Margaret M. (Peggy) Anderson (1927-2020)

Margaret “Peggy” (LeBlanc) Anderson, who with her husband owned and operated several weekly newspapers, was born Nov. 12, 1927, in Crosby, Minn., to George and Mary (Belmore) LeBlanc. She was one of eight children. In 1946, she graduated from Crosby-Ironton High School.

Two years later, she married Robert D. Anderson on Jan. 3, 1948, in Crosby. Together they had eight children, 16 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.

Bob and Peggy owned and operated several weekly newspapers over the years, including papers in Menomonee Falls and Sauk City. In 1975, they moved to Medford, where Peggy worked in production and Bob served as publisher of The Star News until 1992.

Peggy died Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020, at her home in Medford. She was 93.

Thomas G. Besl (1934-2020)

Thomas G. “Tom” Besl, who for many years owned weekly newspapers in Melrose and Cashton, was born Dec. 14, 1934, in La Crosse to Sylvester and Viola Besl. After graduating from La Crosse’s Aquinas High School in 1953, he joined the U.S. Air Force and served as an aerial photographer during the Korean War.

On June 10, 1959, Tom married Sandra Schmidt at Holy Trinity Catholic Church. Together they had five children — Kim, Kelly, Kerry, Kristen and Thom — and nine grandchildren.

In 1960, Tom and Sandy moved to Melrose, where they owned and operated the Melrose Chronicle weekly newspaper for 42 years. They also later purchased the Cashton Record.

Tom died Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020, at his home in Melrose. He was 85.

Robert Lee Bradford II (1938-2019)

Robert Lee Bradford II, a longtime newspaper publisher in Minnesota and Wisconsin, was born Nov. 4, 1938, in Bertha, Minn., to Robert Lee and Jeanne Milbrath Bradford. His father was publisher of the Verndale Sun and Moose Lake Star Gazette.

After graduating from Moose Lake High School, Robert attended Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and in 1960, he graduated from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. His first job out of college was at the Austin (Minn.) Daily Herald before he returned to Moose Lake to work alongside his father at the Star Gazette.

Robert went on to buy numerous newspapers over the years in Minnesota and Wisconsin, including the New Richmond News and (Grantsburg) Burnett County Sentinel. He was named Publisher of the Year by the Wisconsin Newspaper Association in 1973.

Robert died Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2019, at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis. He was 80.

Daniel Brandenburg (1950-2019)

Daniel Brandenburg, longtime owner and publisher of The Marion Advertiser, was born Oct. 6, 1950, in Clintonville, to Joseph and Lois (Wulk) Brandenburg. He graduated from Marion High School in 1969 and from Viterbo College in La Crosse, where he earned a degree in printing and publishing. On July 7, 1973, he married his wife, Patsy. Together they had one daughter, Angie.

Dan, who delivered newspapers as a kid, started working at the Marion Advertiser in high school. He spent more than 50 years at the paper, including 30 as owner after he bought the paper in 1985 from longtime publisher Leland “Korny” Krueger.

In February 2017, Brandenburg was diagnosed with stomach cancer. In spite of the diagnosis, Dan, Patsy and Angie continued to put the newspaper out every week.

Dan died Monday, Aug. 26, 2019, after battling stomach cancer. He was 68.

James Michael Brayer (1945-2017)

James “Jim” Michael Brayer, co-founder of the Agri-View agricultural newspaper, was born June 17, 1945, in Milwaukee, and grew up in Marshfield. He earned his journalism degree from UW-Madison in 1967 and married his wife, Cathy Weichelt, on Aug. 24, 1968.

Jim proudly served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. After stints at Montgomery Ward and the Marshfield News-Herald, Jim launched Agri-View, a statewide agricultural newspaper, along with three business partners.

Jim continued to put his entrepreneurial skills to use throughout his life, later starting a telecommunications business called Dialtone 2000 and, along with his son, a tiling company called Lincoln James Tiling. Together, Jim and Cathy had two children and six grandchildren.

James died Friday, Nov. 3, 2017, in Green Valley, Ariz. He was 72.

Joan K. Brown (1931-2020)

Joan Katherine (Pritzlaff) Brown, who with her husband served as co-owner of the Oconomowoc Enterprise, was born July 31, 1931, to Waldemar and Florence (Merrill) Pritzlaff in Milwaukee. She graduated from Oconomowoc High School in 1949 and went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in biology from what was then known as Carroll College.

