Obituaries

MIDDLETON–Patricia Jean “Pat” Acker, 79, of Middleton, passed away peacefully at home on Nov. 24, 2021. She was born on March 24, 1942, in Auburn, NE, the daughter of John Jurgensmeier and Cecilia (Kohmetscher) Jurgensmeier.

She moved from Nebraska to Black River Falls with her parents to join her sister and her family. Pat came to Madison to look for a job, and roomed with a couple of ladies who were dating men from the Ashton area, which is how she met Dan. She married Daniel T. Acker in Middleton on Oct. 26, 1963.

DANE–Werner A. Roth, 90, of Springfield Corners passed away peacefully on Nov. 16, 2021 at UW Hospital in Madison surrounded by his loving family. He was born on April 25, 1931 in Sauk City, to Alois and Helena (Seiler) Roth. On June 21, 1960 he married Mildred (Ballweg) in Roxbury.

Werner attended elementary school in Sauk City and earned his GED while he was in the Army. He proudly served in Korea for two years during the Korean War where he was a heavy equipment operator. One of his favorite stories to share from his time in Korea was when he was asked by a small village to clear an area with his bulldozer to build a school. He was rewarded with a pan of brownies which he happily accepted. For 44 years he worked at Oscar Mayer Foods in Madison starting out as a meat cutter and doing various other jobs within the factory, ending his career in 1996 in the Lunchables department. In 2015 he enjoyed a trip on the Badger Honor Flight to Washington DC with his son, Mike.

MIDDLETON–Dorothy M. (Endres) Hellenbrand, 98, passed away on Nov. 20, 2021, at Waunakee Manor. She was born on June 10, 1923, the daughter of Ludwig and Catherine Endres. Dorothy married Harold P. Hellenbrand on February 24, 1941, at St. Martin’s Catholic Church. She and Harold lived their entire married life in Middleton.

MIDDLETON–Janet Beth Fosdal, 83, of Middleton, passed away peacefully in Minnesota, with her daughters by her side, on Nov. 16, 2021.

Beth was born and raised in Waukesha. She graduated from Methodist Hospital School of Nursing in Madison., in 1959. She then became a flight attendant for American Airlines before working as a psychiatric nurse at the Diagnostic Center in Madison.

Beth was an avid volunteer and activist who, most notably, chaired the City of Middleton's Committee on Aging from 1972 to 1992, which helped establish today's Middleton Senior Center. She embodied the value of generosity in her work.

She cherished time with her multitude of friends and family. Grandma Beth was a mother and grandmother extraordinaire who always went the extra mile to make her family feel loved.

Friends and family will remember and miss Beth's warmth, hospitality, intelligence, humor, vivaciousness, selflessness and compassion.

JANESVILLE–James A. “Jimmy” Brown, 59, passed away on Nov. 8, 2021, at Mercyhealth Hospital & Trauma Center. He was born in Madison on June 26, 1962, the son of Lawrence and Mary (Schmidt) Brown. He attended Middleton High School. Jimmy ran his own Tile Setting business. He was very proud of his sobriety after losing his way for many years. The Gifts Men’s Shelter was an integral part of helping him on his way to sobriety. His fellowship with Gifts and his sobriety led him to reconcile with his family with whom he had been estranged from for over 11 years.

Jimmy is survived by his brothers, Larry Brown and Jerry Brown; extended family, Tim and Michelle Borowski, and Bill McMullin; many nieces and nephews, cousins, aunts, and uncles; and many other friends. He was preceded in death by his parents.

MIDDLETON–Elizabeth Kofua Rowell, 28, of Sun Prairie, passed away on Sept. 9, 2021, at UW Health and Clinics in Madison. She was born on May 24, 1993, in Ghana, the daughter of Richard Rowell and Christina (Appiah) Rowell.

She graduated from Middleton High School in 2011 and attended Penn State University and the University of UW-Milwaukee.

Elizabeth is survived by her parents, Richard and Christina Rowell; a brother, Richard Rowell Jr.; and a sister, Doreen Rowell Tetteh.

A memorial service was held at Asbury United Methodist Church, 6101 University Ave., Madison, at 2 p.m. on Sept. 17, 2021. 

Interment was held at Middleton Junction Cemetery on Isaac Drive. Gunderson West Funeral Home, 7435 University Avenue in Middleton served the family during their time of grief.

MIDDLETON–Evan Thomas Kratochwill, 18, of Middleton, passed away from a double vehicle crash in the Town of Middleton on Saturday evening, Oct. 2, 2021.  

Evan’s last day with us on earth included spending time that day with his parents, Jennifer and Jason Thomas Kratochwill, at his cross-country meet.  

He loved time up at the cabin, and especially enjoyed the winter and was a skilled cross-country skier and snowboarder. 

Evan, who was a senior at Middleton High School, will be forever loved by his parents, Jennifer and Jason Kratochwill; his sister, Peyton Kratochwill; grandparents Richard and Sharle Graul, Tom and LuAnn Kratochwill, and Danita Doyle and Rob Benada; his aunts and uncles, Julie and Joe Warstler, Joseph Doyle and Joanne Broe, Chris Graul, and Mark and Patty Graul; and his cousins Taylor, Taryn, Hensley, Kacie, Hailey, Zackery, Abby, Quentin and Preston.  

MADISON–Simon De Dôdi Bilessi, 17, of Madison passed away tragically in the Town of Middleton, when he and two of his best friends, Evan Kratochwill and Jack Miller, were killed upon impact in a fiery car accident after being struck by another vehicle late Saturday night, on Oct. 2, 2021. They were pronounced dead on Oct. 3.

Though words cannot describe the pain we feel for the loss of these three young lives, we are grateful that Simon was not alone when he died. He was with people he loved and that loved him. Born on January 30, 2004, in Paris, France, Simon was the firstborn son of Aimé Franklin Bilessi and Alice Biyenga. He was the strength and hope for everything to his parents. At the age of 10, Simon left his family in France to live with his aunt and uncle and their three children in Raleigh, NC. 

MIDDLETON–Patricia Acker Dean died Oct. 6, 2021, at her home in Middleton. Patty was born in Madison on April 4, 1960, to Vincent F. and Theresa M. Acker. She and her future husband, Michael J. Dean, met in the hallway of Middleton High School in the fall of 1975. With a surname that filled two homerooms, Patty became interested in the boy from Madison’s east side who was unlikely to be a relation. That boy promptly asked her to homecoming. Patty and Mike were wed on Oct. 5, 1984, and moved shortly thereafter to Dallas, TX, to start their respective careers in contract hospitality sales and commercial real estate. After a further stint in Massachusetts, they moved back to Middleton in 1995, where they raised their three children.

MIDDLETON–Ronald F. “Ron” Gehin, 83, of Middleton, passed away on Oct. 6, 2021, at Agrace HospiceCare. He was born on Feb. 5, 1938, in Madison, the son of Emil Gehin and Monica (Schoepp) Gehin. Ron graduated from Middleton High School, and he married Nancy Schwandt on March 30, 1968, in Middleton. He served in the US Army National Guard of Wisconsin and was honorably discharged in August of 1965.

Ron owned E. Gehin & Son Landscaping with his father for 21 years and then developed an owner/operator over-the-road trucking business for 17 years. During retirement, he enjoyed driving a school bus for the Middleton/Cross Plains school district and Badger Bus.