19 April 2024

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Kenneth Robert Bird

Kenneth Robert Bird


Kenneth Robert Bird, age 77 years, passed away Sunday, April 7, 2024, at New Perspectives, West Bend. Ken was born on February 2, 1947 in Milwaukee to the late Kenneth and Theresa Bird. He was the youngest of six children. He is survived by his older brother, Allen Bird (Arlen); his older sister, Allene Friede (Ken); and twin sister, Kathleen Hudson. He is preceded in death by his sisters, Beverly Juech and Barbara Bird; his brothers-in-law, Harry Juech and Bill Hudson; and his beloved nephew, Steve Juech. Ken started his education at Mount Calvary Lutheran School and went to Milwaukee Lutheran High School before transferring to Kewaskum High School. He was a graduate of the University of Oshkosh. He had an amazing work ethic and started his career early, tidying shelves and cleaning for Mrs. Devorken in their hardware store to get quarters that he would use to go to the movies with his friends on Saturday. He spent his career at several companies in sales and marketing, retiring at the age of 72 from Mitchell Furniture Systems as their Sales and Marketing Director. Ken married Linda Bird (Maglio) and they had two daughters, Melissa Arps (Dan) and Katie Ingham (Mark). Later in life, he married Carol Bird (Woolhouse) and had two more daughters, Theresa and Rebecca. Ken was very proud of his five grandchildren: Kailyn, Nick, Cody, Brandon and Tyler. Ken loved to garden and spent many hours planting beautiful flowers, tending to his vegetable garden, or sitting on his John Deere mower. He was also a gifted carpenter, renovating antique furniture and working on various projects in his home in Hubertus. Ken had a great passion for sports, especially his beloved Brewers and Packers. He also had a great love for history, for reading and listening to classical music. He was a man of strong faith and was very involved in his church as an elder, usher, and in many leadership roles over the years. Above all, Ken loved to sing and was a dedicated member of the church choir for many years. Ken will be missed by his wife, daughters, grandchildren, siblings, and many nieces, nephews and friends. He will always be remembered for his caring nature, his wonderful smile, his great stories, and his faithful devotion to his Savior. VISITATION: Ken’s family will greet relatives and friends on Monday, April 29, 2024, at Northbrook Church (4014 WI-167, Richfield), starting at 10 a.m. until 11: 45 a.m. SERVICE: A memorial service will be held following the visitation at Northbrook Church, beginning at 12 p.m. In lieu of flowers, Ken requested that donations be made to the American Parkinson’s Disease Association or to Northbrook Church. Myrhum-Patten Funeral & Cremation Service has been entrusted with Ken’s arrangements. Additional information and Tribute Wall may be found at myrhum-patten.com.
18 April 2024

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Arline M. Justman

Arline M. Justman


   Ar­line M. Just­man, 92, of West Bend, passed away peace­fully on Tues­day, April 16, 2024, at The Wa­ter­ford at West Bend.   Ar­line was born the daugh­ter of Paul and Selma (Billings) Bu­dahn on Sep­tem­ber 21, 1931, in LeRoy.   She was united in mar­riage to Har­land W. Just­man on No­vem­ber 4, 1950, in the Town­ship of Theresa.   Ar­line helped farm with her hus­band in Theresa until 1965 and then they moved to West Bend. She then worked at Amity Leather and then be­came a well-known baker in the West Bend area. Ar­line worked for Han­ker­son’s Bak­ery, Sil­ver­brooke School, and then re­tired from the West Bend Hos­pi­tal.   She was an ac­tive mem­ber of Good Shep­herd Lutheran Church in West Bend, where she was a mem­ber of the Ladies League and the se­nior Bible study. Ar­line loved fol­low­ing the ac­tiv­i­ties of Queen Eliz­a­beth and ac­tu­ally went to see the Queen in 1967. She also en­joyed watch­ing base­ball, soft­ball, and en­joyed the Brew­ers. Ar­line also liked watch­ing NASCAR.    Ar­line is sur­vived by her son-in-law, Ronald Lanser of Fre­do­nia; her sis­ter-in-law, Karen Bu­dahn-Kell; brother-in-law, Perry Billings; fur­ther sur­vived by nieces, nephews, other rel­a­tives and many friends.   She was pre­ceded in death by her par­ents; her hus­band, Har­land; her daugh­ters, Cyn­thia Just­man and Rox­anne Lanser; her sis­ter, Ardis Prib­now; broth­ers, Paulie Bu­dahn and Leon­hard Bu­dahn; her broth­ers and sis­ters-in-law, Diane Bu­dahn Billings, Vanelda Trott, Irma Just­man, Jean Just­man, Mar­vin Just­man, Melvin Just­man, Elroy Just­man, Elsmer Just­man, Wilmer Prib­now, Vinelda Billings Feller, Pearl Just­man Bahe, Gertrude Just­man Well­nitz, and Ber­nice Just­man En­derle.    A fu­neral ser­vice for Ar­line took place at Good Shep­herd Lutheran Church in West Bend with Rev. Robert Hein of­fi­ci­at­ing on Sun­day, April 21 at 4 p.m. Vis­i­ta­tion was held from 2:30 to 4 p.m. at the church on Sun­day. Pri­vate fam­ily in­ter­ment took place at Union Ceme­tery in Theresa on Mon­day.   Memo­ri­als in mem­ory of Ar­line may be di­rected to Good Shep­herd Lutheran Church in West Bend.    Koepsell Fu­neral Home in Mayville is serv­ing the fam­ily. www.​KoepsellFH.​com