Joan married Bruce Conner Brown on Nov. 20, 1954. Together they had five children, 12 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Bruce Brown’s father, C.W. Brown, bought the Oconomowoc Enterprise in 1936. It remained in the family until 1990, when the newspaper was sold to Conley Publishing.

During their time as co-owners, Bruce led the newspaper’s commercial printing operations, while Joan wrote a column for the newspaper called “I Must Be Nuts.” Bart Brown, Bruce’s brother, served as editor of the newspaper.

Joan died Friday, Nov. 20, 2020, at her home in Oconomowoc. She was 89.

Frank W. Christopherson, Jr. (1927-2020)

Frank W. Christopherson, Jr., who served as owner and publisher of two newspapers in Bayfield County, was born May 24, 1927, in Superior, to Frank and Yvonne (St. George) Christopherson. After graduating from high school, he went on to attend Superior State College and served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. In May 1950, he married Marilyn Long in Superior.

For many years, the Christophersons owned and operated two newspapers in Bayfield County, the Iron River Pioneer and the Bayfield Press. During their time as newspaper owners, Frank served as publisher and Marilyn served as editor.

Frank also served as a Democratic member of the Wisconsin state Assembly and state Senate. Following two terms in the Assembly, he served in the Senate from 1963 to 1967. During his political career, Marilyn served as Frank’s campaign manager.

Frank died Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020, in Duluth, Minn. He was 93.

Marilyn J. Christopherson (1929-2019)

Marilyn J. (Long) Christopherson, who served as owner and editor of two newspapers in Bayfield County, was born Oct. 10, 1929, in Superior to Milton and Etta Long. After graduating from Central High School in 1947, she went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in education from Superior State College. In May 1950, Marilyn married Frank W. Christopherson Jr., in Superior. Together they had five children, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Marilyn held a variety of jobs during her working career, including as campaign manager for her husband, who served as a Democratic member of the Wisconsin state Senate from 1963 to 1967. He also served two terms in the state Assembly prior to joining the Senate.

Marilyn also was editor of the Iron River Pioneer and Bayfield Press when the couple owned the two newspapers. Frank served as publisher. When they weren’t running the newspapers, the Christophersons were known to spend countless hours volunteering.

Marilyn died Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2019, in Duluth, Minn. She was 89.

James E. Conley, Jr. (1943-2020)

James “Jim” Conley, Jr., founder of Conley Publishing Group, was born Aug. 31, 1943, in Madison to James E. Conley, MD and Lillian Quirk Conley. He started his newspaper career in 1967 at The Wall Street Journal before returning to Wisconsin two years later.

In 1969, Jim purchased his first newspaper, the (Beaver Dam) Daily Citizen. Under his ownership, the Daily Citizen expanded operations, adding weekly newspapers and a printing division. The Daily Citizen was sold to Capital Newspapers in 2001.

Jim would go on to own several other newspapers in the eastern part of the state, including The (Waukesha) Freeman, (West Bend) Daily News, Oconomowoc Enterprise, and the (Cedarburg) News-Graphic. Those four publications now comprise the newspaper division of Conley Publishing Group, of which Jim’s wife Rhonda R. Smith now serves as president and CEO.

Jim also started two city magazines during his journalism career, Tucson Lifestyle in 1983, MKE Lifestyle in 1993, and in 1990, he began publishing a trade magazine for the media industry, News & Tech.

Jim died Friday, March 20, 2020, in Aiken, S.C. He was 76.

Paula Jean DeWitt (1944-2020)

Paula Jean (Klatt) DeWitt, who with her husband co-owned the (Glenwood City) Tribune Press Reporter and the Colfax Messenger, was born Dec. 31, 1944, in Menomonie to Paul and Bernice (Alseth) Klatt. She grew up on the family farm in the Dunn County town of Stanton and graduated from Glenwood City High School in 1963.

Paula and Carlton DeWitt were married July 20, 1963, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Menomonie. Together they had three sons — Shawn, Alexander and Joel — six grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.

The DeWitts purchased the Glenwood City Tribune and later added the Boyceville Press-Reporter in 1984, which they merged with the Tribune to form the Tribune Press Reporter. In 1995, they added the Colfax Messenger, which they purchased from longtime owner and publisher Lyle Christianson.

Paula DeWitt oversaw the newspapers’ accounting and billing, while Carlton DeWitt serves as publisher for both newspapers and editor of the Tribune Press Reporter. Shawn DeWitt, their son, is editor of the Messenger, in addition to serving as advertising and circulation director for both newspapers.

