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Donald A. Castonia, who worked as a reporter at The (Appleton) Post-Crescent for more than 40 years, died Thursday, July 13. He was 87.

Castonia joined the Post-Crescent in 1960, and was among the team of business writers who helped launch the newspaper's weekly business publication in February 1998 before retiring that summer. After retirement, he continued to serve as a correspondent for the newspaper for several years.

Longtime Wisconsin journalist Donald (Don) E. Lewis, 88, of Oshkosh, died May 29, at home with his wife, Jo Ann, by his side.

After graduating with a bachelor's degree in journalism from UW-Madison, Lewis worked as a reporter for the Oshkosh Daily Northwestern for 10 years before moving his family to Milwaukee to begin his career with The Milwaukee Journal in June 1966. He went on to become a feature editor for the newspaper, retiring when the Milwaukee Journal and Milwaukee Sentinel merged in March 1995.

Rose Signe Bergh, of Buffalo City, died on April 29. She was 97.

In 1951, she moved to Ellsworth, where she worked as a linotype operator at the Beldenville Reporter. She would later do similar work for the Durand Courier, the Rochester (Minn.) Weekly and Fields Printing.

James F. Scotton, a longtime Wisconsin journalist and teacher, died on May 28, in Bayside. He was 91.

A native of Boston, Scotton earned a bachelor's degree in literature from Boston University and a master's degree in political science and Ph.D. in mass Communication from UW-Madison, where he was a teaching assistant. He then worked for newspapers in North Carolina and Wisconsin, including The Capital Times in Madison and The Associated Press, before becoming a college professor. He spent 37 years at Marquette University, where he was Dean, department chair and a faculty member, before retiring in 2015.

Mary Beth Murphy, a longtime Milwaukee journalist, died May 26 of metastatic breast cancer at her home in Raleigh, North Carolina. She was 78.

Murphy joined the Milwaukee Sentinel in 1969. She first covered women’s issues, then the Milwaukee County Juvenile Court System and finally religion — a beat that she would transform during her tenure. She interviewed popes, archbishops, priests, parishioners, and victims of sexual assaults by priests and other clerics. In 2003, she was inducted into the Milwaukee Press Club Hall of Fame.

Elizabeth R. "Betty" Schilling, of Chilton, died on May 24,at Ascension Mercy Medical Center in Oshkosh. She was 82.
Born Feb. 12, 1941, to Elmer and Adeline Sohrweide, Schilling was a reporter almost all of her adult life. Working for Wisconsin newspapers for more than 50 years, her byline appeared in publications including The (Fond du Lac) Reporter, The Sheboygan Press, The (Appleton) Post-Crescent, Manitowoc Herald-Times, Green Bay Press-Gazette and Chilton Journal.

Donald G. “Fuzzy” Foster, 84, of Marshfield, died on Saturday, May 13, at his home.

Born on May 18, 1938, in Phillips to David G. and Anna Foster, he graduated from Phillips High School in 1956. After graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Okinawa, Japan. After his honorable discharge, Fuzzy worked at the Phillips Bee newspaper where his father was the editor and owner.

Former Wisconsin journalist Linda Christopherson, of Beloit, died unexpectedly on Monday, March 13, at Beloit Memorial Hospital. She was 73.

During her career, Linda worked in the communications department at Beloit College, served as an educator for the Beloit school district and Blackhawk Technical College, and wrote for The (Beloit) Chronicle and The Onion. She also was a member of the MENSA Society. 

Joe Fazendin, who owned the Stanley Republican for more than three decades, died on Thursday, March 16, at his home in Stanley. He was 83.

Before moving to Wisconsin, the Minnesota native worked for the St. Charles (Minn.) Press, as well as IBM in Rochester, Minn. He owned the Fulda (Minn.) Free Press for three years before he and his wife purchased the Stanley Republican. He served as publisher of the newspaper for more than 35 years before selling it in 2004.

Arlys Jean Hawkes, a Menomonie native who previously owned two Jefferson County newspapers with her husband, Dennis L. Hawkes, died on March 9. She was 89.

In 1965, the couple purchased the Lake Mills Leader and Leader Printing Company, and in 1979, they purchased the Cambridge News. She worked full-time and remained active in the business until the newspapers were sold in 1999.