Butzin-Marchant Funeral Home

John James Budzinski, Jr., age 86, of Ripon, WI, passed away Monday, November 1, 2021, at his home with family by his side. John was born November 20, 1934, in Milwaukee, WI, the son of John and Stella (Krukowski) Budzinski, Sr. He married Angelyn Versnik and after 40 years of marriage, she passed away in 1997. In 1998, he married Carol J. Conway in Las Vegas, NV. John was a loyal employee of Allen Bradley in Milwaukee for almost 40 years, starting at the age of 18 as a machine operator, from there, working in various positions until retiring as Senior Supervisor. John enjoyed his retirement playing many rounds of golf with his best friend, Tim of New York state and other friends from his...

Charles "Chuck" E. Merlin, age 82, of Markesan, WI, passed away on Tuesday, September 7, 2021 at his home with family by his side. Chuck was born on December 19, 1938 in Cudahy, WI, the son of Frank and Dorothy (Wolf) Merlin. After graduating from high school he went on to serve our country in the U.S. Army. In 1958 he married Roberta Samano, who passed away in 2018. Chuck was a machinist for Kearny & Trecker as well as Giddings & Lewis for many years. He was a proud and active member of AA, and had remained sober for over 40 years. Chuck enjoyed hunting, fishing, bowling, dancing, and loved to watch hot air balloon shows in New Mexico. Chuck is survived by four children, Ronald...

Otto F. Jeske, age 94, died comfortably at his Ripon home on Thursday, September 2, 2021. Otto was born March 24, 1927 in Saskatchewan, Canada. He came to the United States as a young child with his parents and sister. He served our country as a member of the United States Navy during WWII, spending most of his time in China. Otto married Margaret Ann Schuette in Redgranite, WI on September 19, 1964. They lived in Brookfield for over 40 years in the home he built, before moving to Ripon. They enjoyed traveling, especially cruising and camping and spending their summers at their second home on Pearl Lake. Otto was a master electrician and was employed at the Milwaukee Boston Store as...

Phyllis Mae Blahna passed away peacefully on March 22nd in her apartment at Prairie Place Assisted Living in Ripon, WI. She died of natural causes, surrounded by her children and several grandchildren. She was 89 years old. Phyllis was a happy soul who always had a kind word for everyone she met. She was born and raised in Milwaukee, WI, the youngest of three daughters of Phyllis and Hubert Birdsong. She attended St. Elizabeth Elementary School and Messmer High School. She loved numbers, especially balancing books, and for most of her life she worked at various accounting and bookkeeping positions at M&I and Marine National Exchange Banks. She often worked late into the night at home to...

Rev. Father John A. Schmitz, age 92, of Ripon, WI passed away on Fri., Dec. 27, 2019. Visitation for Fr. John will be held on Thurs., Jan. 2, 2020 from 4:00 - 7:00 pm at St. Catherine of Siena in Ripon, WI, and again on Fri., Jan. 3 from 11:00 am - 1:00 pm. Mass of Christian Burial for Fr. John will be held on Fri., Jan. 3, 2020 at 1:00 pm, at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Ripon, with Archbishop Jerome Listecki, Rev. Ralph Gross and Rev. Davies Edassery officiating. Interment will take place at 11:00 am on Sat., Jan. 4, 2020 at St. James Cemetery, Menomonee Falls, WI, with Rev. Robert A. Fictum officiating. Memorials for Masses appreciated. www.butzinmarchant.com for full...

Bessie Kinas, age 92, of Ripon, WI, passed away on Monday, October 28, 2019, at Prairie Place in Ripon with family by her side. Survivors include her husband of 70 years, Harold Kinas; four children, Paul (Susan) Kinas, John (Debra Devyak) Kinas, Krista (David) Norton and Karen (Gen) Gamboa; nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren and two sisters, Caroline Mirzwinski and Elaine Folman. Visitation for Bessie will be held on Sunday, November 3, 2019, from 1 - 2:00 pm at Messiah Lutheran Church, 500 Mayparty Dr., Ripon, WI 54971. Memorial Service for Bessie will be held on Sunday, November 3, 2019 at 2:00 pm. Inurnment will take place on Monday, November 4, 2019, at Arlington Park...

Julie Marie Johnson, age 53, of Ripon, WI, passed away on Thursday, June 13, 2019 after a long and hard fought battle with cancer. She was at peace surrounded by her loved ones. Julie was born on September 16, 1965 in Ipswich, SD, the daughter of Cletus and Ella Heinz. After graduating from Ipswich High School she attended Dakota State University where she excelled at basketball. After finishing her undergrad she attended South Dakota State University where she found her love of coaching. Her next stop was Ripon College where for 29 years she would coach, teach, and for the last nine years work as the Director of Athletics. She loved coaching and mentoring student athletes and was...