Obituaries

Debra “Deb” A. Heiber, of Roscoe Township, IL, passed away on October 2, 2023, at the age of 70 years, at the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics following complications from surgeries. She was with family members and comfortable at the time of her passing.

Deb was born on October 16, 1952, in Gary, Indiana; the daughter of Curtis H. and Alice M. Yule. She married Gary L. Heiber on May 27, 1972 in Elm Grove, Wisconsin. She graduated from Brookfield Central High School in Brookfield, WI. She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1974 from Creighton University, including 3 years studying at Marquette University. Deb majored in English, minored in Spanish and received her secondary education teaching certification. She completed her Masters Degree in English and English Composition in 1978 at Marquette University. She continued taking many classes in Educational Administration, and had been in the educational field from 1974 until February 2016, 41 ½ years. Deb’s major positions were with the UW Center System/Rock County from 1982 to 1990. Then UW-Whitewater from 1990 until 2016. She was involved with developing many advising programs at Whitewater; first in the Registrar’s Office and then as Director of Advising in the College of Letters and Sciences.

Deb received 4 Academic Staff Excellence Awards at Whitewater. She was a founding member of WACADA (Wisconsin Academic Advising Association). They were a State Association of NACADA (National Academic Advising Association) founded in 1979. Deb was President-Elect of WACADA in 1997/98 and was President in 1998/99. She has received the 2002 WACADA Leadership Award. From NACADA, Deb received a Certificate of Merit in 1989, and in 1998 an Outstanding Advising Program Award, and in 2003, the Outstanding Advising Administrator Award.

Aside from advising students, Deb and Gary were longtime Marquette University Men’s Basketball fans, holding season tickets from 1970 to present, with the exception of three years when they lived in Nebraska. Deb spent many years following her son Mike’s activities in sports and music. After he was off to school, Deb became a part-time jewelry maker and sold jewelry in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois, until her health interfered in 2021. She also enjoyed her time with her yoga group from North Pointe and was always an avid reader.

Deb is survived by her husband, Gary Heiber; her son, Michael “Mike” (Alyssa) Heiber of Cedar Park, TX; granddaughters, Mia J. and Clara V. Heiber of Cedar Park, TX; her sister, Christina (Phillip) Lear of Dade City, FL; and many extended family members and friends.

She is preceded in death by her father, Curtis H. Yule; and her mother, Alice M. (Yule) McGrew, who recently passed in 2021; two premature twins, Douglas and Emily, (who lived only a few days in 1981); her mother and father in-law, Carolyn and Donald Heiber;  and her stepfather, James McGrew.

A memorial service will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 21, 2023, at SCHNEIDER FUNERAL HOME, 1800 E. Racine St., Janesville, WI, 53545; with a meal being served immediately following the service in the LIFE CELEBRATION CENTER at Schneider Funeral Home. For online condolences and guestbook, please visit: www.schneiderfuneraldirectors.com

Deb’s family would like to give a special thank you to the Palliative Care Floor at the University of Wisconsin Hospital. Additionally, an extra thank you to Kate and Tom Heiber-Cobb for their support in her last days and in helping organize her memorial service.

Ronald R. “Ron” Bergsten died at home in Prairie Village, Whitewater, Wisconsin, on November 8, 2023.

Ron was born in DeKalb, Illinois, on January 29, 1939, the youngest of three sons born to Soender and Ruth Bergsten.

For the first eight years of his education, Ron attended the training school at Northern Illinois University, then called Northern Illinois State Teachers College. After attending four years at DeKalb Public High School, he returned to NIU, where he obtained Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Physics. He met and married his wife Nelda while at NIU. The couple celebrated 61 years of marriage last June.

He taught briefly at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. However, he was not comfortable with the climate in that area and sought employment in the Midwest. He was an Associate Professor of Physics at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater for thirty years, serving as Department Chair for the last three years of his tenure in the Physics Department. He was a much respected and beloved professor by his students, as he was always willing to go “above and beyond,” especially in working with students in independent study.

