Dennis J. Gerth, 70, of Iron Ridge, passed away on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, at Jefferson Memory Care in Jefferson.   Dennis was born the son of Horst and Norma (Zimmerman) Gerth on April 18, 1954, in Beaver Dam.   He had been a farmer in Iron Ridge for over 25 years and most recently was a semi driver for JLP in Horicon.   Dennis was a member of St. John Ev. Lutheran Church- Browns Corner.   In his spare time, Dennis loved the outdoors and enjoyed hunting, fishing, and having a beautiful, manicured garden. He was also a master tinkerer who could fix just about anything and was skilled at restoring antique tractors.    Dennis is survived by his longtime companion, April; his children, Tracy (Keith) Antoniewicz of Waukesha, Tiffany (Brian) Barrow of DeForest, Corey (Heidi) Gerth of Johnson Creek, and Jason Dettmering of Beaver Dam; his siblings, Carl (Gail) Gerth of Iron Ridge, Roland Gerth of Horicon, Chris (David) Schumacher of Fox Lake, Ernie (Phyllis) Gerth of Horicon, Wayne (Sherry) Gerth of Iron Ridge, Faith (Bill) Stroede of Mayville, and Monica (Dave) Roskopf of Iron Ridge; his grandchildren, Malia Barrow, Corrin Barrow, Tyler Gerth, Addison Gerth, Jackson Dettmering, Graham Antoniewicz, and Vivienne Antoniewicz. Further survived by nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.   He was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Linda Aaroen.   A funeral service for Dennis will be held on Thursday, Oct. 17, at 12 p.m. at St. John Ev. Lutheran Church - Browns Corner with the Rev. Allen Behnke officiating. A visitation will be held on Thursday from 10 a.m. until the time of the service at noon at the church. Burial will take place at St. John’s Cemetery.   The family would like to offer special thanks to the staff at Jefferson Memory Care and Rainbow Hospice for providing excellent care and support in Dennis’s final days.    Koepsell Funeral Home in Mayville is serving the family. www.KoepsellFH.com

   Shari Lynn Zergiebel, 70, of Mayville passed away on September 19, 2024, at SSM St. Agnes Hospital in Fond du Lac.   Shari was born the daughter of Al Buchta and Carol Staude on September 7, 1954. She was a 1972 graduate of Mayville High School.   Shari was united in marriage to Richard Zergiebel on October 18, 1975, at St. John’s in Mayville.   Shari had worked for a longtime at TAB Products in Mayville.   She was a member of St. John’s Ev. Lutheran Church in Mayville.   In her spare time, Shari loved nature and enjoyed taking car rides, rides in the UTV, and taking photos of nature and wildlife. She was a talented chef, who loved to cook for her family, especially her famous Thanksgiving feasts! She also enjoyed traveling while searching for antiques. Shari also loved to collect dolls and cookbooks from all over!   Shari is survived by her husband, Richard of Mayville; her mother, Carol Staude of Mayville; her siblings, Randall Buchta of Mayville and Karen Askew of Mayville; her sister- and brother-in-law, Eileen (Bob) Rasmussen of Mayville; her nephew, Eli Buchta; her nieces, Miranda (Aaron) Zuege, Jennifer (Brad) Westergard, and Keri (Nate) Mendl; her great-nieces and nephews, Lillian, Henry, Oliver, Louis, Evelyn, and Madeline; her beloved canine companion, Bella; further survived by other relatives and many friends.   She was preceded in death by her father and her brother-in-law, Todd.   A private family funeral will be held.   Special thanks to the staff of SSM St Agnes Hospital and SSM Hospice for the care and support shown to Shari and her family. Also, special thanks to Shari’s TAB friends for the friendship and love over the years.    Koepsell Funeral Home is serving the family. www.KoepsellFH.com

