Dianne Marie Beaufeaux, age 76, passed away on July 30, 202,1 at her home after a 6 year long battle with ovarian cancer.

Dianne was born on May 4, 1945, in Neillsville, WI., the fourth of six children.

She was raised on a dairy farm and attended a one room country school for 5 years until it closed. She graduated from Loyal High School in 1963 and after working for a year, attended Spencerian Business College in Milwaukee, WI. In 1966, she married Harry Helwig and they had 3 children together. His career saw numerous moves and Dianne had several different jobs while living in Illinois. They later divorced.

In 1977, the family relocated to Rhinelander, WI where Dianne was a district manager with Avon, worked at a bank and worked for Exxon Mine and Minerals before taking a position as a financial specialist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

In 1993, Dianne married her soul mate, Michael Beaufeaux. They shared the love of the outdoors, wildlife, deer and turkey hunting, country music, dancing and travel. Their retirement travels included walking on the Great Wall of China, observing Africa animals within the Gora-Gora Crater and the Great Migration in Tanzania, swimming with the sharks and rays in Tahiti, riding with the Gauchos in Argentina, touring “Christ the Redeemer” Statue in Brazil, witnessing the glow-worms in New Zealand, walking among the tulips in Amsterdam, eating mussels in Brussels, zip-lined the rain forest in Costa Rica, watching the whales mate in Maui, climbed the volcanic mountain in the Philippines and cruised the Baltic Sea to visit Scandinavia, Germany and Russia!

After retiring from the DNR, they enlarged the cabin on Lake Lena in MN and moved there permanently in 2003. Dianne enjoyed designing and decorating two homes in MN and WI during their life together. She recently enjoyed serving as head election judge and deputy clerk for Ogema Township.

Over the years, she enjoyed many hobbies and activities including bowling, knitting, crocheting, basket making, raising dogs, gardening, especially flowers and indoor plants and jigsaw puzzles, collecting and studying geological origin of numerous gemstones. She started gun hunting deer at the age of 12 with her family and later took up bow hunting for deer and gun hunting turkeys. Her most loved activities included visits with the grandchildren, where she shared favorite family recipes, and dancing with the seniors and friends on a weekly basis until COVID intervened.

Her final days were spent enjoying the birds at the feeders and on the lake and just being outdoors to share the beauty and peaceful surroundings.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Leland Hansen and Dorothy (Rennak)Hansen; her brothers, LeRoy, Kenneth and Richard Hansen; and sister, Lorraine (Hansen) Schiltz; and son in law, Kyle Rickert.

She is survived by her husband, Michael Beaufeaux; her daughters, Theresa (Derek) Baron, Melissa Rickert and son, Shawn (Laura) Helwig; brother, Len (Mary) Hansen; grandchildren, Brayden, Garrett, Kayley, Reese, Aidan, and Mirabai; sisters in law, Kris Hansen, Carla Hansen and Connie Hansen; along with numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives and good friends.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, September 4, 2021 from noon to 3:00 PM at the Ogema Town Hall.

Arrangements were entrusted to Swedberg-Taylor Funeral Home, Webster.

Last Update: Aug 05, 2021 11:49 am CDT