Paula died Monday, Sept. 14, 2020, at her home, following a battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 75.

James M. Frederikson (1948-2019)

James Michael Frederikson, who in the 1970s owned the Banner Journal,  was born March 15, 1948, to Arthur and Retha Frederikson. He graduated from Black River Falls High School and earned his journalism degree from UW-Whitewater.

In October 1971, just months after graduating college, James bought his hometown newspaper, the Banner Journal. He served as publisher and editor for seven years, while also writing his “Just Jim” column.

In 1978, James sold the Banner Journal and moved to Yuma, Ariz., where he served as sports editor for the Yuma Daily Sun. His journalism career continued until 1985, when he became public relations director for the Yuma Regional Medical Center.

James died Wednesday, July 31, 2019. He was 71.

Mary Ann Gardon (1928-2021)

Mary Ann (Pesch) Gardon, longtime editor and publisher of the Peshtigo Times and a lifelong Peshtigo resident, was born Oct. 6, 1928, to Leo J. (L.J.) and Anna M. (Smegoski) Pesch. With her father serving as owner and editor, the Times was the family business.

Mary Ann and Charles “Chuck” Gardon married March 31, 1951, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Peshtigo. Together they had 12 children.

Gardon started working at the Times at age nine and began helping with the bookkeeping at age 14. She continued working at the newspaper until after her 90th birthday. Following her father’s death in 1981, Gardon served as editor and publisher until her retirement.

Mary Ann died Monday, Feb. 1, 2021, in Peshtigo. She was 92.

John Ph. Graf (1950-2020)

John Philipp Graf, who was the second-longest serving publisher of the Galesville Republican, was born Oct. 22, 1950, to Philipp and Anna (Pfister) Graf, who lived near Hokah, Minn. He grew up near Appleton and graduated in 1968 from Hortonville High School. In 1972, John earned his degree in mass communications from UW-Stevens Point.

John married Lois Hoftizer in Madison on May 5, 1979. They had six children — Beth, Susanne, Philipp, Martha, Lydia and Markus — and seven grandchildren.

Newspapering was John’s lifelong career. He worked in a variety of roles, including as a reporter, photographer, typesetter, proofreader, graphic designer, publisher and owner. In 1985, he purchased the Galesville Republican weekly newspaper, where he served as owner and publisher for 25 years.

Graf had a passion for providing local news to his local communities and was actively involved in the Galesville Chamber of Commerce, serving several terms as president. He sold the newspaper in 2011 to News Publishing Co., which merged it with the Whitehall Times and Arcadia News-Leader to form the Trempealeau County Times. After retirement, Graf served six years as Galesville’s mayor.

John died Friday, June 5, 2020, at his home in Galesville. He was 69.

William (Bill) Hale (1941-2020)

William “Bill” Hale, former owner of the Grant County Herald Independent in Lancaster and several other community newspapers, was born Feb. 16, 1942. He came to Wisconsin from Pleasant Hill, Mo., where he ran The Times, which won state and national awards during his tenure.

Bill owned and published the Grant County Herald Independent in Lancaster for 18 years before selling his newspaper group to Morris Newspapers in 2002. At the time of the sale, he also owned The Boscobel Dial, (Gays Mills) Crawford County Independent, Fennimore Times and the Tri-County Press in Cuba City.

Former employees and colleagues remembered Bill as a great publisher, community supporter and friend. These qualities were reflected in an editorial he wrote for his first issue of the Herald Independent. The editorial stated that while a newspaper was a business, it also must earn the public’s trust by providing the news, both good and bad.

Bill died April 1, 2020, in Florida, following a long battle with cancer. He was 78.

Hans Hamm (1924-2020)

Hans Hamm, who was a longtime co-owner, business manager and advertising director of The Waukesha Freeman, was born on April 1, 1924, in Milwaukee to Victor Carl and Pearl Morgan Hamm. He attended Riverside High School before majoring in engineering at the University of Wisconsin, now known as UW-Madison. It was at the UW that Hamm met his future wife, Joan Youmans.

Following a brief engineering career, Hans joined The Freeman, where Joan’s mother, Josephine Youmans, was then publisher. He held several positions at the newspaper, including business manager and advertising director. Hans and Joan also were among the co-owners of the newspaper, until 1979, when the Youmans, Wellford and Hamm families sold the newspaper to the Des Moines Register and Tribune Co.

Hans was a strong believer in giving back to his community, serving several years on the Waukesha Memorial Hospital board and heading up the United Way fund drive. He also served as president of the Waukesha YMCA.

