Thelma E. Dunnum, 86 passed away, at home surrounded by family on Thursday, July 25, 2024. Born in Cashton, WI on July 31, 1937, she was the daughter of Leo and Evelyn (Deitelhoff) Schroeder. She was raised in Norwalk, WI. On November 10, 1956 she married Richard Dunnum at the US Naval School of Warfare in Yorktown, VA. Since this was the Marine Corp birthday, their reception was at the Marine Corp Ball. They lived in Newport News, VA until Richard was discharged from the Marine Corp. They returned to Wisconsin, where they lived in Viroqua and Tomah, until moving to Burlington and Randall. They lived in Randall for 51 years, then moved to Kenosha to live their final years. They were “Winter Texans” for over 30 years and made many friends from around the United States and Canada.
Thelma was a teacher for over 30 years, starting in a 1 room school and ending at Salem Grade School. After retiring, she continued to substitute teach for almost 20 years. She was a Girl Scout Leader, cheerleader coach and opened her home to exchange students and teachers. She took her daughters on many adventures through the years and continued to do so with her grandchildren.
Thelma received her master’s degree and was able to study in Asia and Europe. She enjoyed traveling the U.S., Canada, Europe, Asia and Australia. She belonged to 3 book clubs at the same time and enjoyed music, theater and shopping. She was a life-long Cubs fan (a fan before Wisconsin had a major league team) and of course a Packer Fan. Her family meant everything to her.
Thelma is survived by her daughters, Kate Fennimore, Beverly (Stanley) Nienhaus, Monica Dunnum and Anne (Karl) Apanasewicz. She is further survived by 3 grandchildren, Richard Stock, Rachel (Nick) Weiss and Andrew (Katie) Nienhaus. She is also survived by her 7 great grandchildren, whom she called “The Greats”, Nicole and Cassandra Stock, Hastin and Ryah Weiss and Payge, JoAnna and Blake Nienhaus. She is also survived by her sister, Ramona Schroeder, nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, sister, Sharyn and brother, Ralph. The family would like to thank the wonderful care she received from her Alliance Hospice Nurses, Eileen and Amy and her sweet, caring aide, Kia. Also, a big thank you to her morning helper Nicki. She looked forward to your daily visits.
A gathering of friends and family will be at a later date. Private burial will be at Southern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Union Grove, WI. Per Thelma’s request, any donations should be given to the Children’s Library in Kenosha.
