Kathleen Marie Foulkes

Kathleen Marie Foulkes, 75, of Beaver Dam passed away on Tuesday, January 10, 2023 at Marshfield Medical Center in Beaver Dam surrounded by her family.

Kathleen was born on August 20, 1947 in Columbus, WI to Joseph and Dorothy (Kohls) Steel Jr.  She was a 1965 graduate of Fall River High School and later Madison Business College.  Kathy met the love of her life Duane Foulkes while they were in high school on a double blind date.  They later married on March 19, 1966 at St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church in Fall River.  Kathy began her working career with Oscar Mayer.  Afterwards, she and Duane owned and operated The Resort in Fall River.  As Duane founded Apache Stainless Equipment Corp., Kathy quickly became the #1 employee.  They continued to work together in both business and real estate in the Beaver Dam area.

Kathy was a member of St. Stephen’s Ev. Lutheran Church in Beaver Dam.    She was a huge sports fan and enjoyed attending many games and tournaments while cheering for the Packers and Badgers.  Kathy and Duane traveled extensively with family and friends; her favorite part being their time spent altogether in the beautiful locale.  Kathy enjoyed summers on the lake, Camelot and later Minoqua, and spending winters in California.  Kathy was very social and has many fond memories golfing with her “Swizzle Sisters” and sharing laughs with other dear friends. She loved her grandchildren deeply: playing games, attending their activities and loving them whether they were near or far.  Kathy was very passionate about helping their community. She was co-founder and co-chair of the Pink Ribbon Classic, an annual golf outing fundraiser for breast cancer research.  She and Duane established The Duane and Kathleen Foulkes Foundation to help area nonprofits, to advance breast cancer research and other important causes.

Kathy will be deeply missed by her husband of 56 years Duane; her daughters: Kim (Chris) Huss of Lafayette, CO and Kristine (Jason) Eckles of Cottage Grove; her grandchildren: Kaden, Vincent and Emma Huss, and Gabrielle and Greyson Eckles; her sister Nancy (Robert) Hughes, sister-in-law Mary Steel; brothers and sisters-in-law: Del (Mary) Foulkes, Connie Herpel, Phyllis (Jill) Foulkes, Charmaine (Ken Lybeck) Schultz, Diane Foulkes, David (Debbi) Foulkes and Sylvia (Neal) Marshall. She is further survived by many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents, mother and father-in-law: Dolly and Ellis Foulkes, her brother Hugh Steel,  sister JoAnn DeNure and brother-in-law Gary DeNure, nephews Kevin Foulkes, Eric and Matthew DeNure and niece Sarah Hughes.

A memorial gathering will be held at the Koepsell-Murray Funeral Home in Beaver Dam on Friday, January 20, 2023 from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., and on Saturday, January 21^st from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. at St. Stephen’s Ev. Lutheran Church in Beaver Dam.  A memorial service for Kathy will begin at 11:00 a.m. at the church with the Rev. Philip Heyer officiating.  Inurnment will take place at Fall River Cemetery at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Kathleen’s name may be directed toward breast cancer research at the Mayo Clinic, UW Carbone Cancer Center on behalf of the Pink Ribbon Classic or to St. Stephen’s Ev. Lutheran Church.

The Foulkes family wishes to extend a heartfelt thank you to Mary Beth Wellach, Kathy’s in-home caregiver, and to the staffs of the Mayo Clinic, Hillside Manor and the ICU of Marshfield Medical Center in Beaver Dam.  Your kindness and compassion will always be remembered.