Category: Obituaries

Dr. Darren Bruce Bean, age 37, passed away on Saturday, May 10, 2008, while serving others. He worked as a UW emergency medicine physician, a Medflight physician, and was the Level 1 Cardiac Co-Director.

A Memorial Gathering for Fannie “Fan” Taylor, who died on April 15, 2008, will be held on Sunday, May 25, 2008, at 2 p.m. at the MAIN LOUNGE OF THE WISCONSIN MEMORIAL UNION, 800 Langdon St., Madison.

Rachel Meredith Hitch, 41, of Madison, died May 5, 2008. She attended the University of Wisconsin and was a guest lecturer in the Women Studies programs. She advised the university on a task force to help bring more accessibility to the Madison campus.

Marguerite A. Christensen, age 90, died on Tuesday, May 6, 2008. From 1967 until her retirement in 1982, Marge was the head of the general reference section at the Memorial Library at UW – Madison.

Dennis G. Althaus, age 61, of Beloit, died Sunday, May 4, 2008. Dennis was employed by the University Of Wisconsin Department Of Geology and was a geologist for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

Clarence Warren Klousie passed away on Saturday, May 3, 2008. He left his footprint on the UW-Madison campus through the development of two student housing towers, the Inez Apartments and the Johnson Street Apartments in the 1960s.

August Eckhardt died April 23, 2008, in Tucson, Ariz. August was a member of the University of Wisconsin Law School faculty from 1954 until 1972.

The same year that Ernest Hemingway won a Pulitzer Prize for “The Old Man and the Sea,” business reporter Austin C. Wehrwein brought home a Pulitzer to The Milwaukee Journal.

That was in 1953. Wehrwein won the prize for international reporting, writing a 25-part series called “Canada’s New Century.” Wehrwein died of natural causes Tuesday at home in St. Paul, Minn. He was 92.

Wehrwein studied economics at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, also working journalism jobs. That included serving as The Milwaukee Journal’s university correspondent before graduation in 1937.

Margaret McLean Bender, age 91, died peacefully at Capitol Lakes Terraces on Monday, April 28, 2008. Dr. Margaret Bender was an Emeritus Senior Scientist in the Institute for Environmental Studies. She retired from the Institute at the UW Center for Climate Research in 1981. She was the Director of the UW Radiocarbon Laboratory from 1963 until her retirement.

Peggy Joyce Bender Olday, age 77, passed away on Thursday, April 24, 2008. Peggy graduated from Central High School in 1948 and went on to work for UW-Madison.

A Memorial Service is scheduled for Gelsy Verna, Professor of Art. The public is invited to attend a Memorial Service at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, May 2, 2008, in the banquet room of the University Club, 803 State Street on Library Mall. Verna died on Tuesday, March 11, 2008, from a chronic health condition in her home. She came to the UW-Madison Art Department in 2001 after teaching painting and drawing at the University of Iowa for six years.

Bradley W. Winch died on Sunday, April 20, 2008. He attended the University of Wisconsin – Madison, majoring in chemistry and business, and was a member of the UW marching band. He worked as a chemist for Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, Raltech Scientific Services and Hazelton Laboratories from 1963 until 1984.

Kenneth Otto Hohlstein, age 70, died on Sunday, April 20, 2008. He worked as a custodian at residence halls for the UW-Madison until his retirement in 1986.

Richard D. “Dick” Schmale, age 74, passed away at home on Wednesday, April 16, 2008, after a long illness. He worked for 30 years at the UW-Madison Electric Shop retiring as an elevator electrician in 1991.

Patricia Ann Moe, age 57, passed away on Friday, April 18, 2008. After high school she worked for Meriter Methodist Hospital, Jackson Clinic and most recently at the UW Hospital and Clinics.