Ron’s dearest love, after his family, was bowhunting, and he was quite successful at it, getting his first deer in northern Michigan when he was just fourteen years old. He hunted every year until he was well into his 60s, and got over 40 deer during that time. He also enjoyed fishing, and he and his wife, Nelda, spent two weeks every year at Red Lake, in northwestern Ontario, pursuing that sport.

Ron was also a gifted woodworker and handyman. He completed several remodeling and improvement projects on the home near Palmyra that he and Nelda purchased in 1965. He also built a large garage, which included a three-season sun room overlooking the pond created by a flowing well on the property, a two-car garage, and a large shop facility in which he could pursue his love of woodworking. He singlehandedly did all of the work on that building, including electrical and heating aspects, except that the cement foundation and driveway were poured professionally. He also built fine furniture, including two hutches which have graced their home for the past forty-plus years.

Ron was also an avid hiker and dog-lover, hiking/walking 25-30 miles every week, which included three miles or more every day walking the dog, and a weekly outing with a hiking group.

Ron loved all aspects of wildlife and especially appreciated birding. He built the duck houses that grace the ponds in Prairie Village. He also built a shelter for a memorial bench near the garden in Prairie Village.

After Nelda’s retirement, the couple spent a full summer touring Alaska in a small camping trailer and accompanied by their dog Cody. That same year the couple enjoyed their first of eight years as “winter Texans,” camping at Texas state parks in a fifth-wheel camping trailer and accompanied initially by their dogs Cody, and later Aki.

Ron was preceded in death by his parents, his brothers Neil Warren Bergsten and Lenn Alan Bergsten. He is survived by his wife, Nelda, of Whitewater; daughter Carmen and son-in-law Bevo LaRue of Panama City, Panama; daughter Vicki and son-in-law Howard Brantmeyer of Reedsburg, Wisconsin; granddaughter Jasmine Brantmeyer and Elijah Torres, and grandson Nicholas and Emily Brantmeyer; and great-grandchildren Cameron, Eli, Autumn and Aurora Brantmeyer, all of Stoughton, Wisconsin.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Ron’s honor to the Humane Society of Jefferson County, or the Lakeland Animal Shelter.

Respecting his wishes, there will be no public service. A private memorial service will be held at a later date.

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

David Harvey “Feedbag” Papcke

June 14, 1933~November 3, 2023

David H. Papcke “Feedbag,” 90, passed away Friday, November 3, 2023 at Vintage on the Ponds in Delavan, WI. He was born June 14, 1933 to Fred and Martha (Arndt) Papcke, in Whitewater, WI. the 4th of 11 children. Dave attended South Heart Prairie School, across the road from the family’s home farm where Dave would carry a bucket of water every day to school for 10 cents. The story is that his mother Martha spent more time in school than Dave did!

In the early 1950’s Dave would work for Earl Cook, owner of the Millard Feed Mill, Elkhorn. Dave’s neighbor Evelyn Schultz-Schultz would sit in her front porch and watch Dave go to work and come home. Dave acquired the nickname of “Feedbag” from Evelyn Schultz-Schultz as Dave’s job was hauling bags of feed to farmers in the area. In 1953 Dave was drafted in the United States Army Signal Corp. serving from 1953-1955, returning to the family farm. Dave would farm days and work nights at the Amphenol Borg Pile Fabric Division, Delavan, WI as a machine knitter. In 1972, the plant would close; Dave was asked to transfer to Georgia, and his reply was no! He would return to the family farm becoming a cash crop farmer, raising Black Angus Beef Cattle. Dave’s deer hunting career started at the age of 16 hunting with his oldest sister Marion. Dave enjoyed ice fishing, hunting turkeys, spending hours shooting gophers, cutting and splitting wood for the stove in his big red shed and his house and lots of “windshield farming.” “The code of the Prairie is you never go to town and come back home on the same road!” (Ask Craig, his partner in crime!)

