The Herald-Independent & McFarland Thistle

Dorothy Marie Rodefeld, age 95, joined her Lord and Eternal family members on Saturday, July 23, 2022. Dorothy was born on Feb. 12, 1927, in Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., the daughter of William and Hazel Eaton Redepenning. She was known as the Christmas Lights Lady whose yard decorations for years brought brightness and joy to the corner of Cottage Grove Road and Sprecher Road. She recently celebrated her 95th birthday with 100+ friends and family at her former residence, Taylor Ridge Apartments in Cottage Grove, and continued her tradition of attending the CG Fireman's Festival Pancake Breakfast in June with 22 family members, oxygen in tow! Family was always at the core of Dorothy's life....

Mary Ellen Hutson, age 87, of McFarland, passed away peacefully on Sunday, July 17, 2022, with her loving family by her side at UW Hospital. She was born on Oct. 1, 1934, in Rochelle, IL., the daughter of Elmer and Alice "Doll" (Luxton) Gittleson. Mary grew up on the farm and often shared fond memories of her childhood. Mary graduated in 1953 from Steward High School. Out of high school, Mary worked for Wendling Motors in Rochelle. It was here that she met the love of her life, Lee Hutson. They were married on May 19, 1956, in Creston, IL., and shared 65 years together. Mary retired after many years as an Administrative Assistant for Ruan Transportation in McFarland. For Mary, her...

Natalie Orene (Hammacher) Dawley passed away on Sunday, July 10, 2022. She was born on July 12, 1928, in Tampa, Fla., to Paul and Orene (Meyer) Hammacher. She was the older sister of Paul Hammacher Jr. Natalie grew up in Denver, Colo., and Washington, D.C., where she graduated from the Holton-Arms School in 1947. She overcame a debilitating childhood illness with a special grace, never complaining or allowing it to hold her back. She loved animals, especially "Patsy," her favorite dog, which once was lost and found its way back to her via a photo on the front page of the newspaper. Natalie attended Syracuse University from 1947 to 1949. In 1950, she married West Point graduate, Jay...

Noel Favia, a life-long resident of Wisconsin, died unexpectedly in her home on July 6, 2022 at the age of 68. She will be greatly missed for her sense of humor, her caring demeanor, and love for others. Noel was born on October 20, 1953 in Glen Ellen, IL. She graduated from Glenbard High School in 1971. After moving to Wisconsin from Illinois, Noel owned a local grocery store in Montello, WI with her parents and husband. Upon selling the store, Noel worked for Johnson & Johnson and later the Department of Agriculture for the State of Wisconsin; where she eventually retired from with 20+ years of service. Noel is survived by her children, Chris (Krista) and Adam (Jennifer) Favia, and...

BLOOMINGTON - Roger A. Lestina, age 81, of Bloomington, passed away on Thursday, May 26, 2022, at Grant Regional Health Center in Lancaster. He was born May 9, 1941, the son of Floyd and Alma (Cunningham) Lestina. Roger was baptized and confirmed at the United Methodist Church in Monona, Iowa. He graduated from Monona MFL High School. Following graduation, he went on to work as a mechanic for Farmers Implement in Bloomington. Roger was drafted in the United States Army during the Vietnam War, serving his country faithfully with the 864th Engineer Battalion Unit. Upon his return he resumed to his career at Farmers Implement. On February 23, 1974, he was united in marriage to Sharon J. Gotto...

Mary Andrea Freund, age 81, of McFarland, passed away on Monday, May 23, 2022. She was born on June 3, 1940, in Edgerton, the daughter of Russell and Myrtle (Hanson) Gunnelson. Mary attended Cambridge High School and graduated from UW-Whitewater in 3.5 years. She married Robert Freund at Rockdale Lutheran Church on July 21, 1962. Mary proudly worked as a first-grade teacher for McFarland Elementary School for over 25 years. She was a member of the Red Hat Ladies and was active at McFarland Lutheran Church for nearly 50 years. Mary was a very creative person who always loved trying new crafts, and she found great joy in sewing, quilting, knitting, painting, pottery and scrapbooking. She...