Fannie “Fan” Turnbull Taylor, age 94, passed away due to complications of old age on Tuesday, April 15, 2008. She was instrumental in establishing the Arts Administration program at the UW Graduate School of Business, the first in the nation.  Taylor was a University of Wisconsin-Madison emeritus professor (L and S, Union, Consortium for the Arts). She was a Fellow of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters; received the Wisconsin Alumni Association Distinguished Service Award; and in 1992 was given the Governor’s Award in Support of the Arts for “a half century of dedicated service to the arts.”

Linda Frances Kramer, age 49, passed away on Sunday, April 13, 2008. She was currently working as a medical records specialist for UW Health for the past 13 years.

Paul H. Walgenbach, 84, emeritus professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison, died on Monday, April 14, 2008. He was a faculty member at UW-Madison for 35 years.

Tyberius Janus Jakob-Anderson of Madison, died of a heart attack at the age of 57 on Sunday, April 13, 2008. Ty worked in a variety of jobs over the years such as food service, bank data processing, grounds keeping, events setup, and driving, most recently at the University of Wisconsin.

Florence Genevieve Allen died Saturday, April 12, 2008. She received a B.A. in child development and worked as a nurse at the UW Hospital, Central Colony and HospiceCare in Madison.

Lucille A. Henes, age 95, passed away on Tuesday, April 8, 2008. She retired from U.W. Hospital at the age of 65.

Clarence Edwin Nielsen, 101 years, died peacefully on Saturday, April 5, 2008. Before and after World War II, Clarence worked for over thirty years at UW-Madison residence halls.

William L. Kraushaar, an astrophysicist who used early satellites to measure gamma rays and X-rays in space and then theorized about the ultimate sources of the cosmic radiation, died on March 21 in Gorham, Me., near Portland. He was 87.

He moved to the University of Wisconsin in 1965 and remained at Madison as a professor of physics for the rest of his career. He retired in the 1990s.

John H. Epple, born April 10, 1931, died on Wednesday, April 2, 2008, after a brief illness. John moved to Madison, Wis. to become the textbook manager for the University Bookstore in 1962. He became the general manager in 1974, and bookstore president/CEO in 1978, the position he held until his retirement in 1993.

Jane F. Hayden, age 57, passed away unexpectedly at her home on Friday, April 4, 2008. She was employed as a manager in the professional and technical education department (DOIT) at the University of Wisconsin Madison before retiring on disability.

Just because something couldn’t be seen did not mean that it couldn’t be mapped.

William Kraushaar, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor and a pioneer in the field of high-energy astrophysics, developed experiments that created the first gamma ray map of the sky, showing gamma rays from both the Milky Way galaxy and beyond. He died on March 21.

Nora Ann McGuire, age 56, passed away Wednesday, April 2, 2008. Since 1988, Nora was employed by the University of Wisconsin Colleges, and served for many years as the Chief Student Affairs Officer, until her retirement in 2006. In recognition of her contributions to the students and staff of the University of Wisconsin Colleges, the Nora McGuire Outstanding Academic Staff Member in Student Services annual award was established after her retirement.

William Kraushaar, a pioneer in high-energy astronomy and a former physics professor at MIT and the University of Wisconsin, died March 21 in Scarborough, Me., of complications from Parkinson’s disease. He was 87.

At Wisconsin, he established a research group in X-ray astronomy whose work revealed a hot and violent part of the universe, one that contained previously unsuspected black holes, neutron stars and million-degree gas.

Milton Lee McPike passed away peacefully on Saturday, March 29, 2008. Milt dedicated his life to serving the community, particularly by working with its youth. As principal of East High, he was recognized by President Bush as one of the top 10 educators in the United States. In retirement Milt served on the Board of Trustees of Edgewood College, the Norman Bassett Foundation,  UW Hospitals Board, and the UW Board of Regents from which he resigned in March 2008, due to health reasons.

MADISON, Wis. — An educational figure many describe as “larger than life” is being mourned. Legendary Madison educator Milton McPike died over the weekend, leaving behind family, friends and thousands of students whose lives he’d touched over the years. But in talking about what his legacy will be, it’s clear Madison may have lost the man who taught them, but they haven’t lost his lessons.

