Longtime Milwaukee journalist David Behrendt has died at the age of 89, reports Tom Daykin of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

A native of Stevens Point, Behrendt earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from UW-Madison. He went on to work as a reporter for the Decatur (Illinois) Review and joined the The Milwaukee Journal as a reporter in 1960. He became a copy editor in 1970 and an editorial writer the following year. Behrendt later served as editor of the newspaper's Crossroads section, and he was a member of the Journal Sentinel editorial board from 1995 — when the newspaper was formed through The Milwaukee Journal and Milwaukee Sentinel merger — until his retirement in 1998. He also was The Journal‘s editorial page editor from 1984 to 1995.

Susan Kay Siemens, 69, of Janesville, died on Saturday, May 11, at Agrace in Fitchburg after battling an illness.

The former graphic designer was born to Paul and Dolly Siemens in Freeport, Illinois. Later in life, she settled in Janesville and, after exploring different careers, found a passion for graphic design. She ran her own newspaper for a few years, and continued to be involved with design for Evergreen Impact and The Edgerton Reporter.  A private memorial service will be held at a later date.

Former Marshfield News-Herald editor and publisher William “Bill” Heath, 85, of Marshfield, died on May 5, after a battle with heart disease.

After earning a degree in journalism from UW-Madison in 1960, he started his career as a reporter and photographer for the Beloit Daily News, where he was promoted to city editor and, later, to assistant managing editor. In 1971, he and his family moved to Flagstaff, Arizona, where he worked as an editor and reporter for the Arizona Daily Sun. In 1976, the family returned in Wisconsin, and Heath joined the Marshfield News-Herald — first as editor and, later, as editor and publisher. He retired in 2001.