Lee A. Hafemann

La Crosse, WI/Newport, VT

Lee Hafemann died November 10, 2023.

He will miss the rest of the party and sends regrets, but is moderately mollified he won't be coughing up $13,000+ annually to insurance, hospital and pharmaceutical confederacies.

He was born June 19, 1953 in Green Bay, WI to Betty (Chapek) Hafemann and R. John Hafemann on their 5th anniversary. He endured an idyllic childhood in West Bend, WI, and was graduated from Concord, NH, High School. He briefly attended colleges then gathered a remarkable number of W-2s while drifting back to Wisconsin where he understood the social organization. He moved to La Crosse in 1980 and stayed because of the Pump House Regional Arts Center, WLSU/WHLA, La Crosse Area Jazz Society, La Crosse Community Theatre and Voices in the Light.

He is survived by wife Bonnie (Foote) Hafemann, daughters Lola (Dina) Dvorak, (who keeps granddaughter Etta Rose in Oakland, CA), Megan Larson, Katherine Hafemann and son James (Rachael) Larson with granddaughters Genevieve and Zoey. They make him happy. Also surviving are brother Mike and sister Tricia (Jerry a/k/a Sven) Lund. Aunts, uncles, nieces, nephew, cousins and other relatives can be stalked online.

Lee acknowledges the special women in his life: Sue Lewis, Betsy Hersey, Colleen Kavanaugh, Mary Hurley, Elizabeth Macaulay and Bonnie Hafemann. He loved them all. And apologizes.

He thanks the people who helped him along the way, many of whom he was privileged to call friend, who practiced the Golden Rule instead of talking about it and encourages anyone reading this to try more compassion. You're all in this together.

Memorials are probably necessary because making money wasn't his long suit. Or buy a friend a performance ticket or cut flowers. Both are wonderful extravagances. Or a beer or two, but only the good stuff. Mostly he exhorts you to do good as well as you can, and wishes everyone as much happiness as they can hold.