Dorene Dean (Ruka) Salituro, age 85, passed away at her residence on Saturday, March 11, 2023 surrounded by her loving family.

Dorene was born on March 17, 1937 in Kenosha, she was the daughter of the late Lester and Edith (Hardegen) Ruka. She attended local schools and graduated from Mary D. Bradford High School. She received her cosmetology license through an apprenticeship program.

On August 15, 1959 Dorene was united in marriage to Chester Salituro, who preceded her in death in December 2013.

Dorene was employed by Madonna Beauty Salon, VI Christensen Beauty Salon and Cut n Curl Beauty Salon. She also worked as a unit secretary for Kenosha Memorial Hospital.  Eventually, along with her business partner, Dorene opened her own business called The Golden Years, where they would do clients hair in the comfort of their own homes or in nursing homes.

She attended St. Mary’s Catholic Church and was a member of the Southport Quilters Guild.

Dorene was extremely talented in quilting, sewing, knitting and crocheting. She made each family member a Christmas tree skirt and everyone looked forward to her knitted dish cloths. She loved to bake and was famous for her homemade Biscotti and Genetti cookies. Over the years, she made thousands of cookies and graciously shared them with many people and always brought a tray of fresh cookies to every event she attended. She was well known for her delicious homemade pizza, which she served every year at the end of her 4^th of July picnic/party. She was an avid collector of porcelain dolls and exhibited them throughout her home. She believed the saying, “that the one who dies with the most fabric wins.”  She loved to volunteer and make raffle baskets to donate to various charities. She was a union supporter throughout her life and continued to watch CNN daily, so she was up to date on politics. Dorene was very active in Girl Scouts when her daughters were young.

Left to cherish Dorene’s legacy are her children, Debra (Dennis) Capozza and Denise (Oscar) Villalobos; her grandchildren, Matthew (Laurie Mueller) Prenis, Anthony (Alexis) Villalobos, Angela (Paul) Hoffman and Tiffany Werwie-Czebotar; her great grandchildren, Summer Powell, Rosalynn Werwie, Ava Hoffman, Alec Hoffman and Victoria Villalobos; her sister, Eva Fluhrer, her brother-in-law, Sam Salituro; sisters-in-law, Emilia and Nancy Salituro and many loved nieces and nephews.

Along with her parents and her husband Chester, Dorene was preceded in death by her sisters, Helen Wallace and Marilyn (Pinky) Barter; her brother John Parmeter and her brothers-in-law, Michael Salituro, Tom Barter and Albert Fluhrer.

Service Info

Funeral services honoring Dorene’s life will be held on Saturday, March 18, 2023.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 7400 39^th Ave.

Entombment will follow in All Saints Mausoleum.

A visitation for Dorene will be held on Friday, March 17, 2023 from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m and on Saturday, March 18, 2023 from 8:30 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. at the Piasecki Funeral Home.  The family asks that you wear green to her visitation in honor of her St. Patrick’s Day Birthday.

A special thank you to her friend and caregiver Jo Lindner, the nursing staff at Froedtert South, Hospice Alliance and her special nephew, Jack Cross who never forgot her birthday.