With the same elegance and grace with which she lived her life, Dorothy E. Arneson Kappus, age 100, passed away peacefully on Monday, December 3, 2018.

Dorothy Elizabeth Deignan was born on November 16, 1918 in Kenosha to the late John and Anna (Malone) Deignan. She attended local schools and was a graduate of Kenosha High School.

Just after her 18^th birthday she married Thomas J. Arneson, Jr. in St. Mary’s Catholic Church. They brought two daughters into the world and spent over 41 years together until Tommy passed away on July 21, 1978.

An energetic gal, Dorothy was a member of St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church; a member of the Kenosha Country Club; served as past president of the Catholic Jr. League and St. James Home and School; was a charter member and volunteer with St. Catherine’s Hospital Auxiliary; and was a Gift Community Chairperson for the Kenosha Chapter of the Wisconsin Heart Association, and was a Friend of the Museum.

On June 18, 1997 she married Dr. Harold C. Kappus in St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church. Sadly, Harold passed away on November 4, 1997.

Life’s greatest treasures seemed to be abundant in Dorothy’s life. She always felt fortunate to have such a large and loving family. Her daughters, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and niece all enjoyed her company and learned from her incredible sense of style and humor. She loved her days spent playing bridge, and was a serious player. She came to miss spending hours in her many flower gardens, both at her Kenosha home and at her lake home. Dorothy truly believed that if you plant a flower, there will be a tomorrow. Above all, she adored entertaining! Nothing was simple, except the marvelous ways she could take the ordinary and make it extraordinary. Fresh flowers, a sprig of something from the garden and a lovely delicate ribbon transformed her home…and the experience of her guests. She knew just the right things to say and lived by a code of ethics that the rest of the world could (and should) learn from. She was always proper, but that sparkle in her eye told you she had a lifetime of good times.

Dorothy leaves a marvelous legacy to remember her: two daughters: Suellyn Scoon of Racine and Kathryn A. (James) Freeman of Willmington, NC; her eight grandchildren; her twenty four great grandchildren; and six great-great grandchildren.  Dorothy is further survived by her brother-in-law, Art Bruen; her niece, Kathleen (Roger) Owen; her nephew, Bernard (Joanne) Latham; her former sons-in-law, Robert (Judy Pitz) Scoon and William Lienau; and her many close friends who will miss her dearly.

Along with her parents and her husbands, Dorothy was preceded in death by her sister, Geraldine Herman.

Service Info

Funeral Services honoring Dorothy’s life will be held on Friday, December 7, 2018. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. at St. James Catholic Church, 5821 10th Avenue. Relatives and friends are asked to meet at the church for the Mass.