Donald Woerpel

Cottage Grove, WI- Donald E. Woerpel, Age 80, passed away suddenly on Tuesday, June 9, 2015 surrounded by his family at UW Hospital and Clinics in Madison. Don was born in Marshall, WI on October 31, 1934, the son of Raymond and Carol (Hoyt) Woerpel.  He graduated from Marshall High School in 1952 and served in the US Air Force from 1952 - 1956 as a radar operator with Aircraft Control and Warning Squadrons on the Montana/Canadian border and in southern Japan. Don married Ann Binger of rural Middleton, WI in Dubuque, IA on October 11, 1958.  Together they lived in the Marshall-Sun Prairie area for the next 26 years where he worked as a linotype operator for several area print shops, including Perry Printing of Waterloo, and as editor of newspapers in Marshall, Waterloo and Deerfield, and as advertising manager for the Monona Community Herald.  He was also a production supervisor for the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. at its Sun Prairie plant from 1968 - 1972. Don and his wife moved to Medford, WI in1984 where he was editor of The Star News for 15 years before retiring to Plover, WI in 1999.  After his wife Ann died in 2005, Don moved to Taylor Ridge Senior Apartments in Cottage Grove, WI. An avid military history buff, in 1977 he wrote and self-published a history of the 79th Fighter Group in World War II entitled A Hostile Sky,  and a revised edition, The 79th Fighter Group Over Tunisia, Sicily and Italy in World War II was published by Schiffer Publishing Ltd., Atglen, PA in 2001. Don was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Ann; a brother, Dwayne; and special friend at Taylor Ridge, Sally Painter. He is survived by his son, Steven (Peggy) Woerpel of Pleasant Hill, IA; his daughter, Lisa Woerpel of Cambridge, WI; his grandson, Zach Nelson of Deerfield, WI and granddaughter, Sadie Nelson of Rockford, IL.  He is also survived by a brother, Dennis (Bonnie) Woerpel of Omro, WI and sister-in-law Bettie Woerpel of Colfax, NC. Family and friends are invited to the Marshall Medina Cemetery on Saturday, June 27th, 2015 at Noon where Don will be buried with military honors.  There will be a Celebration of Don's life immediately following at Taylor Ridge Senior Center at 510 Westlawn Drive, Cottage Grove.