Obituaries

VERONA - Walter E. Feller passed away on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, at the age of 89. Walt was born on September 26, 1933, in Verona, Wisconsin, to Walter and Rosa Feller. Walt grew up on the family farm and graduated from Verona High School in 1951.

Walt and Pat (Stoikes) Feller went to high school together but formally met in the summer of 1952, when she was babysitting next door to a home at which Walt was doing some masonry work. Each day Pat would push the children she was babysitting on a swing, and eventually Walt worked up the courage to ask her on a date. Walt and Pat married on September 4, 1954. Walt and Pat raised their five children in Verona until moving to Madison in 1995.

Walt was a member of the US Army and served in Korea shortly after he and Pat were married. After returning home, Walt became a mason contractor, eventually founding Feller Masonry and later Feller Bricklayers, which he operated for 29 years, retiring in 1996. In retirement Walt and Pat spent time together with their family and friends in Wisconsin as well as Michigan, Ohio, and Minnesota, until Pat’s death in 2015. Walt joined Pat as a member of St. Andrew Catholic Church and remained a member until his death. Walt enjoyed watching Wisconsin sports, including the Badgers, Packers, and Brewers, winters in Alabama early in their retirement years, and playing cards with family and friends. Baseball was Walt’s favorite sport and he especially enjoyed watching the Milwaukee Brewers, and even wrote many letters to the Brewers Managers that provided heartfelt and strategic coaching advice! Walt will be greatly missed by all his friends and family.

Walt was preceded in death by his wife Pat; his parents Walter and Rosa (Luginbuhl) Feller; mother and father-in-law, Bill and Dorothy (Brea) Stoikes; son Michael Feller; grandson Austin Covey; sisters Ella (Art) Wild and Dorothy (Bill) Wood; brothers-in-law Joseph (Frannie) Stoikes, Arnold Stoikes and Paul Aaberg; and sister-in-law Louise (Phil) Coan.

Walt is survived by his son Jon (Julie) Feller of Minocqua; son Dave (Kim) Feller of Verona; daughter Tracy Covey of Garrettsville, Ohio; daughter-in-law Kim (Leo) Janus of Fitchburg; and son Bill (Meg) Feller of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Walt is further survived by his brother Maynard (Betty) Feller; sisters Eleanor Aaberg, Janet Stoikes and Helen (Darrell) Wittwer; and brother-in-law Ralph (Maxine) Stoikes. Walt will be greatly missed by his grandchildren: Michael (Crystal) and Brian (Marisa) Feller, Mitchell (Miranda), Matthew (Bailey Otterson) and Marissa Feller, Tyler and Carson Covey, Ben, Alyssa and Mikala Feller, and Madison and Allison Feller. He was also blessed with seven great-grandchildren: Kaylee and Logan Feller, Wesley, Evelyn and Olivia Feller, and Baylen and Sophie Feller; and many nieces and nephews.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 29, 2023 at St. Andrew Catholic Church, 301 N Main Street, Verona with Fr. Robert Butz officiating. A visitation will be held from 9:30 am until the time of Mass. A luncheon will follow in the church fellowship hall. Burial with military honors will be at Forest Hill Cemetery in Madison, Wisconsin on Tuesday, May 2nd at 1:00 pm.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Feller School, founded by Walt's daughter-in-law Kim Feller-Janus to help empower children with dyslexia. https://fellerschool.org or https://fellerschool.org/donate/

To view and sign this guestbook, please visit: ryanfuneralservice.com.