Kathryn Ann Deiss

Kathryn Ann (Haessly) Deiss passed away peacefully on August 16, 2026 at the age of 95 at her home in River Falls, Wisconsin. She was born on September 13, 1930 in Red Wing, Minnesota to Charles and Ann Florence Haessly and lived most of her life in Ellsworth, Wisconsin.

Kathy was born a twin. Her twin sister died her first day on this Earth from respiratory distress syndrome. She and her twin were to be named Jean and Ann, but after her twin sister died, her mother chose a new name for her surviving daughter: Kathryn, after a barmaid her mother had seen in an operetta named The Student Prince. Kathy didn’t learn the story behind her name until she was in her 40’s. Her mother kept that information from her, wanting to be sure she had established a solid career lest she too decided to become a barmaid.

Kathy and her younger sister and best friend Mary Jane (Janie) grew up in several rented homes around Ellsworth before her family finally settled on South Maple Street when she was a freshman in high school. She would return to that same house in 1969 with her husband and three young children and would live there until January of 2024, when she moved to The Sycamore in River Falls.

Kathy graduated from Ellsworth High School in 1948. Though her early dream was to become a flight attendant, she attended River Falls State Teachers College, where she was voted the 1950 Homecoming Queen. She thought she’d avoid becoming a teacher because so many people in her family were teachers, but since she was attending a teachers college and a lot of people she knew were going into education, she decided to give it a shot. Her studies took her briefly to the University of Colorado and UCLA and, after a backpacking trip to Europe with friends, she returned to UWRF to finish her bachelor’s degree.

It was during the week she spent at home visiting her parents before leaving on her backpacking trip that she ran into Howard “Howie” Deiss after church. A couple of days later, he called to ask her if she wanted to go to a movie. A few dates followed and when she returned from Europe, they picked up where they left off. They were engaged for 4 years - Howie said she was never home long enough in those 4 years to get married - and finally married on June 25, 1960. Judy, their first child, was born in 1961 and the twins, Dave and Debbie, came along in 1963. When asked about the best decision of her life, she said it was marrying Howie because without him she wouldn’t have her three children. She was grateful, she said, that he “waited for me to grow up.”

Once her kids were a bit older, she started teaching in the Ellsworth School District, eventually taking over the classroom of her former third grade teacher at Hillcrest Elementary School. She taught there until her retirement in 1996 and often spoke fondly of her years with “the Bostrom girls” - Judy and Shirley - along with Mary Kees and JoAnn Holdorf. For someone who initially wasn’t sure of her career choice, she was a natural at it. She was loved by her students and colleagues alike, and her children continue to hear from many, many people in the community that Mrs. Deiss was their “favorite teacher.” She was a kind, generous, thoughtful and talented teacher.

Kathy carried forward her parents’ belief that family came first, and she made sure her home was always open and welcoming to her children’s friends and all the kids in the neighborhood. Every day the house was filled with kids coming and going, grabbing food from the refrigerator, playing Atari, just hanging out, or stopping to chat with Kathy (while she called them all “dear” or “honey” or “sweetheart”). She treated every kid who entered the house like they belonged there and they were welcome to stay as long as they liked. Her grandchildren and great grandchildren would say the same thing about her - that she treated them all like they were the most special kid in the world. The world is a little less bright and a lot less special without her in it.

Along with her kind and welcoming nature came an inspiring fearlessness and fierce independence that often left people who knew her in awe. She was an avid traveler, enjoying many trips all over the world, including hiking in Arches National Park in her 80’s, and traveling to her favorite place, Ireland, several times. On every one of these trips, she made new friends and enjoyed learning all about the places she visited. She loved genealogy and was known as the family history expert in her own family and community as well as in the Pierce County Historical Society where she served as president for many years. She loved to share tidbits of information about ancestors to anyone who was interested and made dozens of trips to Salt Lake City to conduct research at the Mormon Library with her family history friends. She was an art major in college and her love of creativity lasted throughout her life. She knit many, many Christmas stockings, sweaters and blankets for family members. When she was 80 years old, she decided to begin quilting and became a prolific provider of quilts to her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. She loved being a member of the Plum Creek Quilters and spent many hours at quilting retreats and at her friend Mary Wieser’s house sewing with the members of that group. Kathy viewed life as an adventure and she lived it to the fullest, never afraid to try something new or push herself into new experiences.

Kathy is survived by her three children Judy (Kevin) Knutson, David (Kris) Deiss and Debbie (Brian) Keller as well as her grandchildren Amy (Grant) Greske, Kelly Knutson, Aaron (Kaitlin) Knutson, Stephanie (Shane) Resch, Marissa (Brett) Schulte, Jon (Kaitlin) Keller and Kat (Bob Blaschke) Keller and great grandchildren AJ Diesing, Molly Greske, Rosie Greske, Wren Greske, Dustin Knutson, Brooks Knutson, Cooper Knutson, Micah Resch, Brayden Schulte, Rilyn Schulte, and June Keller and sister-in-law Carol Kowalkowski. She is also survived by many loving nieces and nephews who will miss their sweet Aunt Kathy.

Kathy was preceded in death by her infant twin sister, mother Ann Florence Haessly, father Charles Haessly, husband Howard Deiss, sister and best friend Mary Jane Swanson, grandson Andrew Elsen, great grandchild Avery Knutson, and brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law Eugene (Jack) Swanson, Ed Kowalkowski, Mike and Rose Nugent, Goldie and Jessie Campbell, and Nub and JoAnn Deiss.

Our family would like to express our sincere thanks and gratitude to the staff at The Sycamore in River Falls as well as the team at St. Croix Hospice for their loving care and support in our mom’s final years and days. We were so grateful that she was surrounded by such kind, patient and devoted people every day.

A visitation will be held Friday, September 4, 2026 from 9:30 - 11:30 am at St. Francis Catholic Church at 231 W. Woodworth Street in Ellsworth, Wisconsin with the funeral to follow at 12 noon. Lunch will follow in the St. Francis Parish Hall. Burial will take place at the St. Francis Cemetery following the lunch.

Arrangements are entrusted to O’Connell Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Ellsworth. For more information or to share a memory, please visit www.oconnellfuneralhomes.com or call 715-273-4421.