Wendy Marie Phillips, age 67, passed away surrounded by her family on Friday, May 13, 2022 at Meriter Hospital. She was born in Fort Atkinson on January 10, 1955, the daughter of Berton and June Ramberg. Wendy grew up and graduated high school in Cambridge. She worked for Dane County Social Services where she met the love of her life, Terry. On May 28, 1983 Wendy was united in marriage to Terry Phillips. Together they enjoyed day trips exploring new places, attending races and tractor pulls, and most of all spending time with their daughters and grandchildren. Wendy enjoyed gardening, antiquing, decorating for every holiday, spending time in Hayward for 32 years with her family and...

David "Dave" J. Kerznar passed away at his home on Friday, May 6, 2022. Born and raised in Greendale, WI, David was the only son of Joseph and Regina (Stempski) Kerznar. He was a brother to an older sister Joan Kerznar (Robert Inman). At 12 years old, the family moved to New Berlin, WI. David attended and graduated from Waukesha High School, Class of 1958. He went on to and graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee with a Bachelor of Science Degree. From 1963 to 1971, David was a Trooper II with the Wisconsin Patrol working out of District 2 Waukesha, WI. David then took a sergeant's position at the University of Wisconsin?Milwaukee Police Department working there for...

McFarland - Harold R. Leek, age 81, of McFarland, WI, formerly of Dodgeville, WI, passed away on April 5, 2022, at Skaalen Nursing & Rehab Center in Stoughton, WI, after a long journey with heart disease. He was born on March 13, 1941, in Ottawa, IL, the son of Mansel and Marion (Black) Leek. The family moved to Stoughton, WI. He graduated from Stoughton High School and Wisconsin School of Electronics. June 29,1968, he married the love of his life, Donna Fisher, and they were blessed with a daughter and a son. His professional career was in human resource management which included college recruiting, labor negotiations, wage & salary administration, and safety compliance while...

Julie Ellen Horton, 63, passed away peacefully in her home in Mondovi, WI on March 21, 2022. There will be a celebration of life on April 23, 2022 from 1pm - 3pm at Talbot Family Funeral Home in Mondovi, WI. talbotfuneralhome.com

Glenn Dean McNaughton, 78, of Stoughton, beloved husband, father, friend, teacher, and coach, crossed the finish line after an impressive time, on Thursday March 17, 2022. He was at home and surrounded by his family. Glenn spent 35 years as a math teacher at Monona Grove and Stoughton High Schools, after short stints in Sturgeon Bay and at Lincoln High School in Portland, Oregon. He was as passionate about mathematics as he was about the success of his students. Every student had his personal attention (he once described his job as involving 400,000 face-to-face meetings) and each understood that their success was his personal concern. In his classroom, students who had struggled with...

David Jeffrey "Dave" Lofgren, USMC Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.), passed away Monday, Feb. 28, 2022. Dave was born Dec. 30, 1960, in Chicago, Ill., to Gordon and Patricia Lofgren. He grew up in McFarland and graduated from Edgewood High School in Madison. Dave attended UW-Madison, where he became an accomplished wrestler while earning his bachelor's degree in Journalism, with a minor in Agriculture. After college, Dave joined the U.S. Marine Corps and spent the next 28 years building an inspiring and prestigious career that included earning a master's degree in Strategic Security Studies from the National Defense College and participating in operations Desert Storm, Restore Hope, Enduring...

If you met Willard Lund in person, you would remember that encounter. One of his dear friends of thirty years said this - being with Willard changed him, affirmed him every time they met. Born on July 17th, 1922 in Pierpont, South Dakota, Willard Harold Lund was the youngest of Maia Bollum Lund and Charles Lund's five children. Willard retained the stamina of the prairie and developed a resilient and adventurous spirit at an early age. After moving to Detroit Lakes, MN when he was 12, Willard made headlines in the Minneapolis paper for being one of the top-notch newspaper carriers, sending him to Washington D.C with another buddy. The story referred to Willard as a "veteran traveler"...

Alyce Irene McOmber Hellmer, 96, passed away peacefully February 1, 2022. Alyce was born in October 1925 in Highland Park, IL. While attending Highland Park High School, she became the first female allowed to take shop class. This sparked a life-long passion for crafting, enameling and jewelry making. For the rest of her life, Alyce shared her skill and passion through both her beautiful crafts (especially jewelry and miniatures) as well as through teaching others. After high school, Alyce met the love of her life and future husband (Corwin Arnold Hellmer) at a USO dance in Waukegan, IL. Alyce and Corwin were wed in the summer of 1946, and spent 56 years together before Corwin passed away...

