Denise M. Siemers-Babish returned to her Heavenly Father on Sunday, May 28,
2023, at home surrounded by her loved ones. Born on November 23, 1948, in
Marshfield, WI, Denise Mary Radlinger was the daughter of Robert C. and Mary
E. (Grimes) Radlinger.
Denise attended school in Marshfield and graduated from Columbus High School
in 1966. Denise was united in marriage to Rodney L. Siemers on August 31, 1968,
at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church in Marshfield. To this union, three beautiful
daughters were born: Victoria, Jennifer and Amy.
Denise lived a life devoted to family, education, community, and travel. When their
children were young, Denise enjoyed taking her daughters to extracurricular
activities and events. She often volunteered with organizations that her daughters
were involved in, including being a Camp Fire Girls leader and coaching her two
youngest daughters’ high school cheerleading teams. She worked part-time jobs
allowing her to focus on her young family. Denise was blessed with three “sons-in-
heart” and eight grandchildren. After nearly 45 years of marriage, Denise’s beloved
husband Rod passed away on August 19, 2012. She was fortunate to find love
again when she met Dennis Babish of Evansville, WI. They were married on
November 28, 2015, at Faith Community Church in Janesville, WI, and she gained
three stepsons and three step-grandchildren. Most recently, Denise was excited to
share the news that a great-grandchild is expected in November 2023.
Denise earned her Associate Degree of Business Administration from Cardinal
Stritch College in 1991, Bachelor of Business Administration from Marian College
in 1993, and her Master of Public Administration – Heath Care from the University
of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in 2001. She valued education and encouraged her children
and grandchildren to further their own educational pursuits. In 1995, Denise and
Rod moved to Monroe, WI where she was employed by The Monroe Clinic as a
Physician Recruiter. Her career aspirations took her to Greely, Colorado in 2004
where she was first Regional Physician Resources Consultant, then promoted to
Interim Regional Director of Physician Recruitment for Banner Health. While she
and Rod enjoyed exploring Colorado and the Rocky Mountains, being far from
their family and the growing number of grandchildren was proving a challenge. In
2006, they moved back to the Midwest and settled in Mason City, Iowa. Here,
Denise worked as Physician Recruitment Leader until her retirement in 2013.
Denise took a lot of pride in her work and was very successful in her career as a
Physician Recruiter. She forged lasting friendships wherever she went and
impacted a lot of lives throughout her career.
Denise was very active in the communities of which she lived, but she found the
most joy when attending parades and festivals with her family, tending to her
flower and vegetable gardens, traveling and geocaching. Retirement allowed
Denise and Dennis to volunteer for the Wisconsin CASA (Court Appointed Special
Advocate) Association, assisting children in need.
Denise loved to travel, meet new friends, and experience different cultures. Denise
and Rod traveled throughout the United States, and with Dennis by her side, she
traveled to Europe, exploring many countries including The Czech Republic,
Germany, Belgium, France, Monaco, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
Denise is survived by her husband, Dennis, and her daughters: Victoria (John P.)
Schmitt of Lancaster, WI; Jennifer (Jerrod) Getter of Viroqua, WI; and Amy (Britt)
Gempeler of Monroe, WI. She is also survived by her grandchildren: Maggie
Schmitt; Jenevieve, Juliette, Jessie, and Jansen Getter; Isiah (Kirsten) Siemers (and
great-grandbaby-to-be), Jack, and Danielle Gempeler. Denise is further survived by
her stepsons: Mark (Nancy) Ackart of Bloomington, MN; Dan Ackart of
Middleton, WI; and Scott (Wendy) Ackart of Orlando, FL, as well as her step-
grandchildren: David Ackart, Olivia Fuerstenberg, and Abby Ackart. She is also
survived by her brother-in-law, Terry (Colleen) Siemers, and nephews Shawn
(Paige) Siemers and Ryan (Tehan) Siemers, and niece Erin (Doug) Brooks, and
many great nieces and nephews.
Denise was preceded in death by her husband, Rod, her parents and parents-in-law,
and her sister, Jeanna Marie, who died in infancy.
Funeral services will be held on Monday, June 5, 2023, at Ward-Hurtley Funeral
Home in Evansville, WI. Visitation will begin at 10:00 am and Funeral Service at
11:30am. Luncheon to follow at Creekside Place in Evansville. On June 6, 2023,
there will be a visitation at Rembs Funeral Home in Marshfield, WI beginning at
11:00am until 12:30pm followed by Graveside Service and burial at Gate of
Heaven Cemetery in Marshfield, WI. For online condolences please visit
www.wardhurtley.com
Denise’s family would like to thank Agrace Hospice for their care, especially “the
girls”, Brittany, Erin, and Lindsay. Your care and compassion will never be
forgotten.
Author: News Desk
This piece was posted by our news team! Contact us or submit stories at [email protected].