Dave was one of the founding members of the Lauderdale-LaGrange Fire Department in 1959, was a member of the Millard Church, served on the board of the Millard Church, member of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau, and a member of the NRA. On September 12, 2015, he enjoyed his Stars and Stripes Wisconsin Honor Flight with his nephew Jeff Papcke.

Dave is survived by his wife of 64 years, Barb of Elkhorn, WI. He is also survived by his daughter, Cindy of Elkhorn, WI; his grandchildren Angiejo (Chad) Fay of Ava, MO; Kristeen (Andrew) Jones of Janesville, WI; Alan (Danielle) Salzwedel of New Lisbon, WI; his great-grandsons Tavvin & Kore Dorsey of Ava, MO; step- granddaughter Leigh (Justin) Gulas of Lyndon Station, WI; great-great-grandsons, Castile & Axel Gulas of Lyndon Station, WI. He is also survived by his siblings Marjorie Roloff, Norman (Anita) Papcke, Doris (LeRoy) DeVries, Darvon (Betty) Papcke, Diane (Floyd Finney) Papcke; sister-in-law Janet Papcke; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Fred and Martha Papcke; his stepfather George Sherman; and his siblings Allen Papcke, Marion (Jerry) Harris, Arlene (Robert/Bud) Rowley, Carol (David/Dub) Agen, Jack Papcke; and brother-in-law Eric Roloff.

A Memorial Service will take place on Friday, November 17, 2023, at Millard Community Covenant Church, N6713 County Road O, Elkhorn, WI, at 11:00 a.m. with Pastors Chris and Sharon Nelson officiating. Visitation will be from 9:00 a.m. until the time of service. Burial will take place at the South Heart Prairie Cemetery with Military Honors. A celebration of life luncheon will follow in the church Fellowship Hall. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Dave’s name to Agrace Hospice Care: 5395 E. Cheryl Parkway, Madison, WI 53711 or Stars and Stripes Honor Flight, P. O. Box 867, Menomonee Falls, WI 53052, or Millard Community Covenant Church, N6713 County Road O, Elkhorn, WI 53121. Arrangements are under the direction of Haase-Lockwood & Associates Funeral Homes and Crematory of Elkhorn, WI. An online guestbook can be found at www.haaselockwoodfhs.com.

Albert Frank Danz Sr. 93, of Whitewater passed away peacefully on Sunday, October 29, 2023.

Albert was born on November 6, 1929, to Alma and Edward Danz. He married Joan Ellingsen on January 21, 1964. She preceded him in death on July 31, 2021.  Albert served his country in the United States Marines and was stationed in Korea shortly after the war. Albert enjoyed the great outdoors and his family.

He is survived by Children Albert Danz Jr. (Escanaba, MI), Charles Danz (Whitewater, WI), Grandchildren Tanner, Logan, Gabrielle (Steve) Tietz; Great-Grandchildren Ava, Everly, and Jaxon.

Funeral Services will be held on Sunday, November 5, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. at Nitardy Funeral Home, 550 N. Newcomb St., Whitewater, WI. Visitation will be held from 1:30 p.m. until the time of the service.

A special Thank You to the staff at Alden Estates in Jefferson and Agrace Hospice in Fitchburg for their amazing care towards dad. Online condolences may be made at www.nitardyfuneralhome.com

Barbara L. “Barb” Reutell, 73, of Whitewater passed away peacefully on Saturday, October 28, 2023 at her home after a long courageous battle with cancer.

Barb was born on September 10, 1950 in Wisconsin Rapids to Leonard and Laura (Prayne) Schladweiler.

Barb was a member of St. Patrick Catholic Church.

She was an amazing woman that helped everyone she could. Barbara was a loving devoted wife, and a loving caring mother. She also loved her country and supported the veterans anyway she could.