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Marvin Paul Steinbach

Marvin Paul Steinbach


   Marvin Paul Steinbach, 65, passed away unexpectedly on Monday, April 15, 2024, at his home in Mayville.   Marvin was born the son of Paul and Elmay (Haslow) Steinbach on July 3, 1958, in Beaver Dam.   He graduated from Mayville High School in 1976 and was a lifelong farmer in the Town of Williamstown.   Marvin was a member of the River Church and enjoyed singing in the choir. He loved being a part of his church family. Marvin had a passion for gardening, especially with his friends, Henry and Lynn.    Marvin is survived by his mother, Elmay; sister, Marlis Reese; and his son, Brandon. Marvin is further survived by other relatives and friends.    Marvin was preceded in death by his father, Paul.   Funeral services for Marvin were held on Monday, April 22, at 12 p.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church (River Church) in Town of Theresa with Rev. Douglas Zahner officiating. A visitation for Marvin took place at the River Church on Monday, April 22, from 11 a.m. until the time of service at 12 p.m.  Interment followed the service at St. John’s Cemetery in Mayville.    Koepsell Funeral Home in Mayville is caring for the family. www.Koepsellfh.com
16 April 2024

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Dorothy A. Wilke

Dorothy A. Wilke


Dorothy A. Wilke, 94, of Campbellsport, passed away peacefully at home on Friday, April 12, 2024. Dorothy was born the daughter of Henry and Lydia (nee Gengler) Claas on September 10, 1929, in Milwaukee. Dorothy was united in marriage to Robert Wilke on May 10, 1952, at St. Anthony’s Church in Fussville, WI. They resided in Milwaukee before moving to their beloved farm in Campbellsport, where they raised their two children. Dorothy was actively involved in 4-H where she served as the Campbellsport 4-H Rabbits & Poultry Leader for over 47 years. Numerous children benefited from her commitment to the organization and knowledge of the animal breeds. She was also the County Fair Superintendent of the Poultry & Rabbits Barn in Fond du Lac for 28 years. In addition to raising rabbits, ducks, chickens and geese, Dorothy also raised sheep. When not in the barn, Dorothy could be found tending to her vegetable and flower gardens. These brought her great joy as did her faithful dog, Tina, who remained at her side until the end.  Dorothy is survived by her children, Carl Wilke and his wife Annette of Mulino, OR and Sue MacGregor of Campbellsport; her granddaughters, Stephanie (Tyler) Ribbens of Denver, Nicole (Josh) Miller of Okauchee, Kristine (Austin) Wallace of Portland, and Brittni (Mykel) MacGregor-TeBorny of Waukesha; her great-grandchildren, Cora, Anna, Claire, Daniel, Lily, Ella and Nia; and her sister, Bernice Matyka of Rib Lake. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Robert; her brothers and sisters-in-law, Raymond and Nancy Claas, Joseph and Ann Claas, Norbert and Irene Claas, Jerome and Joanie Claas; sister and brother-in-law, Rita and Milton Haider; brother-in-law, Peter Matyka; and her dear parents-in-law, William C. and Velma A. Wilke. The family wishes to thank Horizon Hospice who made her final time at home peaceful. A visitation will be held at the Twohig Funeral Home 109 W. Main St. Campbellsport on Friday April 19, 2024, from 3 to 6 p.m. with service following at 6 p.m. Memorials may be directed to Fond du Lac County 4-H Leaders Association Scholarship Fund. Dorothy will be laid to rest at Our Savior’s Cemetery in Germantown. “And though she be but little, she is fierce.” William Shakespeare Twohig Funeral Home, Fond du Lac, is serving the family. Online guestbook and condolences are at www.twohigfunerals.com.