“I just remember him being in the halls. I think that’s the biggest memory I have, the fact that he made it a point to talk to and connect with every single kid who walked down that hallway,” said Art Rainwater, superintendent of the Madison School District.

A tireless advocate… an exceptional educator… a guiding force for students. That’s how some describe a man who dedicated nearly 30 years of his life to Madison Schools.

Former principal Milt McPike died on Saturday after a battle with cancer. He was 68-years-old.

McPike was principal at East High School from 1979 to 2002, when he retired. Two years later, Governor Jim Doyle appointed him to the UW Board of Regents where he served until earlier this month. During his years with the district, McPike was recognized a number of times… including being named state principal of the year. The school’s field house is named for him as well.

William L. Kraushaar, a pioneer of high energy astronomy, died peacefully on Friday, Feb. 21, 2008. At both MIT and the University of Wisconsin-Madison he was a devoted teacher of undergraduates and supervisor of graduate students, several of whom went on to distinguished careers in related fields of space research.

MADISON, Wis. — After battling cancer, popular former Madison East High School principal Milton McPike has died.

The Madison school district confirmed for WISC-TV that McPike passed away overnight at a hospice care facility.

Family, friends, former staff and students are remembering McPike as a man many called an educational hero.

For 40 years, McPike made his life educating youth.

Frank H. Schroeder, age 65, passed away on Tuesday, March 18, 2008. He was employed by the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene for 32 years as a computer programmer/ management information specialist until his retirement in January 1999.

Richard L. Reese of Monona, passed away Wednesday, March 19, 2008. Richard was a professor of Fine Arts at the University of Wisconsin – Madison and educator of the arts from 1959 until retiring as Professor Emeritus in 1997.

Douglas D. Hackett, age 51, died Thursday, March 20, 2008, in a local hospital. He had been employed by the University of Wisconsin in the Pyle Center.

Florence Susan Crane, age 97, formerly of the White Creek area of Adams County, passed away Monday, March 17, 2008. Florence was employed in the Dean’s office, College of Agriculture, University of Wisconsin, Madison, until her retirement in 1975.

Clara L. Barger, age 98, died on Wednesday, March 19, 2008. She worked for many years as a bookkeeper for the University of Wisconsin- Madison Medical School.

Marilyn Ann Tasker Howard died at home on Wednesday, March 19, 2008. After graduating with honors in mathematics at UW-Madison in 1956, Marilyn worked for the Forest Products Research Laboratory, writing programs for the (then) state-of-the-art IBM 650 main-frame computer that was located in the basement of Bascom Hall.  She later worked as a computer programmer at the Space Astronomy Lab at the University.

Helen H. Henry (Herwig), age 88, passed away following a long battle with Alzheimer’s on Wednesday, March 19. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she helped manage a seed corn farm, Henry Seeds, with her husband, Jerome. Through the UW, their farm hosted one of the first Peace Corps training camps in the U.S. in 1965.

Jacob J. Levin, age 81, passed away peacefully on Sunday, March 16, 2008. After positions at Lincoln Laboratory and Purdue university, Jake and his family moved to Madison where he became full-professor in mathematics at the University of Wisconsin.

Susan Finman died on Saturday, March 15, 2008. Susan’s third career was as an administrator at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She worked first in the History Department, then in the office of the Secretary of the Faculty, and then as the Secretary of the Faculty for some ten years. She retired in 1993.

James Richard Bauknecht, age 56, passed away on Saturday, March 15, 2008. Jim received his master’s and PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Jim worked as an English professor from 1978 until he retired in December 2007. During his career, he had the opportunity to teach at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Northern Essex College in Massachusetts and Madison Area Technical College.

Secretary of the Faculty emerita Susan Finman, age 79, passed away on Saturday, March 15, 2008. A funeral service will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 18, at CRESS FUNERAL HOME, 3610 Speedway Road, Madison. A visitation will be held from 1:30 p.m. until the time of the service. A full obituary will be in Tuesday’s paper.