Barbara is survived by her loving husband, Richard Reutell; children, James (Rhonda) Kempinski, Michael (Dani) Kempinski, Carrie (fiancé, Dan M) Baldwin; step-son, Eric Reutell; grandchildren, Johnathan (Sara) Baldwin, Brady Kempinksi, Arianna Kempinksi, CJ Kempinksi, Dayton Kempinksi, Haven Kempinksi, Harleigh Kempinksi; great-grandchildren, Ryleigh and Easton; siblings, Karen, Jeanette (Jim), and Dorothy.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Leonard and Laura Schladweiler; six sisters; and two brothers.

A memorial service will take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, November 9, 2023 at Nitardy Funeral Home, 550 N. Newcomb St., Whitewater, WI 53190.

Online condolences can be made at www.nitardyfuneralhome.com

Thank you and God Bless. Barbara is an angel watching over you! Memorials and flowers to family.

Daniel P. Laursen, age 56, of Beloit, died Friday, October 27, 2023, at Beloit Memorial Hospital. He was born April 12, 1967, to Paul and Carol (Copeland) Laursen in Park Ridge, IL. Dan attended Whitewater High School and graduated from UW Platteville, with a degree in Education. He married Mia A. Zamecnik on September 14, 1991. Dan was a 4th grade teacher at Townview for 22 years. As an avid outdoorsman, Dan enjoyed biking, camping, hiking, and water skiing on Whitewater Lake. He also enjoyed traveling to Las Vegas and regional casinos. Dan will be remembered for his Lego set building abilities and being a Parrot head.

He is survived by his wife Mia; his three children, Timothy (Michelle) Laursen, Katrina (Dylan) Carlyle & Brianna Laursen; his parents, Paul (Carol) Laursen; his five grandchildren, Casey, Calvin, Colton, Kalani & Brynn; his sister, Ann (Mike) Pascavis; his brother, Brian (Carrie) Laursen; and many other family members and friends.

He was preceded in death by his father-in-law, Roy Zamecnik.

Dan’s Funeral Service will be at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 31, 2023, in the BRIAN MARK Funeral Home, 1000 Inman Parkway, Beloit, WI with Chaplain Mark Maxted officiating. Friends will be received on Tuesday in the Funeral Home from 3:00 p.m. until the time of service. In lieu of flowers, a memorial is being established. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared on our website.

BRIAN MARK FUNERAL & CREMATION CARE
1000 Inman Parkway, Beloit WI 362-2000
www.brianmarkfh.com

On October 12, 2023, Donna J. Henry peacefully decided to go home to Jesus.

Donna was born on May 16, 1933. The only child of Mildred (McQuillen) and Harley Baker, she was born in a small house on Cravath St. in Whitewater, Wisconsin. She lived on the “East Side” and is still friends with many of her childhood friends. Her father owned his own business, as had his father, and her mother’s family was large and mainly farmers. Those family and business values flavored her attitudes and beliefs all of her life. Especially, in how she worked for the people of Whitewater. She was a child of the depression, reflected in her inability to throw anything away, and her generosity to those in need.

Donna graduated from the Whitewater City High School in 1951. She went on to get her bachelor’s degree in journalism from UW Madison. Summers she worked at the Whitewater Register. During her schooling, she realized that the role of a female reporter was to report on fashion and social events. That was not at all to her liking. She changed her specialty to advertising. She graduated in the spring of 1955. Upon graduation she worked at WTMJ in Madison.

In November of 1955, she married J. Philip Henry, whom she met her senior year in college. They lived in Madison, a block off of Randall Stadium, until Phil got a job with American Bitumals. They had a daughter, Jelaine, while in Madison. Phil’s was a job that required moving, and their next home was in Kirkwood, MO, where they had another daughter, Jane. Soon after they were moving to Libertyville, IL, and then on to Mundelein, IL. A son, Mark, was born during those years.

