Diann Hosp Fritsch
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Diann Hosp Fritsch passed away the evening of Wednesday, January 27th, 2021 in her home in Lake Mills, WI at the age of 70. A deeply empathetic, loving, and welcoming person, Diann was a lifelong educator who saw the best in people and always thought of and cared for others.
The youngest of five children of Sylvia and Peter Hosp, Diann was born on April 12th, 1950 in West Bend, WI. Raised on her parents' farm south of the city she grew up looking up to her older brothers and sister, caring for animals, and helping to raise her nieces, who she loved dearly. After high school, she graduated from UW-Madison and later received her master's degree in counseling from UW-Whitewater.
As an educator, Diann taught in the Herman, Lake Mills, and Whitnall School Districts, including many years where she was proud to work as the guidance counselor at Edgerton Elementary School in Hales Corners, WI. She encouraged the emotional growth and mental health of her many young students during classes and through her "people piece" program. She provided every student with a paper person with their name that they could use to request a one-on-one conversation with her when they needed to talk about their problems or feelings. As a counselor, she was gentle, supportive, and always ready to listen.
Diann was a tenacious woman who was not afraid to speak her mind, be heard, and fight for what she believed was right. She served on the Lake Mills City Council for many years including a term as Council President and was also engaged with the local housing authority and economic development commission. While at Whitnall, she was proud to serve as President of her teacher's union, defending teacher's rights and leading contract negotiations for her coworkers. She believed deeply in collective organizing and taking positive action.
A loving and dedicated mother and grandmother, she always made time to focus on her family and was a source of strength and inspiration for many people. She is survived by her husband of 42 years Douglas Fritsch, her two children Andrea (Sam Withrow) and Brian (Eveline Chang-Fritsch), granddaughters Zora and Olympia, her sister Darlyne (George) Rauh, sister-in-law Vija Hosp, and many, many nieces and nephews. She was preceded by her brothers Bob (Janice), Ted, and Pete (Grace) Hosp, as well as her parents Peter and Sylvia Hosp.
Diann grew up surrounded by music and enjoyed singing and playing guitar and accordion. As a child, she was part of a family band that performed regularly. As a young teacher, she formed a band with her friends. In Lake Mills, she served for many years as a choir director at the UCC Congregational Church.
Her hobbies included gardening and traveling. She and her husband shared a passion for exploring and spent their summers camping, crisscrossing North America, and visiting destinations abroad. They visited many National Parks and loved seeing the beauty of the natural world together. She was also an avid gardener and enjoyed nurturing her flower garden and sharing flowers with her friends and family in her later years. A spiritual person, Diann believed her departed loved-ones watched over her and her family.
Due to the ongoing pandemic, the funeral will be private. A virtual memorial service for friends and family will be held on Saturday, February 13th at 2 PM Central Time. For details on joining virtually please contact her son, Brian Fritsch, at [email protected]
In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family has asked that memorial contributions be made in Diann's name to the Lake Mills Public Library, to support local education and community, or to Pathfindersmke.org, a non-profit supporting homeless youth in Milwaukee County.
Online condolences may be left at www.claussenfuneralhome.com