Joanne Ruplinger

Joanne Ruplinger, 81, of Kelly Lake, died peacefully with her daughters at her side at The Cottages Memory Care in Shawano on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022.

The daughter of Joe and Ester (Everard) Lotter was born and raised on Beaver Lake Farm.

She attended St. Anthony’s Catholic School and graduated from Oconto Falls High School in 1959.   

After graduation, she moved to Milwaukee, where she met and married the love of her life, Roger Ruplinger. Together they had two daughters.

Mrs. Ruplinger held various positions throughout her career and retired from St. Alphonsus Hospital in Port Washington as a billing specialist.

After retirement, she and her husband moved to Kelly Lake to be closer to family.

Joanne worked hard her entire life, from growing up on the farm to working outside the home while raising a family.

She loved working with her hands, whether it was needlework, stained class, painting or other crafts. She worked alongside her husband making yard crafts for years, and many of those creations can still be seen in yards throughout the community.

She was also known as the Garden Lady of Kelly Lake, starting and selling thousands of perennial plants and establishing a rummage and plant selling tradition during Memorial Day weekend at Kelly Lake. She sold hundreds of pints of berries to locals and summer residents for several years as well.

Joanne had a beautiful smile, was thoughtful and generous to all and was particularly known and will be remembered by all as being so kind.

She had a mischievous side as well, loved to have fun and laugh and traveled extensively with her husband of 61 years.

Joanne is survived by her daughters Julie (Mark) Lutz of Green River, Wyo., and Kathy (Brian) Blumenberg of Neenah; two grandsons, Matt (girlfriend Becky) Blumenberg of Appleton and Dylan (fiance Jessica) Blumenberg of Neenah; two brothers-in-law, Bill Angus of Oconto Falls and Ken Ruplinger of Milwaukee; several nieces; nephews; and cousins.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband Roger on Feb. 6, 2022; two sisters, Marion (Norbert “Nubs”) Marks and Jean Angus; two brothers, Robert Lotter and an infant brother; brother in-law Harold (Clara) Ruplinger; and two sisters-in-law, Barb Lotter and Diane Ruplinger.

Visitation will be held after 9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Oconto Falls until the service. A Mass of Christian burial will take place 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the church, with the Rev. Father Walter Stumpf officiating.

Burial will follow in Pine Hill Cemetery, Spruce.

The Ruplinger family wants to especially thank the staff of The Cottages of Shawano and Heartland Promedica Hospice who lovingly cared for our mother and supported her family during her illness.

The family respectfully requests that if donations are desired they be made to the hospice provider of your choice.