   Helen Westimayer, 95, of Horicon, died peacefully at her home Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, surrounded by her loving family.    Helen was born on December 21, 1928, in Beaver Dam, the daughter of Erwin and Cynthia (Bohnert) Marthaler. She graduated from Beaver Dam High School and went on to work as a secretary at Monarch Range. Here is where she met the love of her life Tony Westimayer.    On April 14, 1951, Helen and Tony were united in marriage. They were blessed with ten children and were able to enjoy 69 wonderful years together!    Helen's greatest joy in life was family. With the love and support of her mother-in-law and father-in-law, who lived right next door, she was able to devote her time to making their home and family a priority. As parents, they always put everyone else's needs before their own, providing loving guidance and generosity.    Helen's favorite titles were Mom, Mumsy, Grandma, and Great-Grandma. Any time spent with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren were her most memorable treasures. All she wanted was for her family to be happy, to be healthy, and to know that she was always there for them. Mom and Dad had the biggest smiles whenever the little ones came around. Mom could always make you feel better just by hearing her voice, and the hugs she gave. Our memories are many.    If you knew Mom you were lucky. We can truly say that with all of our hearts, we couldn't have been blessed with a more loving, caring, generous and compassionate Mother. Our hearts are broken, but our amazing memories and her love will help us heal.    Helen is survived by nine children and their families, Dave (Jane) Westimayer of Horicon, Barb (Dale) Keach of Markesan, Tony (MaryKay) Westimayer of Horicon, Pat Spettel (Gary Klein) of Juneau, Susie (Jim) Schumacher of Horicon, Sandy (Randy) Franke of Horicon, Mike (Jodie) Westimayer of Burnett, Jon Westimayer (Elizabeth Kotewa) of Horicon, Kathy (Wes) Elford of Neshkoro; 23 grandchildren, Julia (Nate) Schultz, Ann (John) Hansen, Chris (Pam Hupf) Westfall, Matt (Laura Hammer) Westfall, Dylan (Alley) Westimayer, Katie (Jose) Torres, Karyn (Jay) Kroschel, Cody (Rachel) Westimayer, Adam (Annie) Spettel, Lucas (Kristie) Spettel, Jason (Andrea) Schumacher and Kenna, Jenni (James) Dietz, Nick Franke, Hailey (Cody) Apfelbeck, Emma Westimayer, Chloe Westimayer, Hunter Westimayer, Tanner Westimayer, Kayli Westimayer, Seth (Amanda) Westimayer, Aiden Westimayer, Karina (Carter) McCauley, Wesley Elford and 28 great-grandchildren, Elijah Schultz; Caden Hansen; Sam and Sully Westfall; Ella Westimayer; Isaac, Adrian, Jackson and Oliver Torres; Clayton, Coltyn, and Kynlee Kroschel; Aspen, Dakota, Charlotte, Bristol and Granger Westimayer; Lincoln and Addison Spettel; Natalie and Nolan Spettel; Avery Dietz; Lorelei Franke; Jace and Jack Apfelbeck; Liam Westimayer; Charlotte and Brooks McCauley. Helen is also survived by son Tom's life partner, Desi Wild; sister-in-law, Barb Marthaler of Beaver Dam; nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.    Helen was preceded in death by her husband, Tony; her son, Tom; a granddaughter, Christian; her parents, Erwin and Cynthia Marthaler; her in-laws, Anton and Anna Westimayer; her brother, Floyd "Flip" Marthaler; nephews, Mark Marthaler and Steve Westimayer.    A private family funeral service will take place at the Koepsell-Murray Funeral Home in Beaver Dam. Interment will take place at St. Malachy Cemetery in Horicon.   The family would like to thank Maria, our guardian angel, for her wonderful care and loving support given to our Mother, which enabled her to remain in her home until God called her to his side.    A special thank you to the team of nurses and caregivers of SSM Hospice for their compassionate care.    The family requests those who wish to express sympathy consider making a donation to SSM Hospice Care.   Koepsell-Murray Funeral Home is serving the family. Online condolences may be made at www.koepsellfh.com.

   Paul L. Farkas, 78, of Fond du Lac and formerly Hoosick Falls, NY, passed away on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, at the St. Agnes Hospice Home of Hope.   Paul was born on June 15, 1946, in Hudson, NY, to Louis and Elza (Aust) Farkas.   Brought together by their love of dogs, Paul married Marlene (Buehner) Kottke on February 4th, 2003, in Bennington, Vermont.    Paul retired from the state of New York as a Worker’s Compensation auditor; however, his greatest passion was music. Paul graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in Music. He enjoyed sharing his love of jazz with his students when he was a music teacher, as well as anyone that would listen to him play one of his many beloved guitars.    While playing his guitar was his greatest pleasure, studying the Civil War was his greatest obsession. He spent much of his life reading books, watching movies, visiting historical sites, collecting artwork, and building beautiful replica guns from the Civil War era.   Paul and Marlene lived in Hoosick Falls, NY, until September of 2020 when they moved to Fond du Lac to be closer to family.   Paul is survived by his stepchildren, whom he loved as his own, Jeff (Tammy) Kottke of Slinger, Greg Kottke of Fond du Lac, Debbie (Greg) Krapfl of Leroy, Kim (Tony) Weinberger of LeRoy, and Julie (Mike) Gemmel of Mayville; 12 step-grandchildren and five step-great grandchildren.   He was preceded in death by his parents; and his beloved wife, Marlene.      A visitation for Paul will be held on Thursday, Sept. 26, from 10 to 11 a.m. and a service at 11 a.m. with the Rev. Fr. Tom Biersack presiding at the chapel inside the Shrine of Rest Mausoleum in the Ledgeview Memorial Park in Fond du Lac.   The family would like to thank the staff at the Hospice Home of Hope for their dedication to providing the highest level of care, compassion, and dignity to Paul and his family over the last several months.    If desired, memorials may be made in Paul’s name to the St. Agnes Hospice Home of Hope.   Koepsell Funeral Home in Mayville is caring for the family. www.Koepsellfh.com