Jeanne Roggensack
Jeanne Ann Roggensack passed away peacefully September 6, 2025. Jeanne’s memorial celebration will be held at 4 p.m. Saturday, September 20 at the Plymouth Place, 315 LaGrange Road in LaGrange, IL. Visitation will begin at 2 p.m. Contributions in memory of Jeanne may be made to The Scholarship Fund at Plymouth Place.
Jeanne was born in Waukon September 8, 1934, to James and Amanda Waldron, who preceded her in death. Brothers Vernon, William, John, Stan, and Paul also predeceased her along with sister Maxine Howell. Jeanne sadly also lost her granddaughter, Kelly; two sons, Kirk and Jeff; and a son-in-law, Mike Kain.
Jeanne is survived by her husband, Richard (Dick); and her sister, Marie Sullivan; along with her sons, Terry, Ross, and Andy; and her daughters JoEllen Kain and Meg Fisher. Also left to grieve her loss are her son-in-law, Mike Fisher; and her daughters-in-law, Cheryl, Lee, Peg, Jane and Sue, who she treated as her own. So many grandchildren will miss her greatly: Heidi, Nathan, Alex, Jordan, Jared, Leann, Rachel, Katlyn, Kyle, Kathryn, Colleen, Emily, Kevin, Brian, Zack, and Annie. In addition, she leaves behind 24 great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.
Jeanne and Dick both attended and graduated from St. Patrick’s Catholic High School in Waukon. They married in 1953, and went on to live a life full of adventures - “two drifters, off to see the world. There’s such a lot of world to see”. But they did not drift, and although they moved many times after they left Waukon, Jeanne made welcoming homes for their growing family, as they retained friends and kept connections to many of the people they met along their way.
Three years into marriage, after selling the family monument business, they moved to suburban Chicago where Dick worked for 42 years as a stock broker as Jeanne raised their seven children. Upon retirement in 1998, they moved to Mt. Dora, FL, then back to their hometown of Waukon for 13 years in order to enjoy time with their many friends and relatives still living there. Jeanne’s love for the ocean took them to Florida for a few more years on the beach. In 2024, they moved into their home in LaGrange Park, IL.
Jeanne loved to organize and coordinate bridge clubs, bowling leagues, neighborhood holiday decoration committees, and her annual 12 Days of Christmas dinner parties. She never met a committee she didn’t lead. The dance floor was the only place she didn’t lead, as in Dick’s arms, she was often spotted as the best dancer on the floor.
She also loved to travel and embraced it as she did most of life, with enthusiasm and zeal. At first it was camping trips with the kids all over the States, then 14 adventurous trips to Europe. Together, she and Dick explored all 50 states.
In her lifetime, Jeanne took great pleasure in bringing joy to others. She must have mailed out thousands of greeting cards, an affinity she developed while working at a gift shop. She has also baked thousands of goodies, most of which ended up in the homes (and bellies) of neighbors, friends, doormen, mail carriers, maintenance workers, and passersby. She showered her family with cards, gifts, unexpected packages in the mail, phone calls, and so much hot fudge. If you were lucky enough to call her Mom, Mother-in-law, Grandma, or Big Grandma, she would spoil you, if you let her. Who can replace her in our lives and hearts?
But Dick received the most love and attention, as he had the honor and gift of being her husband to the end. After 72 years of marriage they were still in love, holding hands even as she passed.
“They tried to tell us we’re too young. Too young to really be in love…and then someday they may recall, we were not too young at all.”