In 1962, life happened. Phil was diagnosed with narcolepsy. He no longer could be employed in a job that required so much travel. He went to Whitewater to learn the ins and outs of a motor vehicle business. With no business or technical training, it was quite an undertaking. Donna stayed in Mundelein with her 3 small children, until she would sell the house. Within a few months, she also was able to move in with her parents. It was a long period of adjustment to a total lifestyle change, medication and health issues, and the role changes inherent in being in a family business.

But, while Donna had left Whitewater for a short time, her love for Whitewater never left her. She threw herself into everything that interested her. While the children were young, she shared her interest in reading, antiques and furniture refinishing, and sewing with her mother. She also knitted, crocheted, and did needle work. She joined numerous organizations and participated in many civic services. She was a Girl Scout leader and on the board, taught Confirmation classes at First English Lutheran and was on the board there, joined the Lions Club with Phil, AAUW and was president for a time, Whitewater Historical Society, Federation of Women, Whitewater Food Pantry, CDA, Rental Association, Planning Commission, City Council, and helped with election days.

Once the kids were older, she also started working part time at Baker’s Garage, summers at the UWW Registrars Office, and for over 35 years at Home Lumber as Accountant/Office Manager. It was during that last job that she “adopted” a 3^rd daughter, Jackie Hale.

In everything she did she remembered her roots and to be a voice for citizens who might not always speak for themselves. She was a force for small business. She really lived for these things. As with many older adults, the isolation of the COVID years was hard on her, and the telephone was literally her lifeline. If anyone wanted to perk her up, they just needed to talk about Whitewater. She was a wealth of knowledge that will be missed by many.

Donna was preceded in death by her parents, Mildred (McQuillen)and Harley Baker, in 1980 and 1981, and by her husband J. Philip Henry in 2015.

She is survived by her daughters Jelaine (Jim) Goehl, and Jane Henry (Johnny Soubrand), and her son Mark (Debra) Henry. Also by 9 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.

Services will be held on Wednesday November 15, 2023 at 2 PM at First English Lutheran Church in Whitewater. A visitation will be held from 1 PM until the time of the service at the church. Graveside services will be private. A Celebration of Life will follow the service at The Real MacCoys from 3 -6 PM in Cold Springs, WI.

Be prepared to share your stories and remembrances of Donna’s long life. In lieu of flowers or monetary gifts, donations would be appreciated to: Whitewater Food Pantry, Rainbow Hospice or the local Animal Shelter or Humane Society. The family would like to give special thanks to the staff at Rainbow Hospice for their exceptional care for Donna.  The family would also like to give special thanks to all the good friends that came to see Donna. 

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

Susan Jean Stanley, 78, died of cancer at home in Prairie Village, Whitewater, Wisconsin, October 23, 2023.

Sue was born July 20, 1945, in Gladwin, MI, the first child of Stuart R. “Bud” Kirvan and Annalee Partridge Kirvan. Bud Kirvan was a newspaper man and later a well-known public relations executive and newspaper columnist, and her mother a registered nurse.

In her early years she followed her dad to numerous local high school games which gave her a lifelong love of sports. She attended several schools as her family moved around the state and graduated from
the University of Michigan High School in Ann Arbor in 1963 and Michigan State University in 1967. Her major was math and her minor geography. She was a member of the Alpha Delta Phi Sorority.

After teaching mathematics in Flushing and Southfield, MI for several years and earning a master’s degree from MSU in 1971, she signed on to teach math with the Department of Defense Dependents Schools in Seoul, Korea. In her second year she transferred to Okinawa where she met and married Tom Stanley, a high school history teacher from Wisconsin, “a lucky break,” Tom said. Together they taught in the Philippines, Japan, Korea and Germany before returning to the United States in 1989. Their son, Howard, was born in 1978 in Japan. In their two decades overseas, they traveled widely in Asia and also in Europe when completing round the world flights back to the States for summer vacation. Sue always said that next to marrying Tom, the best thing she ever did was to work overseas. They had many authentic overseas adventures.