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Thomas Patrick Ferguson

Thomas Patrick Ferguson


   Thomas Patrick Fer­gu­son, 63, of Lomira passed away on April 13, 2024, at St. Agnes Hos­pi­tal in Fond du Lac sur­rounded by his lov­ing fam­ily.   Tom was born on March 17, 1961, in Waupun to Fran­cis and Glo­ria Fer­gu­son (nee Rozek).    Tom grad­u­ated from Lomira High School in 1979. He worked in man­u­fac­tur­ing his whole life. Tom started as a line worker, work­ing his way up to Pro­duc­tion Su­per­vi­sor. He ended his ca­reer at Met­al­Craft in Mayville in 2021.   Dur­ing his life­time, Tom was an avid golfer. He was often seen at Camelot in Lomira, where he achieved a Hole-In-One on #7! Tom also en­joyed trav­el­ing with friends and golf­ing at other courses around the coun­try.    He was a skilled wood­worker, work­ing on pro­jects for friends and fam­ily. Tom en­joyed watch­ing Nascar and For­mula 1 Rac­ing.    Those Tom leaves be­hind to cher­ish his mem­ory in­clude his sis­ters, Kathryn (Bruce) Sterr and Pa­tri­cia Fer­gu­son; nieces, Alexan­dra Fis­cher and Lau­ren Sterr; and nephew, Ben­jamin Fis­cher. He is fur­ther sur­vived by aunts and an uncle, Do­lores Rozek and Jane (Henry) Brown; as well as other rel­a­tives and friends.    In ad­di­tion to his par­ents, Tom was pre­ceded in death by pa­ter­nal grand­par­ents, Claude and Mary Fer­gu­son (nee Bohan); ma­ter­nal grand­par­ents, Anton and Anna Rozek (nee Bat­ter­man); and his brother, Jef­frey Fer­gu­son.   VIS­I­TA­TION: Tom’s fam­ily will greet rel­a­tives and friends on Wednes­day, April 24, from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. at Myrhum-Pat­ten Fu­neral Home (350 Main St. – Lomira, WI 53048) with a Vigil Ser­vice at 7:00 p.m.   SER­VICE: A Memo­r­ial Mass in re­mem­brance of Tom will take place at Sons of Zebedee Catholic Church (N3687 Hwy 175 – Byron, WI) on Thurs­day, April 25, at 11 a.m. with Fa­ther Nathaniel Mini­att of­fi­ci­at­ing. In­urn­ment will be at the church ceme­tery fol­low­ing Mass.    The fam­ily would like to thank the doc­tors, nurses, and staff at Cross­roads Care Cen­ter in Mayville and St. Agnes Hos­pi­tal in Fond du Lac for their care and com­pas­sion.   Myrhum-Pat­ten Fu­neral & Cre­ma­tion Ser­vice has been en­trusted with Tom’s arrange­ments. For ad­di­tional in­for­ma­tion or to leave an on­line con­do­lence on the trib­ute wall, please visit www.​myrhum-​patten.​com.

