with post graduate work in education policy and leadership studies at Loyola University.

Gene spent 41 years in the field of education, having many roles including physical education teacher, football/track/wrestling coach, athletic director, dean of students, principal and finished his career as the Regional Superintendent of McHenry County. Gene retired in 2011, however continued to work with the schools, performing health, life and safety inspections until 2020.

While Gene loved his career, nothing meant more to him than his two daughters, Kate and Kristie. The love he had for his girls was evident in everything he did. That love became seven times sweeter when they gave him the most precious gift of all, his grandchildren. In the many roles he had throughout his life, “Papa” was by far his proudest and most honored role.

When Gene wasn’t working, with his family, or cheering on his Huskers, he could be found on the golf course, sharing his famous jokes and stories with the lifelong friends he made on the greens.

Gene will be remembered by his daughters, Kate (Adam) Brink, and Kristie (Aaron Krejci) Brokaw, their mother Linda Goeglein, his grandchildren, Jay, Cameron, Taylor, Owen, Gavin, Cayden, and Alivia, his siblings, Maribeth McLaughlin, Walter Goeglein, and Catherine (Jamie) Heber, along with many nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Gene’s name may be made to Big Brothers Big Sisters of McHenry County, as he was always giving back to the children, he spent his life educating.

Visitation will be Monday, May 3, 2021 from 4:00 p.m. to time of prayer service 6:30 p.m. at DeFiore Funeral Home, 10763 Dundee Road, Huntley. Mass will be held Tuesday, May 4, 2021 at 10 a.m. at St. Mary Catholic Church, 10307 Dundee Road, Huntley.

For further information please call the funeral home at 847-515-8772 or online condolences may be directed to www.defiorefuneral.com

Jean Annette Bergey, 68, Whitewater, passed away on Friday, April 23, 2021 at her home.

Jean was born on December 13, 1952 in Madison, WI to Kenneth and Mae (Nygaard) Kleppe. She graduated from Mount Horeb High School. Jean married Mark Bergey on November 15, 1969. She worked alongside her husband at Bergey Jewelry Store in Whitewater from 1975 until they retired in 2018. Jean enjoyed spending time with family, reading, bowling, needlepoint including Norwegian Bell Pulls. She also loved her casino trips with the girls, shopping and trips in the ’57 and ’05 T-Birds.

She is survived by her husband Mark; daughter Heidi (Michael) Hayes, Whitewater; grandchildren Melanie (Jason Knilans) Hayes and Dustin Hayes; sister Judy (Richard) Weichmann, Monticello, WI.

Funeral Services will be held on Thursday, April 29, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. at Nitardy Funeral Home 550 N. Newcomb St. Whitewater, WI 53190. Burial will follow at Hillside Cemetery, Whitewater. Friends may call at the funeral home on Thursday from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the service. Online condolences may be made by visiting www.nitardyfuneralhome.com

Phyllis J. Hoffer, 74, of Fort Atkinson, passed away Saturday, April 24, 2021 at her home.

Phyllis was born on July 21, 1946 in Whitewater, daughter of the late William and Ruth (Fields) Carroll. She married Marvin Hoffer at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Whitewater on June 1, 1968.

Phyllis was very active with her children while they were growing up; she was their Scout Leader, Den Mother and Sunday school teacher. She also had a special place in her heart for her grandchildren.

Phyllis was a kindhearted lady who always wore a smile on her face, no matter what challenges she faced. She led by example and stayed strong to the end.

Phyllis had worked for many years at UW-Whitewater.

Phyllis is survived by her husband, Marvin Hoffer; children, Curt Hoffer, Dawn (Jay Pitz) Masone, Lana (fiancé, Mike Moreland) Hoffer and Paul Hoffer; grandchildren, Thaddeus Hoffer and Katie and Jacob Erdman; her sister, Portialee Armstrong and many other relatives and friends.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 1, 2021 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Fort Atkinson. Friends may call from 1 p.m. at the church until time of service.

Dunlap Memorial Home in Fort Atkinson is assisting the family.

www.DunlapMemorialHome.com

A Memorial Service will be held to honor the life of Donald “Doc” Kelley on Saturday, April 24, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. at Nitardy Funeral Home, 550 N. Newcomb St., Whitewater, WI 53190.  A visitation will be held prior to the service at the funeral home from 9:00 a.m. until the time of the service.

Donald “Doc” Merl Kelley, 64, Whitewater, passed away at his home surrounded by his family on Sunday, December 6, 2020.

Doc was born on August 14, 1956 in Elkhorn, WI to Lloyd and Irene (Clifford) Kelley.  He graduated from Whitewater High School in 1975.  On October 2, 1982 Doc married Cindy Lasee in DePere, WI.

He worked for Triebold Implement for 25 years as a semi-truck driver.  Doc then worked for the Whitewater Unified School District as a custodian at Washington Elementary School for 18 years.  He loved being around the people and the kids.  They were like family.  Doc was a volunteer firefighter for Whitewater for 29 years.  He enjoyed camping, watching the Packers, Brewers and Badgers and the Warhawk football team.  Doc was known for the phrase “Hi-ya, Hi-ya”. 

He is survived by his wife Cindy, Whitewater; children Natalie (Ryan) Mussack, Prairie Du Sac, WI, and Lauren Kelley, Whitewater; siblings Kay Wall, Florida, Lloyd Kelley, Jefferson, Janet (Eric) Gill, Beloit, Richard (Pat) Kelley, Footville, and Ron Kelley, Whitewater; many nieces and nephews.  He was preceded in death by his parents.

