Sister Joanne Kollasch, OSB | 1930-2025 MIDDLETON – Sister Joanne, age 95, died peacefully at Sauk Prairie Hospital on Tuesday, December 23, 2025. Joanne was born on September 24, 1930, the seventh of nine children to Charles R. and Anna M. (Laubenthal) Kollasch in Whittemore, Iowa. She attended the parish school, Presentation Academy, graduating in 1948. Four years later, a time she often referred to as her “social maturing,” she entered the Sisters of Saint Benedict, Sioux City, Iowa. Because the community was in the process of moving the motherhouse to Madison, Wis., the sisters determined her novitiate would be …
In Memorium: Ken Smits, OFM Cap.
Kenneth Smits, OFM Cap. | 1938 – 2023 Brother Kenneth Smits, OFM Capuchin, died peacefully on Saturday, February 4, 2023 at the age of 84 at Appleton Medical Center in Appleton, Wisconsin. Br. Ken was born May 23, 1938, in De Pere, Wisconsin, the 2nd of seven children. At an early age, he developed a love of reading. He would carry this passion with him his entire life. In 4th grade, he began piano lessons. His love for reading and music would be intertwined with his vocational calling. Learning of the desire to follow a vocation, his local pastor enrolled …