Full Obituary

LOUIS S. DEPA, age 86, of Thorp, passed away on Sunday, May 25, 2014 at Ministry Our Lady of Victory Hospital in Stanley. Funeral services will be held at 10:30am on Friday,
May 30, 2014 at St. Bernard-St. Hedwig's Catholic Church in Thorp, with Fr. William Felix and Fr. Don Meuret officiating. Burial will follow at St. Mary's Czestochowa Catholic Cemetery, rural Stanley. Pallbearers will be Donald Depa, Lenny Depa, Mike Wiklanski, Jeffrey Ostrowski, Bob Kaszubowski, Neil Alger, Adam Niedzwiecki and Dave Simmons. Visistation will be held at Thorp Funeral Home on Thursday, May 29, 2014 from 4pm to 8pm, with a 7:30pm combined parish and Knights of Columbus rosary service. Visitation will also be held at the church, on Friday, from 9:30am until time of service.
Louis Sylvester Depa was born on July 22, 1927 in the Town of Thorp, the son of Paul and Anna (Posda) Depa. He was raised on the family farm and received his education at area schools. After completing high school, Louie moved to Chicago and worked at Hotpoint. In October 1950, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and served during the Korean Conflict until his discharge in 1952. As a veteran, he was proud of his country and service. When he returned home, Louie married his sweetheart, Bernice Ostrowski, on September 26, 1953 at St. James Catholic Church in Wausau. They settled in the Chicago area, where he attended technical school and received a degree in engineering. He then worked for Goss Printing and Rockwell International, where he achieved nine patents in his career. Louie never lost the inspiration to invent, and was always thinking of new ideas to put into play.
Louie and Bernice celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary last year and had a good, long life together. They traveled the country and around the world, and took many cruises. They were a loving couple and touched many lives, including 17 godchildren they thought of as their own. In addition to being an avid traveler, Louie loved listening and dancing to polka music.
He was a member of St. Bernard-St. Hedwig's Catholic Church, a 4th degree member of the Knights of Columbus Queen of Peace Council #4634 of Thorp, and a member of the Thorp American Legion Post #118.
Louie is survived by his wife: Bernice of Thorp; 2 brothers: Peter (Alvina) Depa of Stanley, Joseph (Joan) Depa of St. John, IN; 2 sisters: Juliana Wiklanski of Petoskey, MI, Pauline Andronowitz of Huntington, CT; 3 brothers-in-law: Mike Norks of Greenwood, Wally Filipek of Niles, IL and Howard Zielke of Chicago, IL; 2 sisters-in-law: Marie Depa of Niles, IL and Joanne Depa of Kenosha. He is further survived by many nieces and nephews who considered Louie as their second father.
He was preceded in death by his parents; 3 brothers: Andrew, John and Tony Depa; and 4 sisters: Marcella Kaszubowski, Frances Norks, Helen Filipek and Agnes Zielke.