Back on U.S. soil, Sue and Tom taught at Canterbury School, a small private institution in Fort Wayne, IN for the last decade of their teaching careers where Howard graduated in 1996.

In 1981 and every year afterwards, they summered in or around Bay View, MI near Petoskey where they moved full time in their first phase of retirement and where she embarked on a short but fruitful career as a teller and bookkeeper at First Community Bank in Harbor Springs. They moved to Whitewater in 2009.

Sue was extremely well organized and had an iron-clad sense of what should be done and how to do it. Tom once caught her signing a hotel register as “Mr. and Mrs. Susan Stanley,” a joke but illustrative of their relationship. In more recent years she has used her executive powers to keep her two much-loved grandchildren shaped up. All said, she was tolerant and reasonable and a valued friend to many. Never a jokester, in her final days she surprised everyone with a sardonic wit that she kept hidden for years.

In her teaching days she often had taken the lead in organizing school projects such as graduation ceremonies and educators’ days, all very well done as you can imagine. Always a popular and effective teacher, in retirement in Whitewater she found new ways to shine, active in local women’s clubs, taking her turn in leading the never-ending effort to preserve one of Whitewater’s distinguished old homes and in keeping track of and delivering “Meals on Wheels,” and served as an enthusiastic volunteer at the Fort Atkinson Hospital. In addition, she was a veritable “Queen of the Bridge Table” and was a sympathetic and caring neighbor in Prairie Village and the Whitewater community. She was once named Fairhaven’s “Resident of the Month” and was called the “Energizer Bunny.” As a sports fan, she converted to the Packers long ago and the Brewers more recently from her Michigan teams. But she always held on to the MSU Spartans through thick and thin.

Sue was preceded in death by her parents, Stuart and Annalee Kirvan and is survived by her husband, Tom of Whitewater, son Howard, daughter-in-law Karrie and grandchildren Ryan and Kate of Chicago, siblings Anya (David) Jones of Boulder, CO, Nancy Kirvan of Petoskey, MI and Tom Kirvan of Birmingham, MI, nephews Andrew Harris and wife, Amy, of Longmont, CO, Jesse Kirvan of Park City, UT and Aaron (Mary) Peters and their daughters Leanna and Kennedy of Pinehurst, NC.

The family thanks the people of Whitewater and Prairie Village and other places they lived for being wonderful neighbors through her illness, and Rainbow Hospice, especially Nurse Kendra, and Nitardy Funeral Services, Whitewater. Special heartfelt thanks to Sue’s sister, Nan Kirvan, who stayed with us during the three weeks of hospice care.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in her honor can be made to Rainbow Hospice Care. (https://rainbowhospicecare.org) or Project Mercy, a Christian, non- profit school located in Yetebon, Ethiopia. (https://www.projectmercy.org/)

Respecting her wishes, there will be no public services. There will be a family scattering of the ashes at the Greenwood Cemetery in Petoskey in the summer of 2024. Online condolences may be made at
www.nitardyfuneralhome.com

Daniel J. Hegeman, 64, of Whitewater, passed away on Tuesday, October 10, 2023 at Alden Estates of Jefferson.

Dan was born on December 20, 1958 in Burlington, son of Glen and Katherine (Gal) Hegeman. On May 14, 1983 he married Deborah Weber.

