Stuart John Durkee, 86 of Rice Lake passed away on October 1, 2022.

Stuart was born on June 29, 1936 to John and Eva Durkee and grew up in Ironwood, MI.

He graduated from St Ambrose High School, then Michigan Tech with a Civil Engineering degree. Stu married Diana Swanson, together they had seven children, and later divorced. Stu was married to Meta Gannon until her passing in 2004. In 2017 Stu married Jeanne Seftar. Stu loved Rice Lake, moving to town from Eau Claire in 1976 when he purchased Cooper Engineering. Through the years Stu was an active participant in the community, he served as City Engineer, on City Council, the Airport Commission, and a promoter of the Cedar Side Trail, to name a few. After raising his family Stu didn't sit still! His hobbies included biking, sailing, skiing, flying his Mooney, chauffeuring his '32 Pierce Arrow, rowing, scuba diving, snowmobiling, hanging at the shack Up North, and traveling. Hi big adventures included mountain climbing to the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro at age 69, and biking to his 60th class reunion in Ironwood MI at age 78!.

Stuart is survived by wife Jeanne and children Jeff (Gayla), Tom (Andrea), Jill (Mike) Decker, Pam (Joel) Hakenson, Tina (Dave) Henningsen, Teresa (John) Lorscheter, and Eric (Liz), his thirteen loving grandchildren, eleven great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. His brother Francis (Lois) and Meta’s nine children, their spouses, 15 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren.

Stu was preceded in death by Diana, Meta and his parents, John and Eva, his brothers Gilbert, Edmund, and Robert, and Meta’s grandson Joseph.

Stu’s funeral service will be held at 11 am Saturday, October 15, 2022 at St Joseph Catholic Church in Rice Lake, WI, officiated by Fr Ed Anderson. Visitation will be from 4-7 pm Friday Oct 14 at Appleyard’s Home for Funerals, and from 9 -11 am Saturday at the church.

Memorial donations may be made to The City of Rice Lake Parks and Recreation, 910 S. Wisconsin Avenue, Rice Lake, WI 54868.

The family will work with the department to put the memorials toward a recreation Stu was passionate about. In lieu of flowers, memorials can also be donated to an Alzheimer’s organization of your choice.

Last Update: Oct 04, 2022 12:29 pm CDT