Former reporter Jean A. Vanden Branden died on Feb. 14 at the age of 94.
A native of Green Bay, she was born on Sept. 21, 1928, to Helena (Denissen) and Charles Katers. She graduated in 1946 from St. Joseph’s Academy in Green Bay, and on August 26, 1950, she married Don Vanden Branden.
After marrying, the couple moved to Madison, where Jean worked at the Capitol. They later moved to Menasha where they raised their four children. Jean obtained her broker’s license in real estate and worked as a reporter for the Catholic monthly newspaper, The Compass.
Jean loved taking classes in creative writing, the German language, and participating in investment clubs. Jean and Don were avid Packers fans, were in the stands during the “ice bowl”, and passed the tradition on to her family. As the true matriarch of the family, Jean never missed celebrating family birthdays and holidays, especially around her dining room table.
Jean was preceded in death by her husband and survived by her children Carla Vanden Branden, Kay Vanden Branden, Thomas Vanden Branden and Mark (Karen) Vanden Branden.
A funeral mass was held on Thursday, February 23, 2023, at St. Margaret Mary’s Catholic Church, 620 Division Street, Neenah, followed by burial at Allouez Catholic Cemetery in Green Bay.
