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Joanne Marie Gidley, 88, a noted contributor to Wisconsin's newspaper industry, died Wednesday, Nov. 15, at Cardinal Ridge Assisted Living in Green Bay.

She served as editor of both the Cathedral High School and College of St. Scholastica student newspapers before beginning her journalism career at the Catholic Herald, where she worked as a reporter from 1955 to 1958. After a hiatus to raise her family, she rejoined the workforce in 1977, working in several tourism and advertising roles that allowed her to continue her passion for writing. She also served as a contributor for the Superior Telegram.

Larry Landgraf, who had an extensive career in newspaper advertising, died on Thursday, Nov. 16, in Middleton. He was 98.

A graduate of Hayward High School and UW-Madison, he joined the retail advertising department of Madison Newspapers in 1949. He remained with the company for nearly 50 years, retiring as advertising director in 1989 and from the newspaper in 1998. Landgraf was a past president of the Madison Area Sales and Marketing Executives, Wisconsin Newspaper Advertising Executives Association, and Madison Advertising Federation.

Rick Berg, a Madison native and Isthmus columnist, died on Saturday, Nov. 11, at UW Hospital in Madison. He was 73.

A 1968 graduate of Fort Atkinson High School, he earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from UW-Madison in 1974. He worked in local and state government in Wisconsin for more than 30 years. Berg was a former Madison school board member and former Dane County Republican Party chairman. He ran unsuccessfully for mayor, and also worked as a speechwriter for Gov. Tommy Thompson. Throughout his career in government, he maintained his roots in journalism, writing dozens of pieces for Isthmus, from his conservative perspective.

James "Jim" Edward Zima, a former sports writer for the Green Bay Press-Gazette and a notable community figure, died Tuesday, Sept. 19, in Green Bay. He was 83.

Upon his honorable discharge from the U.S. Navy in 1964, he embarked on a nearly 40-year career with the Press-Gazette, working as a reporter, columnist and copy editor from 1961 to 2000. Even after retirement, he continued to pen a bowling column for another decade.

James F. Christl, former owner of the Mellen Weekly-Record, died on Monday, Nov. 6, at his daughter's home in Phillips. He was 78.

A 1963 graduate of Fargo North Dakota High School, he went on to earn a degree in printing curriculum in 1966 from the North Dakota State School of Science. He began his printing career in Park Falls, where he worked at the Park Falls Herald and MacGregor Litho. On April 1, 1978, he and his wife Sandy took over the Weekly-Record and XL Publishing. His daughter, Kim, continues his legacy, publishing the newspaper today.

Susan K. Abendroth, a former employee of the Markesan Regional Reporter, died Sunday, Nov. 12, in Markesan. She was 79.

A 1961 graduate of Markesan High School, she worked at Green Lake Pharmacy and Green Lake State Bank, and pursued writing studies at the Christian Writers Institute in Wheaton, Illinois. Her career included positions at the Markesan Regional Reporter and the Markesan Public Library. 

Leonard Wagner, a longtime writer and editor for the Green Bay Press-Gazette, died Tuesday, Oct. 10, in Omro. Wagner earned a degree in history in 1958 from St. Norbert College. In college, he played baseball, wrote for the St. Norbert Times student newspaper and served as an assistant in the college news bureau.

After graduating, he began working for the Press-Gazette and its radio station WJPG, where he continued on part-time after being named director of news services at St. Norbert in 1959. In 1961, he joined the Press-Gazette as a full-time sports writer and in 1968, he was named sports editor. He also served as news editor, features editor and columnist over the years. He remained with the newspaper for more than 30 years, retiring in 1992.

Pat Schroeder, daughter of the former owners of the Lake Mills Leader, died on Oct. 5, at the age of 95. Born in Elmhurst, Illinois, the family moved to Lake Mills to run the newspaper when she was 8 years old. She was a 1946 graduate of Lake Mills High School and went on to earn her bachelor's degree in journalism from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, and her master's degree in social work from the University of Kentucky at Louisville.

During college, she worked at her parents' newspaper. She then went on to become editor of the Madison-based Jackson Clinic's Better Health Magazine and spent many years as a therapist with families and children at the Comprehensive Mental Health Services for Delaware County. 

Stuart M. Shapiro, former publisher of the Belleville Recorder, died Tuesday, Oct. 3, at the age of 82.

A graduate from the business school at UW-Madison, he married Wendy Adams in 1983. Shortly thereafter, he took over operation of the Belleville Recorder, which had been owned by Wendy's parents. Through his efforts at the Recorder, as well as volunteer work with local organizations, Shapiro became a relentless booster for the village of Belleville. 

Andris Straumanis, a longtime journalism professor and adviser at UW-River Falls, died Monday, Sept. 11, at the age of 66.

A native of Long Island, New York, Straumanis was a first-generation Latvian-American, his parents having immigrated to the United States two years before he was born. Before joining academia in the 90s, he worked as a photographer, writer and editor at the Minnesota Real Estate Journal, the Elk River (Minn.) Star News, the Monticello (Minn.) Times, and the (Elburn, Ill.) Chronicle West. He was a faculty advisor to The Student Voice, a student-run news organization at the UW-River Falls, where he taught classes in print and online journalism.