Cheryl Ann Mader

Cheryl Mader, 73, of Prairie du Chien passed away tragically on Sunday June 25th, 2023.

Cheryl was born on November 18th, 1949 in Appleton, WI to Arlon & Laverne Mader.  Her parents both passed away when she was a child and her step-father Louis Van Rossum played a key role in raising her.  She graduated from Kimberly High School in 1968 and earned degrees in Communications and Accounting from UW-Madison.

Cheryl was married to Dale Klemme in 1978 and raised three children Tony, Betsy, & Tim.  Cheryl and Dale partnered together on adventures and journeys through her entire life.

She was an accountant & CPA by trade with career capstones as Corporate Controller at Monona Wire Inc, and COO at Lori Knapp & Co. Cheryl was elected mayor of Prairie du Chien from 2004 to 2008.

As a devout Christian, Cheryl’s life’s purpose was clearly defined by helping carry out God’s work with her hands. Cheryl served her community in many ways such as ongoing involvement and leadership within her church community at St. Peter’s Lutheran, volunteering with her local Rotary group, and serving with the Sisters of Saint Francis of the Holy Cross in Green Bay, WI.  Her reach was global and Cheryl was grateful for her experiences on world mission trips to Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Peru. And she was a champion of human and civil rights for all. 

She focused on spreading gifts of gratefulness, positivity and joy wherever she could and she received these gifts back from so many around her. Especially from her six grandchildren Ben, Alex, Lucy, Thomas, Eleanor, and Gavin.

She is survived by her husband Dale, children Tony (Sara) Klemme of Sun Prairie, WI, Betsy Lyons of Murfreesboro, TN, & Tim (Emily) Klemme of Suamico, and siblings Mary Van Hout of Middleton, WI, Jane Moll of Sauk City, WI and Louie Van Rossum of Wrightstown, WI. She was preceded in death by her siblings Anna Ewanowski and Francis Van Rossum.

Visitation will be held at Garrity Funeral Home on Friday July 7th from 5:00 to 8:00p and funeral at St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church on Saturday July 8th at 11:00a, both in Prairie du Chien, WI.

In lieu of flowers, please consider assisting in Cheryl’s mission by making a donation to Lutheran World Relief at www.lwr.org.