Ann DePelecyn (1926-2018)

Ann DePelecyn, age 91, died peacefully on July 3, 2018, at an assisted living home in Monona, WI comforted by her two daughters and kind caregivers.

Ann was born in Racine in 1926 to Mary and Peter Gulan, who immigrated from Poland. The family moved to Radisson to seek work near her father’s brother who was a blacksmith. With the onset of the Great Depression, earning a living on the farm was a struggle. They moved back to Racine, and her father went to work at the Badger Foundry.

After World War II, Ann met a handsome soldier in uniform in a neighborhood shop. Ann was shy and asked her older sister to go out with him first. With her sister’s approval, Ann’s first date with Bill DePelecyn was attending a Patti Page concert in Kenosha. They soon married, and two daughters, Lynda and Carol, were born in the years that followed. Ann devoted herself to family: her husband, daughters, and the family dog.

After her daughters were grown, she became a teletype operator at Twin Disc. She was a fast typist and was skilled at overseas correspondence.

Ann was a thoughtful mother, wife, and a good friend. Her passions were gardening, bird-watching, dogs, dancing, and reading non-fiction. She enjoyed sharing her life with Bill, who was her great love for sixty years. Ann was strong willed and opinionated, but she was always kind and appreciative of the simple things life had to offer.

She is survived by her daughters, Lynda (Fred) Paasch, and Carol (Andrew Finch) DePelecyn; granddaughter, Natalie Paasch, and grandson Graham Paasch. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Bill DePelecyn, in 2009. Her family and friends will miss her dearly, and feel fortunate to have had her in their lives for so long.

A celebration of her life will be held on Friday, August 31, 2018 at Fountain Hills Senior Living Community, 1100 Fountain Hills Drive, Racine with a coffee and kringle social hour at 10:00 am. A memorial service presented by Pastor Steve Fringer of First Presbyterian Church will follow at 11:00 am. Burial will be held at the VA Cemetery in Union Grove on Friday at 2:00pm where Ann’s ashes will be placed next to Bill’s.

Please send remembrances to the First Presbyterian Church, 716 College Ave., Racine 53403 or the Racine Public Library, 75 Seventh Street, WI, 53403.