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Rachelle “Shelly” Valle

Rachelle “Shelly” Valle


   Rachelle (Shelly) Valle, 63, of Brownsville, passed away peace­fully in her home, sur­rounded by fam­ily mem­bers on April 12, 2024.    Shelly was born on No­vem­ber 19, 1960, to Char­lotte (Col­lien) and John "Mighty Fine" Feucht, in Waupun and raised on the farm in Leroy. As the old­est of five, she be­came the rock that we all knew and loved from a very young age. Shelly thrived on being there for every­one in her life; she loved it. A friend to all, she was the lit­eral de­f­i­n­i­tion of some­one who would give you the shirt off her back, or the last $5 to her name.    She taught us all that life was not only about work­ing hard, but more im­por­tantly it was about en­joy­ing the ride along the way. She got mar­ried to the love of her life, Duward John Valle, on No­vem­ber 8, 1980, and gave it her all. They re­mained mar­ried for 43 years, and he was by her side when she took her last breath, al­ways fight­ing for each other.    She lived fiercely, loved deeply, and laughed heartily. De­spite jug­gling mul­ti­ple jobs and school, she found time to lead Girl Scouts, coach sports, and host com­mu­nity block par­ties amongst many other extra ac­tiv­i­ties through­out the years. She never missed a grad­u­a­tion, birth­day, or team event, al­ways stand­ing as a pil­lar of sup­port for those near and far. In times of tragedy, she was the first to help, ral­ly­ing oth­ers to join. She taught us to em­brace life's joys and chal­lenges with equal vigor—danc­ing in the wind and fight­ing when nec­es­sary, al­ways with laugh­ter and ad­ven­ture in her heart.   Her pas­sion for cook­ing drove her to open a restau­rant and meat mar­ket in North­ern Michi­gan, ful­fill­ing a life­long dream. Even when she piv­oted to work for the state, she never aban­doned her culi­nary pur­suits—bak­ing, can­ning, and gar­den­ing tire­lessly. Until her final days, she was a force of na­ture in the kitchen, nour­ish­ing bod­ies and souls alike. But more than her ad­ven­tures and achieve­ments, Shelly cher­ished her re­la­tion­ships—from life­long friends to new ac­quain­tances and every­one in be­tween. To her, it was the peo­ple that made it all mat­ter, and every­one mat­tered!   She achieved what she wanted, and though life threw moun­tains in her way, she was never afraid to sad­dle up and climb them. She loved ex­plor­ing, and you would often find her on a boat, or a kayak, zi­plin­ing, ski­ing, ex­plor­ing ice cav­erns, fish­ing, camp­ing, going on va­ca­tion, walk­ing the beach, going on sling shot with grand­kids, bungee jump­ing, dress­ing up, throw­ing a party, or any­thing that would bring thrill, ad­ven­ture, laughs, and mem­o­ries to last a life­time. Her legacy is marked by the love and laugh­ter she shared, and the un­wa­ver­ing strength she demon­strated as a true war­rior in life.   And a war­rior she was. Since 2017, she had been fight­ing Stage 4 Metasta­tic GIST can­cer. Hav­ing over five surg­eries to re­move tu­mors, and mul­ti­ple more as re­sults of the can­cer, six dif­fer­ent types of drugs, in­clud­ing a clin­i­cal trial drug, she gave it her all; prov­ing to us all just how fierce she truly was. And it was through her bat­tles, that we found in­spi­ra­tion to fight our own, with her last final gift to us being that she went peace­fully with a happy and lov­ing heart, prov­ing to us that faith, love, laugh­ter, and peo­ple truly are what mat­ters in the end.    Shelly is sur­vived by her hus­band, Duward of Brownsville; her mother, Char­lotte; son, Brad of Florida; daugh­ter, Nicole (Justin) Valle-Prenevost, along with their four chil­dren (grand­chil­dren), Hai­ley, Josiah, Ko­r­ben, and No­valee, of Fond du Lac, and though only brief­ly held in her arms, a son, who was never far from her heart; fur­ther, she is sur­vived by three sis­ters, Tina (Kay) Feucht, Patti (Scott) Wells, and Jeni (Den­nis) Oech­sner, and one brother, Fran Feucht; fur­ther she is sur­vived by Tim and Cindy Hill and fam­ily, Dee and Fam­ily, and many more aunts, un­cles, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.    Pre­ced­ing Shelly in death was her fa­ther, John "Mighty Fine" Feucht; step-mother, Char­lene Feucht; grand­par­ents, Arnold and Josephine Col­lien and Mar­tin and Helen Feucht; and sis­ter-in-law, Brenda Feucht. Also pre­ced­ing Shelly in death was her great-niece, Rory; and fa­ther-in-law, Al­bert Valle and mother-in-law, Glo­ria Valle; and other fam­ily mem­bers and friends.    Vis­i­ta­tion will be held on Sat­ur­day April, 20, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. at St. An­drews Catholic Church in Leroy. A Mass of Chris­t­ian Bur­ial will fol­low at 1 p.m. with Fa­ther Ed Ko­r­nath pre­sid­ing. Im­me­di­ately fol­low­ing the ser­vice there will be a lun­cheon with cater­ing from the Feed­mill at Kekos­kee Vil­lage Hall, W3275 Co Rd TW, Mayville WI 53050, and all are wel­come to laugh, love, and share in the cel­e­bra­tion of her life.    Koepsell Fu­neral Home in Mayville is serv­ing the fam­ily. www.​KoepsellFH.​com
12 April 2024