Joseph Hrenak, age 78, died on Thursday, November 11, 2021 in Taylors, S.C. after a courageous battle with cancer. He was born on November 2, 1943 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of Irma and Fred Hrenak. After high school, he joined the military and traveled to Europe and North Africa. Joe married Cheryl (Howe) Hrenak on December 21, 1968 in Madison. He was a striking union member of the Wisconsin State Journal and helped to form the Press Connection famous for its cooperative structure and leveled competitiveness. He then served as a union steward and met his future wife, Nancy (Naining Yan) Hrenak at Central Wisconsin Center. Post-retirement he worked with a friend installing business...

MANITOWOC/COTTAGE GROVE - Larry Lee Lindwall, age 77, of Cottage Grove, WI, formerly of Manitowoc, WI, passed away peacefully at home on Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021. He was born on Oct. 13, 1944, in Manitowoc, WI, the son of Robert E. "Bob" and Harriette (Rathbun) Lindwall. Larry graduated from Lincoln High School in 1963, in Manitowoc, WI, and later from UW-Madison. He married his high school sweetheart, Suzanne (Sue) Clayton, on Oct. 25, 1969, at St. Boniface Catholic Church in Manitowoc. They recently celebrated 52 years of marriage. Throughout much of his adult life, Larry was self-employed as an insurance agent. During his retirement, he worked as a crossing guard for Cottage Grove...

Frank Ransley, age 66, of McFarland, passed away on Friday, Nov. 5, 2021. A celebration of life will be held at TYROL BASIN, 3487 Bohn Road, Mount Horeb, from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 21, 2022. Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com. Gunderson East Funeral & Cremation Care 5203 Monona Drive (608) 221-5420

Gilbert "Frank" Ransley, age 66, of McFarland, passed away on Friday, Nov. 5, 2021, at Agrace HospiceCare of Glioblastoma brain cancer. He was born on June 2, 1955, in Madison, Wis., the son of Gilbert Ransley and Annie (Waterhouse) Ransley. Frank graduated from McFarland High School in 1973. He attended Gogebic Community College in Ironwood, Mich., for ski area management and later received an accounting degree at MATC. He received his B.S. in mechanical engineering at UW-Madison in 1984. Frank's passion for ski racing began in his early teens. He taught skiing, was a Nastar Pacesetter, worked at a ski shop, coached youth ski teams, worked hard labor in the summer, whatever he could do to...

Carol A. Stoeckmann, age 82, passed away peacefully in her sleep at her home on October 29, 2021. She had a very long battle with cancer. Carol was born in Cottage Grove to Muriel & Stan Miller. The family later moved to McFarland. Carol graduated from Madison East High School in 1957. Carol married Roger Stoeckmann on September 3, 1960 in Madison. After traveling the world with Roger while in the United States Air Force they settled in McFarland to raise their family. They were active members of McFarland Lutheran Church. Carol had a flare for many crafts & skills including quilting, embroidery, needlepoint, and knitting. She always put her heart & soul in her work. ...

Susan Ann Flynn, age 80, of Monona, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, Sept. 24, 2021. She was born on March 2, 1941, in Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., the daughter of Leonard and Jeanette (Loonstra) Romanski. On June 6, 1964, she and Norman Flynn were married in Wisconsin Rapids. They both worked as English teachers at La Crosse Aquinas High School early in their careers. They moved to Madison, Wis., in 1967. Susan graduated from Wisconsin Rapids Assumption High School as salutatorian, and was one of the first in her family to pursue an undergraduate degree from University of Wisconsin La Crosse. Upon graduation, she began her career in education, teaching at La Crosse Aquinas High School. She...

Susan Marie (Helsel) Lynch, age 58, of Monona, passed away surrounded by family and close friends, on Friday, Sept. 17, 2021, after a three-year battle with leukemia. During those three years she fought hard through traumatic treatments and yet was able to enjoy precious moments with family and friends during periods of remission. The family is comforted knowing Sue is no longer suffering and is finally at peace. Sue was born on May 26, 1963, in Madison, Wis., to proud parents Chuck and Barb (Rohr) Helsel. Sue graduated from Monona Grove High School and the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Sue had a successful career in sales for Grainger who caringly supported her during her battle...