Francis E. Denman, age 75 years, of rural Hillsboro, passed on peacefully at home surrounded by his wife and children on Friday, Oct. 3, 2014.
He was born on May 28, 1939 in Richland County to Floyd and Helen (Richards) Denman. Francis grew up in the Cazenovia, Wisconsin area where he excelled in basketball, football and baseball before graduating from Weston High School in 1957.
On April 30, 1960, Francis married Joyce Barreau in the St. Bonifice Catholic Church in Lime Ridge. On Sept, 1, 1960, they purchased a farm in Greenwood Township near Hillsboro where they raised their four children.
Francis was very involved with cattle, farming and his community for all his life. He was a member of the St. Aloysius Catholic Church and a Knights of Columbus member; he also was involved on the committee for building the Church rectory. He served on the Hillsboro School Board for 15 years of which he was President for 14 of those years. Francis served 10 years on the Elroy Fair Board, 7 years on the Hillsboro Farmers Cooperative Board and was an active supporter of the FFA having received the honorary FFA Chapter Degree. Francis and his family hosted the Vernon County Twilight meeting also.
While farming he achieved many goals and awards before selling his herd of cattle in 1995 and in 1997 sold the home farm. With his home farm gone, Francis and Joyce built a new home outside Hillsboro and Francis continued to buy and sell cattle, which he loved very much. It was a familiar sight seeing Francis with his Dodge truck and cattle trailer going down the road to Richland Center or Ithaca to the cattle sale barn.
Basketball, football and baseball were always a huge part of his whole life. Francis and a group of friends would travel a 100 miles or more to watch a good boys or girls basketball game. This group would attend as many as 60 games a year and always have stories to tell.
Survivors include his loving wife of 54 years, Joyce; his four children, Deb Pohlmann of Reedsburg, Cindy and Al Klemp of Hillsboro, Scott and Jen Denman of Reedsburg and Jenny and Josh Altmann of Sheboygan; six grandchildren, Dustin and Dylan Pohlmann, Brook and Bailey Klemp, Jocelyn Altmann and Kensley Denman; one sister, Ruth Ann (Carl) Mead of Reedsburg and one brother, Paul (Barbara) Denman of Sextonville; numerous uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews, cousins, brothers and sisters in law and numerous caring friends.
Funeral Services were held on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2014 at 10:30 a.m. at the St. Aloysius Catholic Church in Hillsboro, with Father Don Bauer officiating. Burial was in the Mount Vernon Cemetery in Hillsboro. Friends called at the Picha Funeral Home in Hillsboro on Monday from 3 to 8 p.m. and at the Church on Tuesday from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. For online information go to www.pichafuneralhomes.com
