Debora Lynn (Pisarek) Klopp

Dedicated mother

Elevating others

Beautiful

Optimistic

Radiant

Advocate

Although it’s a start, these words don’t even begin to capture the true essence of who Deb Klopp was.

Debora Lynn Klopp, 56, of the village of Maine, died peacefully on Thursday, April 25, 2024, as a result of ovarian cancer.

Deb was born on October 6, 1967, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the daughter of Ronald and Nona (Prusko) Pisarek. She had a happy childhood, growing up in Greendale, Wisconsin, and graduating from Greendale High School. While she was a student there, Deb participated in band, played volleyball and soccer, and was an exchange student to Greendale’s sister school in Rosenheim, Germany.

After graduation, Deb attended UW Parkside, where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. She met the love of her life, Jeffrey Klopp, while working through college at Pizza Hut. Their friendship evolved into a beautiful, loving, and enduring lifelong partnership. Deb and Jeff married in Greendale, Wisconsin in July 1993, and they went on to have two beautiful children, Jonathon and Katelyn. Being a mother was without a doubt the most important thing in the world to Deb, and she was devoted to her beloved family until her last breath.

Deb’s career was mostly with Professional Services Group, LLC, where for more than 30 years she touched the lives of many at-risk children and was determined to help create better lives for them. As driven as she always was, Deb took the All-Agency test nine months into her career and was told by the president of PSG that he had never seen someone score as well as she had. He asked her where she wanted to end up at the company, and she told him, “Your chair”! She later moved from the Kenosha office up to Wausau, where she opened a new branch covering multiple counties, and she became a partner in the company until she retired in September 2020.

In the final years of Deb’s short life, she became a leading advocate for ovarian cancer awareness, educating the community about the disease. She was frustrated that there are no tests for ovarian cancer, and that many times the signs and symptoms are overlooked and dismissed as part of aging. Deb was successful in achieving a proclamation in her name in 2022 from (then) Wausau Mayor Katie Rosenberg, making September “Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month” in the city. Along with other advocates from the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA), Deb also met with Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson, urging him and his colleagues to pass a bill increasing spending for ovarian cancer awareness, since it effects every class, every race, and every age of women.

As mentioned earlier, Deb’s most important achievement, in her eyes, was her children and her marriage. Deb put up with Jeff’s “unique” sense of humor and snoring for almost 32 years, and she said they “usually” appreciated each other. They built a family, built a home, and bought a lake house where they had lots of adventures. Their kids meant everything to Deb, and she knew that they felt the same about her. It was important to Deb to make memories as a family, and they did; travelling, doing adventure walks, fishing, taking boat rides and making the kids fly off the tubes, and telling scary stories at night around the fire with eagles screeching in the background. Deb wanted to be closely involved in her kids’ lives and made sure to make time to volunteer at the kids’ school, as a scout mom, and for the kids’ sports teams. Nothing was more important to her than her family and God.

Those who knew Deb knew that she was a “crazy bird lady” who was always singing, and always laughing. She was a beautiful ray of light that wanted everyone around her to be smiling and to know they were important to her. She put everyone else’s needs first and would not complain to others. Heaven gained an exceptional angel on April 25th.

Deb was survived by her loving husband, Jeffrey Klopp, and her beloved children, Jonathon and Katelyn Klopp, all of the village of Maine, WI; parents, Ronald and Nona (Pruska) of Greendale, WI; brother, Ron Pisarek of Milwaukee, WI; “soul-sister” and best friend, Karen (Edge) Jones of Ocala, FL; numerous in-laws, aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews and nieces. She was predeceased by her maternal and paternal grandparents and her father-in-law, Kenneth Klopp.

The funeral Mass will be celebrated at 12:00 p.m. (Noon) on Thursday, May 9, 2024, at St. Matthew Catholic Church, 229 S. 28th Ave., Wausau. Rev. Sebastian Kolodziejczyk will preside. Visitation will be on Thursday from 9:30 a.m. until time of services at the church.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the following in memory of Deb:

Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA): https://ocrahope.org/get-involved/donate/honor-loved-one/

Special thanks to Dave and Ann Klopp, and family, for all the personal help you gave Deb when she visited M.D. Anderson in Houston.

Peterson/Kraemer Funeral Home, Wausau is in charge of the arrangements. Online condolences may be expressed at www.petersonkraemer.com.