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Frederick Ernst Kasten

Frederick Ernst Kasten


   Fred Kasten, 87, of Horicon passed away on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, at Marshfield Medical Center in Beaver Dam with his daughters at his side.    Fred was born on May 19, 1936, in Horicon to Carl and Alma (Michael) Kasten.    After graduating from Horicon High School in 1954, Fred served his country in the U.S. Navy from 1954 to 1958, where he was stationed aboard the USS Leyte. Fred tended bar at Fat’s Tavern, his parents’ bar in Horicon. He was then employed with Gardner Manufacturing and later with International Harvester.   Fred was united in marriage with Mary Ann Marlock in 1960, and although their union didn’t last, they had five children together who they adored.   Fred was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Horicon.   Fred enjoyed fishing, hunting, his friends, and family, but most of all loved being a grandpa and great-grandpa.   Fred is survived by his children, Kraig (Kari) Kasten of Beaver Dam, Kevin (Patty) Kasten of Ripon, Kelly Kasten of Waupun, Korey Kasten of Horicon, and Kimberly Kasten of Horicon; seven grandchildren, Kolin Kasten, Kortnee (Chris Neuman) Kasten, Kii (Morgan) Kasten, Kyle Kasten, Kelsey (Jonathon) Lubbers, Katlyn Kasten, and Kristian Kasten; great-grandchildren, Lyla, Graycen, Maisel, and Karoline; sister-in-law, Janet Kasten; nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.    He was preceded in death by his parents; his sisters, Lorraine Rohloff, Carol ‘Kate’ Kasten, and Lois Plautz; and his brother, Michael Kasten.    A visitation was held on Wednesday, April 17, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Horicon from 10 a.m. until noon. A Mass of Christian Burial followed at noon with Fr. Justin Lopina officiating. Interment took place at Oak Hill Cemetery in Horicon with military honors conducted.   Koepsell-Murray  Funeral Home is serving the family. Online condolences may be made at www.koepsellfh.com.

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Nick Russ, Jr.

Nick Russ, Jr.


   Nick Russ, Jr. age 90, of Theresa passed away peace­fully on Mon­day, April 8, 2024, with his fam­ily by his side at Prairie Ridge As­sisted Liv­ing in Mayville.   Nick was born the son of Niko­laus and There­sia (Schoblocher) Russ, Sr. on Feb­ru­ary 3, 1934, in Chalma, Yu­goslavia.   He was united in mar­riage to Rosi Mueller on July 23, 1955, in Mil­wau­kee.   Nick served his coun­try hon­or­ably in the US Army, serv­ing from 1957 to 1959. Along­side his fam­ily, Nick farmed in the Town­ship of Her­man.   He was a mem­ber of St. Theresa Catholic Church in Theresa. He loved to take care of the land and was great with his hands. Nick loved an­i­mals and was able to sense their needs and took great care of them.   Nick is sur­vived by his wife, Rosi of Mayville; his chil­dren, Steve (Michelle) Russ of Wauwatosa and Linda (David) Trauba of Spring­field, MN; his sis­ters, Helen Schimpf of Dous­man and Kathyrn Mueller of Mayville; his grand­chil­dren, Ar­i­anna Russ, Robert Russ, Eliz­a­beth Russ, Theresa Russ, Nicholas Trauba, and Daniella (Jake) Collins; his great-grand­chil­dren, Cal­lie, Daniel, and Bradley; fur­ther sur­vived by nieces, nephews, other rel­a­tives and friends.    He wass pre­ceded in death by his par­ents; two daugh­ters and one son in in­fancy; and broth­ers-in-law, Jakob Mueller and Niko­laus Schimpf.   A Mass of Chris­t­ian Bur­ial will take place on Mon­day, April 15, at 1 p.m. at St. Theresa Catholic Church in Theresa with the Rev. Fr. Ed Ko­r­nath pre­sid­ing. A vis­i­ta­tion will be held from 11 a.m. until the time of the ser­vice at 1 p.m. at the church in Theresa. In­ter­ment will take place at St. Theresa Memo­r­ial Gar­dens in Theresa with mil­i­tary hon­ors con­ducted by the Mayville Amer­i­can Le­gion Post #69.   In lieu of flow­ers, memo­ri­als in Nick’s honor may be di­rected to the Amer­i­can Can­cer So­ci­ety and St. Theresa Catholic Church.   Spe­cial thanks to the staff of Prairie Ridge in Mayville and Pre­cep­tor Hos­pice for the care and sup­port shown to Nick and his fam­ily.    Koepsell Fu­neral Home in Mayville is serv­ing the fam­ily. www.​KoepsellFH.​com