Donna Lee G. Deppeler, age 78 of Monroe, died unexpectedly at home on Wednesday, December 22, 2021. Donna was born on Christmas day, 1942 in Milwaukee, the daughter of Amos and Charlotte (Lischeske) Harms. She graduated from Madison Central High School in 1960. She met her husband, James Deppeler, while working as a secretary at Banker’s Life and Casualty Insurance in Madison. The couple married on January 12, 1963 at St. Patricks’ Catholic Church. Donna and Jim lived in Madison until moving to Windsor in 1973. Donna was employed as an aid in the DeForest school system for several years and later worked at the Bell, Gierhart, and Moore law firm for 19 years – maintaining friendships through her very last day. Lastly, she was the secretary for the Catholic Daughters of the Americas (CDA) at St Victor’s Catholic Church in Monroe, WI.
Donna and Jim reverse-downsized by moving to Monroe in 2019 - a move which puzzled their children but delighted the two of them. In her youth, Donna loved roller-skating, coca cola, and burgers. While she never considered herself athletic, she was no stranger to water skiing, swimming, and snowmobiling. She mastered the crafts of sewing, ceramics, and quilting. More than anything, she was fiercely dedicated to her family – establishing herself as a world-class supporter of softball, swimming, rowing, and soccer, as well as family academic or occupational pursuits.
As empty nesters, Jim and Donna traveled the US and Europe with friends they held as family. Donna could recite the details of a tourist-site plaque as though she had been there when the event occurred or authored the piece herself. She helped uncover and document her family’s ancestry.
She graciously engaged the world around her with sincere curiosity -rarely hesitating to share her opinion. While she had “free” opinions, she rarely talked about herself.
She knew self-sacrifice and embodied her northern European heritage toughness. If she said she didn’t feel well, you knew she might be headed to the ER. If she had a pain, Jim could cure it by saying “I think we should call the doctor.”
Donna was a member of St Peter’s Catholic Church in Madison and most recently embraced and held dear the community of St Victor’s Catholic Church in Monroe.
She quickly become a self-appointed ambassador of Bullets Friday Fish-fry. She looked forward to her (one) Southern Comfort Old Fashioned – sweet, with olives.
She is survived by her husband, James F. Deppeler of Monroe; five children, Debra (Lynne Deppeler Hess) of Madison and their daughter, Tajenay, David (Marcel Groot) of Monroe, Denise (Paul Sturman) of Cocoa Beach, FL and their son, Thomas, Dawn of DeForest, Dan (Jen Deppeler) of Green Bay, and their children, Emma, Cole, Bennett, Gage, Gavin, Blake, Drew, and Grace. She is further survived by her brother, A. Robert (Karen) Harms of Madison, and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, who will be very happy to see her.
A Memorial Mass will be held on Friday, December 31, 2021, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Clare of Assisi Parish at St Victor’s Catholic Church, Monroe, with Father Tafadzwa Kushamba officiating. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until the time of service with a luncheon to follow at St. Victor School. Inurnment will be held at a later date in Highland Memory Gardens, Madison. Donations go to the St Clare of Assisi Parish tuition-assistance program for youth education.
Condolences may be shared at www.newcomerfuneralhome.net
