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Jerold Johnson, whose early journalism career included a stint at the Marshfield News-Herald, died Saturday, May 22, in Farmington, N.M. He was 93.

An Abbotsford native, Johnson spent several years working in the business office of the Chicago Tribune before joining the U.S. Air Force in November 1951.

Following his military discharge in September 1955, Johnson enrolled at UW-Madison, where he earned his journalism degree before joining the Marshfield News-Herald's newsroom. After four years at the newspaper, he went on to work for the Douglas (Ariz.) Daily Dispatch and the Farmington (N.M.) Daily Times.

Louis E. "Lou" Brandt, a former WNA Board member who in the 1970s served as editor and publisher of the Chilton Times-Journal, died Friday, June 4, at his home in Chilton.

Brandt began working at the Times-Journal in 1961 and purchased the newspaper in 1970. He served as editor and publisher until selling the Times-Journal to Gary and Linda Vercauteren in September 1979. Brandt also was a member of the WNA Board of Directors during his time as publisher.

Mary Jane Spletter, who started her writing career as a reporter for the Milwaukee Sentinel, died Thursday, May 6, at her home in Oakland, Calif. She was 74.

She graduated in 1965 from Appleton’s Xavier High School, where she served as editor of her high school newspaper, before going on to study journalism at UW-Madison, where she was president of the Coranto Sigma Iota professional journalism sorority. 

After graduating in 1969, Spletter took a reporter role at the Milwaukee Sentinel, where she worked for four years before moving to Berkeley, Calif., where she went on to a long career in public information and technical writing.

Joseph Fumo, who started his career as a Wisconsin newspaper reporter before going on to become an author and technical writer, died Monday, May 24, at his home in Black Mountain, N.C. He was 66.

After earning his journalism degree from UW-Madison, he worked as a reporter for The Mauston Star, the Beloit Daily News and The (Passaic, N.J.) Herald-News. He later became a technical writer, most recently working for Trane Technologies.

Laurie Van Dyke, who worked more than 30 years at the Milwaukee Sentinel and served as Milwaukee Press Club president in the mid-1980s, died Tuesday, May 18, in Denton, Texas. She was 93.

After graduating from Drake University, Van Dyke began her career in Iowa with roles at the Fort Dodge Messenger and Cedar Rapids Gazette. 

In 1960, she joined the women’s news department of The Milwaukee Journal, moving to the Milwaukee Sentinel two years later, after the Journal bought the Sentinel. Starting out as a reporter, she climbed the ranks within the newsroom, eventually becoming the newspaper's first female assistant city editor. She later served as day city editor and assistant managing editor.

Bernice Schnell, who worked many years at the (Manitowoc) Herald Times Reporter, died Friday, May 14, in New Holstein. She was 88.

Schnell worked at the Herald Times Reporter until her retirement. Outside work, she enjoyed baking, camping and fishing, and she served as a 4H leader in Cleveland.

Yvonne (Gulligan) Pedersen, who with her husband was a co-owner of the Juneau County Star-Times in Mauston, died Wednesday, April 28, in Madison. She was 96.

In 1962, Yvonne and her former husband, Kenneth “Kenny” Bogert, moved to Mauston, where the couple, along with Larry Arnold, purchased the Mauston Star and Juneau County Chronicle. The newspapers were later merged with Arnold’s New Lisbon Times-Argus to form the Juneau County Star-Times.

Susan Sorenson, who worked many years for Community Newspapers, Inc., died Monday, May 10, in Waukesha. She was 75.

Sorenson served as a reporter and editor for Community Newspapers, which at one time published nearly two dozen weekly newspapers in the suburban Milwaukee area. The group of papers, many of which have since merged, is currently known as the Now News Group.

Virginia Lane Ryan, who wrote a local history series for the (Grantsburg) Burnett County Sentinel, died Wednesday, May 5, in Grantsburg. She was 89.

Ryan, who enrolled at UW-Superior at age 55 and went on to earn her bachelor's degree in biology, served as a historical speaker at local schools and wrote the “Soderbeck Ferry Tales” local history series, for the Sentinel. In both, Ryan shared her knowledge of family and local history.

Joan Kathleen Hansen, who served as a columnist for The Clintonville Chronicle and Clintonville Tribune-Gazette, died Wednesday, April 28, at her Shawano County home. She was 76.

Tricia Rose, publisher of the Chronicle, shared her memories of Hansen in a column Tuesday. Rose noted that when starting the newspaper in 2009, she was encouraged by several people to hire Hansen, also known as “Red.”