Betty A. Marksteiner

Betty Anne Julia Repp Marksteiner died on August 23, 2026.

Betty was born on September 1, 1938, in Chicago to her parents, Andrew John Repp and Signe Antonia Swanson Repp. Betty attended Catholic school and had been active in the theater and enjoyed dancing. She met her future husband, Tony, after being introduced by friends at a family gathering and was escorted home by the handsome, blue-eyed navy man, who insisted on being thanked by having a lunch-date the following day. Betty and Anthony (Tony) Marksteiner, Jr., were married in Chicago in 1959 and have four children, Dennis, David, Donald, and Doreen.

While in Chicago, Betty was very active in the Catholic church serving as president of the Mother's Club and a den mother for the local Boy Scouts, and she was also active in the Swedish club. Betty worked at Columbus Hospital for 12 years starting in the dietary kitchen and later moving into the administration offices, and she also provided day-care services at her home for neighborhood children.

In 1975, Betty and her family, along with her mother, Signe, packed up their belongings and moved north to Wisconsin taking up residence on a small 40-acre hobby farm just outside of Neillsville on River Avenue. Betty and Tony had been drawn to Wisconsin's beauty and its friendly residents after spending summers camping in Wisconsin and driving through the state to Tony's family cabin located on the bay in Upper Michigan.

After arriving in Neillsville, Betty and Tony sold pots and pans door-to-door to make ends-meet before Betty began working at Montgomery Wards and Tony at the Cenex Feed Mill. She also enjoyed cross-stitching and gardening and begrudgingly helped "her boys" with the various animals they collected throughout the years. Betty later worked for the Clark County Press at the front desk and had her own column "The Wooden Spoon" in which she dispensed her unique perspective on cooking family recipes. Then, along with their eldest son, Dennis, Betty and Tony started their own business, Country Gas, selling propane until she and Tony retired in 2000.

Before Tony's passing in 2006, the happy retirees enjoyed exploring the Midwest together and traveling out to the West Coast. They also had a fun time going on cruises to Alaska and the Panama Canal and taking a houseboat trip down the mighty Mississippi. In 2007, to keep herself busy, Betty began working part-time in the gift shop at The Highground Veterans Memorial Park and was proud to meet the many veterans, hear their stories, and thank them for their service. By doing so, it gave her comfort and kept Tony close to her heart and alive in her memory.

Betty is predeceased by her husband, Tony, and her parents, Signe and Andrew Repp, as well as her older brother, Andy Repp. She is survived by her four children, Dennis (Jane) Marksteiner, Dave (Marj) Debevec-Marksteiner, Don Marksteiner, and Doreen (Greg) Zickert. Betty is also survived by her grandchildren, Chris Marksteiner, Kyle Marksteiner, Mandy Marksteiner, Malory (David) Harder, Ronald (Janelle) Thomas, Dave (June Vick) Thomas, and April Thomas; plus, many great and great-great grandchildren, and is further survived by two sisters-in-laws, Dorothy Repp and Christine Penno, and one former sister-in-law, Linda Marksteiner, as well as many nieces and nephews.

The family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the folks at Clark County Rehabilitation & Living Center and to St. Croix Hospice for their kindness and care they provided to Betty.

Friends and family are invited to greet Betty's family from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., Saturday, August 29, 2026, at the Gesche Funeral Home in Neillsville. A graveside service will follow at St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery. A luncheon afterwards will be held at the Zickert residence.

Online Condolences may be made at www.geschefh.com.