Hans died Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020, in Waukesha. He was 95.

Bill Hesse (1933-2016) and Jean Hesse (1934-2019)

Bill and Jean Hesse, former owners of the Loyal Tribune, ran the newspaper for seven years in the 1960s.

William D. “Bill” Hesse was born Jan. 12, 1933, on a farm near Plummer, Minn., the youngest of ten children born to William J. and Elizabeth K. (Cunningham) Hesse.

A little over a year later, Jean Marie (McGuire) Hesse was born April 15, 1934, in Waseca, Minn., to George and Dorothy (Miller) McGuire.

On Oct. 29, 1960, Bill and Jean Hesse were married in Waseca, Minn.

They moved to Loyal, Wis., a year later when they bought a local community newspaper.

Beginning in November 1961, the couple ran the Loyal Tribune, as well as a commercial printing shop.

They sold the newspaper in 1968 to Robert and Florence Berglund, who also bought the Spencer Record and Greenwood Gleaner before combining the three newspapers into the Tribune-Record-Gleaner in June 1969.

Bill died Sunday, Dec. 4, 2016, in Appleton. He was 83.

Jean died Monday, June 3, 2019, in Appleton. She was 85.

Nora Krueger (1933-2020)

Nora Lydia (Janke) Krueger, who with her husband owned The Marion Advertiser for nearly two decades, was born June 28, 1933, in Symco to Louis and Alma Janke. She grew up on the family farm and graduated from Clintonville High School in 1951. She went on to attend the Teachers’ College at UW-Oshkosh, graduating in 1953.

She married Leland H. “Korny” Krueger on May 21, 1955, at St. Mark Lutheran Church in Symco. They were married 63 years, until Korny’s death in July 2018. Together they had four children — Mark, Kurt, Jane and Mona — as well as seven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

In August 1967, Nora and Korny purchased the Marion Advertiser. They operated the weekly newspaper and print shop as a family business until Dec. 1, 1985. That year their son, Kurt Krueger, became editor of the Vilas County News-Review in Eagle River, where he now serves as publisher.

Nora died Monday, Nov. 30, 2020. She was 87.

Steve Lyles (1969-2019)

Steven Gary Lyles, former publisher of Journal Community Publishing Group, was born Feb. 28, 1969, and graduated from Arrowhead High School in Hartland. He died unexpectedly at age 50, collapsing at work following a workout.

Steve served on the WNA Board of Directors from 2013 to 2017, when he left Journal Community Publishing to accept a job as vice president of sales and support at Liturgical Publications, Inc., in New Berlin. He was known by many for his optimistic outlook and compassionate demeanor.

Steve was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed doing projects (especially making birdhouses) in his yard. He loved to travel with his family and was always up for an adventure. For the last 20+ years of his life, he could be found refereeing on local basketball courts.

Steve died Tuesday, May 28, 2019, after he collapsed at work following a workout. He was 50.

Daniel M. Maglior (1970-2020)

Daniel M. “Dan” Maglior, who served as publisher for the Waushara Argus and spent more than 20 years in the newspaper industry, was born May 10, 1970, in Chicago to Tony and Joyce (Hicks) Maglior. He married his wife, Liz, on Jan. 2, 2010, and together they had a son, Ben.

In June 1997, Dan got his start in the industry as an account executive for Add Inc and the Buyers Guide group in Waupaca. After the group was acquired by Journal Community Publishing Group in 2003, Maglior served in several roles with the company, including sales manager. He later took a similar role at Multi Media Channels.

Dan was named publisher of the Waushara Argus in June 2016, after joining the newspaper six months earlier. He served in the role under Mary Kunasch, senior publisher of the Argus and Central Wisconsin Resorter. Most recently, Maglior worked as a salesman for The Advertiser and Times Press in Seymour.

Dan died unexpectedly Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, at his home in Waupaca. He was 49.

Edward James (Jim) McLoone (1928-2020)

Edward James “Jim” McLoone, longtime publisher of the Lake Country Reporter and founder of Lake Country Publications, was born Dec. 11, 1928. He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War, stationed at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida and Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma. He spent part of his time in Florida assigned to public information, writing news releases and reporting on the base’s sports teams.

Jim was the longtime publisher of the Lake Country Reporter and founder of Lake Country Publications. He spent 48 years in the weekly newspaper business, first in Minnesota and then in Wisconsin. His enterprise ultimately included four weeklies, one semi-weekly, a monthly and two shoppers.