Rudolf E.S. Mathias died on Wednesday, March 12, 2008. He held the rank of assistant clinical professor at the University of Wisconsin Medical School. Rudolf was active in his field both at the state and national level and established an internship program for graduate students. At the University of Wisconsin he taught courses in the Department of Psychology and Education.

James B. Thornton, age 83 of Madison, passed away on Friday, March 7, 2008. He retired from the UW Plant Pathology Department, where he worked for over 25 years.

Lisa Ray Johnson, age 50, passed away peacefully on Friday, Feb. 29, 2008. She received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from UW-Madison, where she was the assistant to the director of the UW Press. Lisa had most recently devoted her passion to working as communication specialist with the UW-Madison Posse and PEOPLE Programs in the Department of Education.

George Evans Nettum, died peacefully in his sleep, Friday, March 7, 2008, three days from his 87th birthday. He graduated from the University in 1946 with a B.S. in agriculture. In 1953 he moved his family to Viroqua where he served as the tobacco extension specialist for the UW-Extension Service.

Joseph L. Tuschl, age 89, of Paradise Valley, Ariz., passed away peacefully at his home on Monday, March 3, 2008. He worked at the University of Wisconsin Soils Department for more than 25 years until his retirement.

Baldwin “Baldy” Evan Lloyd, age 82 of Tomah, passed away Saturday, March 8, 2008, at  After serving with the Navy during World War II, he graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with an M.D. in family medicine in 1952. Baldy taught at the University of Wisconsin, Family Practice Clinic in Verona from 1974 until 1988.

Adam Alexander Nickel, 27, Madison, WI, passed away suddenly Sunday, March 2nd, 2008, shortly after finishing the Little Rock Marathon, in Little Rock, Ark-ansas. Adam was born Feb. 3rd, 1981, the 3rd of five boys of Cindy and Ben Nickel (Kaukauna).

William Fey Huffman, the Wisconsin journalist and media owner known for his engagement in a broad range of community issues and organizations supporting the environment, Wisconsin history, and journalism, died Saturday, March 1, 2008. Bill graduated in 1950 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in agricultural journalism. During the 1950s he led a successful effort to establish a tough open public meetings law in Wisconsin, and helped to underwrite a new journalism school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 1991, the School of Journalism awarded him the Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Service, describing Bill as “one of the most respected leaders of the Wisconsin newspaper and broadcast industries” because of his commitment to public affairs. In 1993, Bill received the Honorary Recognition Award from the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences for facilitating news on “agriculture, family living and natural resources” in his media outlets. In lieu of flowers, the family would welcome contributions to the University of Wisconsin Foundation-William F. Huffman Fund, which supports environmental research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Limnology’s Trout Lake Station in northern Wisconsin.

Marion P. Stemmler, age 81, of Madison, passed away suddenly on Feb. 27, 2008, at UW Hospital. Marion received a Bachelor of Arts degree in home economics from UW-Madison. Marion spent more than 20 years as a volunteer docent at the Elvehjem, now Chazen Museum of Art. Memorials in Marion’s name may be made to The University of Wisconsin Foundation to support the Chazen Museum of Art.

A 27-year-old UW-Madison pharmacy student and avid runner collapsed and died Sunday after completing a marathon in Arkansas, race officials and his family said.

According to Little Rock Marathon race officials, emergency personnel tried to revive Adam Nickel until an ambulance arrived with a defibrillator. He was taken to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Hospital, but he couldn ‘t be revived, the officials said. Race officials didn ‘t know the cause of death.

Ronald Eugene Richardson, age 61, of Gillette, Wyo., formerly of Lone Rock, died on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2008. He received his bachelor of science degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1968.

Robert G. “Bob” Weigandt, age 94, of Whitewater, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2008. Bob attended Oshkosh public schools and received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. While an undergraduate at the University, he lettered in both basketball and football, and was co-captain of the 1939 basketball team.