Suzanne Lee Deters,

In celebration of her life, we want the world to know how grateful we are that she was our wife, mother, grandma, and great-grandma.

Suzanne (Sue) Lee Deters (Panke), 81, of Onalaska, passed away October 21, 2026. In the hours before her passing she was visited and comforted by her family who surrounded her with light, love, and laughter. Our hands held hers as she passed from this world to the next.

She was born on January 21, 1945, in La Crosse, to Sara Jane Panke, whom she adored beyond words. She ineffably cherished, respected, and admired her mother, whose strength, perseverance, and steadfast love, guided her, while raising four daughters on her own.

Throughout her life it meant a great deal to her to keep a close relationship with her sisters, even more so after the passing of their mother. She attended school in La Crosse, graduated from Central High School, and aspired to become an elementary school teacher.

She married Michael Deters on February 8, 1964, and together they raised two daughters and a son. In 1972, they had their house built just the way they wanted it and lived there for 54 years.

She worked at Holmen Evergreen Elementary School for many years until she retired in 2005. She was kind, patient, understanding and her unconditional love never wavered. She was selfless, thoughtful, supportive and had an incredibly nurturing nature. She was tender-hearted, empathetic, humble, and generous and was lovingly dedicated to her family. Her smile was like sunshine, she had the sweetest greetings, the best lasting advice, and she sacrificed her time and energy for everyone else. Although she rarely asked for help, she was always willing to lend a hand and genuinely enjoyed working on a project no matter what it was and bringing a vision to life by giving it her creative touch.

When her family thinks about what she especially loved and enjoyed or what reminded them of her this is what she came to mind: Cardinals, Florida vacations, walking along the ocean searching for shells, sleepovers, German Chocolate Cake, decorating for the holidays and special occasions, fishing, watching Call The Midwife, Alone, Survivor, and The Great British Baking Show with family, talking about and growing Ginkgo Trees, antique shopping, cruising on the pontoon, a good roller coaster, trips to Washington, cooking old family recipes, teaching the babies new things, black licorice, scoping out estate sales, highest Yahtzee score, giving back scratches, the movies Prancer and The Breakfast Club, finding a great sale, and never missing anyone’s birthday or anniversary just to name a few.

When her husband Michael was asked to name the first thing that came to mind regarding things she loved most, he replied, “Christmas,”Without a doubt what brought her the most joy was her family. Her family was her anchor, her greatest love and they meant everything to her. She treasured the simple everyday moments that were shared and relished the times they gathered all together to celebrate any occasion. Having one of the kids walk through the door was the highlight of her day and having the whole family under one roof was the pinnacle of her happiness. Her absence is felt so deeply. She was the core of our family. Her house was always our hub. She was “home” to all of us and the door was always open.

She was so very proud of her five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. It was truly a godsend, and she felt intensely fortunate to be an integral and indispensable part of their lives. She considered herself additionally blessed with the opportunity to regularly babysit every single one of her precious great-grandchildren. Her and Michael’s wedding anniversary day was made even more special when their first great-grandchild was born on the same day. She was so special that numerous family members became her namesakes.

She is survived by her husband, Michael, of 62 years; children, Kellie (Mark) Cera, Shawn (William) Knauber, and Shannon (Amy) Deters; grandchildren, Jordyn (Jamie) Rupple, Rob Knauber, McKenzie (Gunnar) Mach, Josie Knauber (Colin) and Jake (Tessa) Deters; great-grandchildren, Cameron Rupple, Leona Rupple, Beckett Mach, Bria Mach, Atlas Deters, Blaire Mach, and Finnian Rupple; her sisters, Zoe Ann Trocinske, Ginger Kaatz and Kim Otto; brothers-in-law, Jack (Mary) Deters and Dan (Fatima) Deters, many nieces, nephews, cousins and an abundance of dear friends. 

Suzanne was preceded in death by her beloved mother, Sara Jane Thrune, and by her in-laws, Marshall and Colleen Deters.

She took a piece of each of us with her, and she will forever live on in our hearts because she is woven into every part of who we are. Her love remains our guiding light and her spirit will live on in the family she built and treasured. She made this world a more beautiful place.

Her family would like to extend their extreme gratitude and extra special thanks to Dr. O’Neil and his oncology team, for the extraordinary care they provided her with. With his ability, kindness, and compassion, Dr. O’Neil eased her anxiety about her cancer diagnosis and gave her encouragement, hope, guidance, and positivity and lifted her spirits during her treatment. While most people dread going to the doctor she always looked forward to seeing Dr. O’Neil, who is truly one-of-a-kind and that made all the difference in the world to her and her family.

A celebration of life, will be held from 11-2:00pm Saturday, December 5, 2026, with an intimate memorial from 11-11:30 am, at the Holmen Area Community Center. 

Condolences may be made to the family at CouleeCremation.com.

Instead of flowers, the family invites you to donate to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.