In 1960, his Lake Country Reporter had a circulation of 1,700. When he “semi-retired” in 1990, his network of publications had swelled to a total circulation of more than 100,000. He continued to edit the “50 Plus” news magazine and was a contributor and proofreader for other publications owned by the family. For four years in a row, “50 Plus” captured first place for “Overall Excellence” in the North American Mature Publishers Assn. competition.

Jim was inducted into the Wisconsin Newspaper Hall of Fame in 2002. His son, John McLoone, publishes the Pierce County Journal in Prescott and the Stanley Republican.

Jim died Thursday,April 9, 2020, at his home in Hartland. He was 91.

Mary Therese McLoone (1929-2021)

Mary Therese (Finley) McLoone, who with her husband founded Lake Country Publications, was born June 30, 1929, to Herbert and Gertude Finley. She grew up in Janesville, Minn., and graduated from the College of St. Teresa in Winona.

While in college, she met her future husband, Jim McLoone, and they were married June 13, 1953, at Saint Ann Catholic Church in Janesville. The McLoones had eight children in total: Pat, Maureen, Sheila, Katie, John, Mary, James and Bridget.

McLoone and her husband moved several times, first for his military training in Oklahoma and later for several newspaper positions. They bought their first newspaper in Stewartville, Minn., and in 1960 relocated to Hartland, Wis.

After moving to Hartland, Jim and Mary McLoone founded the Lake Country Reporter and its parent company, Lake Country Publications. The company ultimately included four weeklies, one semi-monthly and two shoppers before they sold it in 1990.

Mary died Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021, at her home. She was 91.

Ernest Richard Moore (1956-2019)

Ernest Richard “Ernie” Moore, former owner of the Iron County Miner newspaper in Hurley, was born June 1, 1956, in Fond du Lac, to Howard William Moore and Anna Adeline Moore. He grew up in Ironwood, Mich., where he graduated from Luther L. Wright High School in 1974.

After high school, Ernie earned a technical printing degree in Green Bay and a bachelor’s degree at Winona State University in Minnesota. He later added an MBA from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Ernie served in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Anchorage, Alaska, where he met his wife, Carla Echols.

In 1992, Ernie took over as publisher of the Iron County Miner for his father, Howard “Bill” Moore. The newspaper has been in the family since Bill Moore purchased it with two partners in 1970 and took sole ownership three years later. Ernie’s son, Michael, succeeded him as publisher.

Ernie died unexpectedly Sunday, June 16, 2019, while traveling home from a trip with his son. He was 63.

Marjorie G. Nelson (1924-2019)

Marjorie G. (Currey) Nelson, who with her husband founded the Burnett County Sentinel, was born in a farmhouse in Ekdall, Wis., on May 10, 1924, to Walter T. and Olive M. V. Currey. After attending high school in Grantsburg, she attended Polk County Teachers College in St. Croix Falls and earned her degree at what is now UW-Superior.

While working as an elementary school teacher in Bruce, Wis., she met and married her husband, Wilbur “Bill” Nelson. They would have three children together.

In October 1962, the Nelsons moved to Burnett County, which at the time was without a weekly newspaper. Bill and Marge founded the Burnett County Sentinel in Grantsburg, and the newspaper remained in the family for the next three decades. For many years, Marge also wrote an award-winning column, “This ‘N That” for the newspaper.

When Bill Nelson died in 1975, Marge continued operating the newspaper with her son, Gary. He would later purchase her share of the business and operated the newspaper until selling in 1994.

Marjorie died Thursday, May 2, 2019, in Grantsburg. She was 94.

Stanton Steuri (1931-2020)

Stanton P. Steuri, who in the 1950s was one of the youngest newspaper owners in Wisconsin, was born Aug. 18, 1931, in Monroe to Helen Elizabeth Silver and Peter F. Steuri. In about 1953, Stanton married his wife, Barbara. Together they had three children — Sally, Susan and Pete — as well as eight grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren.

In his 20s, Stanton was one of the youngest newspaper owners in Wisconsin. He ran The Albany Herald with his mother and wife until 1961, when the newspaper was sold and Stanton was called into active duty in the U.S. Army.

Upon his return from his military service, Stanton took a job with the The Monroe Times. He remained with the Times until 1975, serving in roles including production manager and acting editor. Stanton moved west after ending his newspaper career. He went on to work as a real estate agent and later became a Methodist pastor.

Stanton died Thursday, Nob. 26, 2020, in Salt Lake City. He was 89.