Kathryn J. Dresen – Surrounded by her girls, on Sept. 15, 2017, the angels came to take their mother to join her beloved husband, Walter, in Heaven. Kathryn was a loving mother and will be fondly remembered by family and friends for her handmade quilts, afghans, rugs, rice bags, etc – all to be cherished by those who loved her. Kathryn was the true definition of a farmwife.
Kathryn was born on March 11, 1938, at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Dodgeville, the daughter of Clyde and Mary (Winters) Lemanski and spent her entire life on the family farm in Wingville Township. Kathryn attended school in Montfort, WI. She married Walter Dresen on Aug. 24, 1954 at St. Thomas Catholic Church in Montfort. Their marriage was blessed with six daughters. They farmed their entire married life on the family farm on Ebenezer Road, rural Fennimore.
Kathryn is survived by her six daughters, Debbie (Rick) Baker, Fennimore, and her son, David (Dawn) Lee, Chris (Keith) Forbes, Cobb, and her children, Travis (Tasha) Miller and Kathryn (Ryan) Kirk, Vicky (Chuck) Grimesey, Blue River, and her daughter, Sara (Nate) Schauf, Joan (Jeff) Winkers, Fennimore, and her daughters Amy (Chad) Whitford, Jennifer Schrader, Lori (Tyler) Schulz and Katie Schrader, Sandy Lyght (Rick Friesen), Fennimore, and her sons, Tony and Hunter Lyght, and Laura Collins (Tony Gamboni), Zumbrota, MN, and her sons, Evan and Drew Collins, and her beloved 11 year old Shih Tzu, Laidi. Kathryn is also survived by step-grandchildren, Craig Hoffman, Brian Forbes, Bernice Straight, Stacey Bonilla, Cheryl Blair, Jeffery Winkers, Whitney Winkers, Samantha Ellis, Cody Friesen, Evan Friesen, Talon Gamboni, Tera Banski-Gamboni and Brandon Banski-Gamboni. She was blessed with 22 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by a brother, Jack (Cheryl) Lemanski, Cobb, and a brother-in-law, John (Linda) Glassmaker, Oregon, WI.
Kathryn was preceded in death by her husband, Walter, on Dec. 6, 2011, her parents, Clyde and Mary Lemanski, son-in-law, Rob Nelson, and her sister, Darlene Novinska.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Wed. Sept. 20, 2017, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Fennimore with burial to follow in the church cemetery. Father Tom Kelley will be officiating. Visitation will be held from 4:00-7:00 P.M. on Tuesday evening Sept. 19, 2017 at the Larson Family Funeral Home in Fennimore, where a Parish Rosary will be said at 7:00 P.M. on Tuesday evening. Online condolences may be made at larsonfuneralhomes.com.