Obituaries

Gary Lee “Wig” Payne, 77 of Eastman, Wis. died suddenly in his home on Jan 2, 2023 with his wife Ann and a few loved ones by his side. He was born December 11, 1945 to Junior and Judy Payne.
Wig was an avid Wisconsin sports fan which isn’t surprising as he was a phenomenal athlete At Seneca High School and had a scholarship offer to play football upon graduating high school. He played on the Seneca Farmers softball team with many of the local “celebrities”. He loved hunting and the big group of guys that would get together to do drives, process deer, and share stories over a few Old Milwaukees. He was a hardworking man who spent most of his life as a farmer or working for Zabel Equipment and when he wasn’t working you could find him playing cards, driving around the farm in his cub, or driving down to copper creek, always with a smile.

Rosella (Rosie) P. Smrcina, 93, of Prairie du Chien, passed peacefully on Dec. 22, 2022, at Great River Care Center, McGregor, Iowa, with deer watching her through the window. Rosie was born the daughter of Peter and Alma (Olson) Severson in Mt. Sterling. Rosie attended school in Seneca and La Crosse Central and graduated from Prairie du Chien. She married John G. Smrcina on Dec. 12, 1947. She worked at Savory Cafe and as a cook at B.A. Kennedy and then became a full-time housewife, mother and caregiver for their middle son Gary. Rosie was an avid Packers fan and loved everything Elvis.

Patricia A. Mercaitis, age 76, of Prairie du Chien, passed away Friday, Dec. 30, 2022, at Gundersen Health System in La Crosse. She was born in Oregon, Ill., on March 5, 1946, the daughter of Fulton and Elizabeth (Himes) Franklin. She grew up in a rural farmhouse near Mount Morris, Ill., and worked numerous jobs growing up, including telephone operator, cook, bartender, taxi driver, counselor at a women’s shelter, truck driver and the family-owned fishing lure company Bill’s Bait that produced The Worm fishing lure.

Kelsey L. Dressler, 23, of Cuba City, passed away Monday, Dec. 26, 2022, at UW-Hospital in Madison surrounded by her family. A celebration of life was Dec. 31, at Casey-McNett Funeral Home & Cremation Services in Cuba City. In the spirit of Kelsey, attendees were asked to wear Green Bay Packers or Iowa Hawkeyes jerseys when attending her visitation and funeral.