Dan enjoyed spending time with his family and grandkids, the evidence of this was the biggest smile with a twinkle in his eye and a chest so choked up with emotion every chance he was able to visit, that you could feel it across the room. He loved theater, especially Shakespeare’s Hamlet which he had memorized, giving his family impromptu performances of the famous soliloquy throughout the years. He passed on a love of theater while assisting with set design on several plays with his older kids.  He was a graduate of Milwaukee School of Engineering with an Associate of Applied Science, Electrical Communications Engineering Technology 1979 & Bachelor of Science Electrical Engineering Technology (With Honors) 1986. He was an active member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Fort Atkinson, teaching confirmation classes, being involved with the Knights of Columbus and assisting with timekeeping for pinewood derby races. He also enjoyed conversing about politics and engineering, old books, watching tractor pulls, and helping children at the Math Olympiads and with various 4-H activities. He enjoyed traveling when work called for it. Trips to Finland & Germany were some he liked to talk about. He would talk about meeting a relative on a flight to Germany at one point, which seemed to be a highlight, while also making it clear that he had never met a stranger, he would talk to anyone- as long as it wasn’t over a telephone! As someone who worked with technology most of his life, he had a love of history and old books. He could often be found in the garage with his records or basement room surrounded by dusty papers that remained, much to the chagrin of his wife. Growing up on a dairy farm, he never quite left that part of his life go, he was a hard worker & if you were ever in the car with him when driving by a field of escaping cattle, you knew you were going to be either sitting and watching him put them back in, or getting out to go help with putting them back in. Life is never easy, and he had his share of sorrow as well as mistakes, but he was dearly loved, and his loss will be felt deeply in many ways by his family and friends. 

Dan is survived by his wife of 40 years, Debbie Hegeman; children, Katherine (Ryan) Wermes, Lisa (Daniel) Williams, Andrew Hegeman, Peter (Kelsey) Hegeman, Simon (Lauren) Hegeman, Anna Hegeman, Christopher Hegeman, Mary Hegeman and David Hegeman; grandchildren, Emmaleigh and Owen Wermes, Perpetua, Matthias, Azalea and Damien Williams; Lillian and Paisley Hegeman, and Thomas, Elizabeth, Kylina and Giuseppe Hegeman; mother, Katherine Hegeman; siblings, Sue (Mike) Patrick, Bill (Becky) Hegeman, Sally (Kevin Kramer) Epping, Matt (Debbie) Hegeman, Peggy Sawasky and Sandra Hegeman and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his children, Matthias and Teresa Hegeman, father, Glen Hegeman and brother, Larry Hegeman.

A Funeral Mass will be held at 1 p.m. on Thursday, October 19, 2023 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Fort Atkinson. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. on Thursday at the church until the time of service. Burial will take place at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Kansasville, WI on Friday, October 20, 2023 at 11 a.m.

Dunlap Memorial Home in Fort Atkinson is assisting the family.

www.dunlapmemorialhome.com

Irma P. Hernandez, 88, of Palmyra, WI passed away peacefully on Thursday, October 12, 2023, at Aurora Summit Medical Center in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.

Irma was born on April 13, 1935, in Piedras Negras, Mexico the daughter of Gaspar Perez Perez and Agripina Montalvo De Perez. Irma was united in marriage to Miguel R. Herandez in the mid-1950s in Piedras Negras and the Lord blessed their union with six children, Miguel, Irma, Blanca, Alma, Eusebio, and Rita. Irma’s family was her pride and joy. Her best times were spent surrounded by her loving children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She was a true mother and deeply cared for her family and took care of any need they had. Irma will be remembered for her laughter and joy and she will be sincerely missed by those she leaves behind.

She is survived by: her six children, Miguel (Norma H.) Hernandez of Eagle Pass, TX, Irma (Manuel) Garza of Palmyra, WI, Blanca (Hector) Villarreal of Palmyra, WI, Alma (Nicolas) Montalvo of Donna, TX, Eusebio (Norma A.) Hernandez of Palmyra, WI, and Rita (Armando) Marquez of Palmyra, WI; along with her 21 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren. Irma is also survived by 3 sisters, a number of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

She is preceded in death by her parents, 2 sisters and her loving husband Miguel.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 AM on Monday, October 16, 2023, at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Whitewater, Wisconsin. Fr. Antony Thomas will officiate the Mass. Visitation will take place from 9:00 AM until the time of Mass at the church. Irma will be laid to rest next to her husband at a later date.

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