As an expression of sympathy you may wish to consider memorials to the Whitewater Fire Department in Doc’s name.  The family would like to thank Alden Estates and Agrace Hospice for the care they showed to Doc.

The Nitardy Funeral Home, Whitewater, WI is assisting the family.  Online condolences may be given to the family at www.nitardyfuneralhome.com

William Truman (Bill) Berry, 88, of Whitewater, passed away after a brief illness on Friday, April 16, 2021. Bill was born in Boone, Iowa on September 30, 1932. He was raised by his aunt and uncle, Pauline and Jack Mustapha. Bill had four siblings: Jo Betty (Barrow) Tyler, Patty Ann Barrow, Karen (Mustapha) Langmade, and Jack Mustapha. He is preceded in death by his wife of 60 years, Ruth (nee Stotts).

Bill graduated from the University of Northern Iowa. After working in Holstein, Iowa for five years as a teacher, head boys basketball coach, freshman-sophomore football coach and freshman-sophomore track coach at Holstein High School, Bill completed his master’s degree from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. The Berry family moved to Whitewater, Wisconsin where Bill would oversee setting up a new athletic training department at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He would also teach in the physical education department. He spent 24 wonderful years at UWW.

In 1985 Bill enjoyed a two-year stay in Manama, Bahrain where he was employed by the Bahraini government. His many faceted jobs included teaching and research at the Bahraini College of Health Sciences, rehabilitation of injured athletes, establishing fitness clubs for adults, and conducting hospital seminars and consulting.

In 1997, Bill was inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Trainers Hall of Fame. He was also honored by his induction into the UW-Whitewater Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015.

Bill is survived by his children, Kim (Lee) Woyahn, and Kris Smith; his grandchildren, Kendra (Nic) Barnes, Michael and Jenny Woyahn, Joshua (Jamie) and McKenna Smith; his great grandchildren Emily and Cora, and many other family and friends.

Bill enjoyed camping, fishing, and taking walks with Ruth up north in Arbor Vitae in the summers and in Orange Beach, Alabama in the winter months. He will be missed by family and friends. A private memorial service will be held at a later date in the Northwoods.

Randle-Dable-Brisk Funeral Home, Crematory and Preplanning Services is honored to serve the family. For further information, please call the funeral home at 262-547-4035 or visit our website at www.randledable.com for directions or to leave the family an online tribute message.

Evelyn F. Shields, 92, Whitewater, passed away on Sunday, April 18, 2021. She was the beloved mother of Russell W. (Velma) Shields, Beaver, PA, Thomas F. (Marilyn) Shields, Kokomo, IN, Adelaide (Michael) Atkielski, Elkhorn, WI; 5 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, James, and daughter Barbara Shields. Evelyn enjoyed gardening and was a member of St. Patrick Catholic Church.

A visitation will be held on Wednesday, April 21, 2021 from 3:00-5:00 p.m. at the Nitardy Funeral Home 550 N. Newcomb St. Whitewater, WI 53190. Burial will be in the Lakewood Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Cheswick, PA. Memorials may be made in Evelyn’s name to St. Patrick Catholic Church. Online condolences may be made by visiting www.nitardyfuneralhome.com

Marcus “Mark” E. De Mott, 96, of Whitewater passed away on Thursday, April 15, 2021 at Fort Memorial Hospital.

Mark was born on December 4, 1924 to Hugh and Agnes (McCann) De Mott in DeTour, Michigan.  He graduated from De Tour High School and began working in agriculture in his early adult years in Illinois.  While in Illinois, he left farming and began working in manufacturing. During this time, he was offered a promotion which brought him to Whitewater, where he resided the remainder of his life.  He opened the De Mott Coffee Cup (in the late 50’S & early 60’s) where many people gathered for lunch, dinner or friendly conversation over a cup of coffee.   His entrepreneurial spirit helped him pursue other endeavors throughout his working career.  In 1993, Mark married Mavis Thorne at St. Patrick Catholic Church. 

Mark was a very generous person and had a great sense of humor.  He was very innovative; his age did not limit him.  His faith and family were most important to him.  Mark was an active member St. Patrick Catholic Church. 

Mark is survived by his siblings, Sister Frances De Mott, IBVM, Lester (Joyce) De Mott, Sister Marguerite De Mott, SSND, Norma Killips, Gerald (Cindy) De Mott, and many nieces and nephews. 

He is preceded in death by parents, Hugh and Agnes De Mott; wife, Mavis De Mott; siblings, Orson (Rosemary) De Mott Sr., Joan (Edward) Grossback, Carol De Mott; brother-in-law, Benjamin Killips Sr.; nephew, Martin De Mott; and niece, Frances Parks.

Funeral services will take place at 11AM on Wednesday, April 21, 2021 at St. Patrick Catholic Church.  Visitation will take place from 9:30AM until the time of services.  You may attend the service virtually at https://client.tribucast.com/tcid/423992136.  A burial will take place at Hillside Cemetery following services.

A donation can be made to St. Patrick Catholic Church in Mark’s name.

The family would like to give special thanks to Heather Schneider for her exceptional care for Mark.

Nitardy Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.  Online condolences can be made at www.nitardyfuneralhome.com