Marilyn Nonie Dess, 90, Dies at Home in Keshena Surrounded by Family

Marilyn “Nonie” (Peters) Dess, age 90, of Keshena, passed away on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at home surrounded by her family. Born May 16, 1935, in Keshena to Mitchell and Catherine “Grandma Studie” (Dick) Peters, Nonie’s life centered on family and care for kin across generations.

Nonie attended St. Joseph’s Boarding School but “quit school after 8th grade to help raised her siblings as her mother had recently become widowed and along with that she was always called upon to help with the Summers family.” That early responsibility shaped a lifetime described in the family notice as: “All her life it was family first, her kids, grandkids and great grandkids were most important and welcomed them all anytime. Although she quit school at an early age she always worked and worked hard to provide for her family.”

In 1963 she married John Dess and moved with him to Arizona “to work and go on to raise a family.” She was preceded in death by her parents, Mitchell and Catherine; husband, John Dess, Sr.; significant other, Ronald “Ji” Frechette; siblings Emelda (Bob) Tyler, Lyle Peters, Roger (Joyce) Peters, Veronica “Cookie” Peters and Roberta “Robin” (Jim) Smith; grandson Brennan Waupoose; infant great-grand twins Aupaumut and Marcella Dess; and special sister Bea Wilber Corn.

Left to cherish her memory are her children and their families: John (Michelle Keshena) Dess, Jr., and his children John III (Elizabeth), Natana (Joe), Derrick (Jessica) and Neesha; Robert (Kemawin) Dess and their children Wahpahnesew, Diondre, Peqtahseh (Schuylar) and Blaze; Terrilyn Dess and her children Colin (Bambi), Cody, Markala (Mark) and Ron “Bucka”; and Ron “Pasq” (Kelly) Frechette, Jr., and their children Joseph, Kaylean, Ron III (Tiana), Kileigh and Cedar. She is further survived by 39 great-grandchildren, siblings Willard “Buzz” (Rorah) Peters and Andrea “Handy” Vasquez, and special sister Jean Besaw.

Funeral arrangements are under the care of Swedberg Funeral Home & Crematory. Visitation is scheduled for Tuesday, March 3, 2026, beginning at 4:00 p.m. and continuing until the time of service on Wednesday; the Swedberg notice names David Barrett Hall as the visitation site, while a reposted event listing on Legacy identifies the viewing location as St. Michael’s Parish Hall at 816 WI-47, Keshena, WI 54135. Funeral Mass will be held Wednesday, March 4, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. at St. Michael Catholic Church in Keshena, with Fr. Hanz Christian officiating.

The family notice and service schedule have been reposted on memorial pages including Legacy and Echovita, where visitors can leave condolences, light a candle or arrange flowers. Services provided by Swedberg Funeral Home & Crematory will guide the gatherings at St. Michael’s and the associated parish hall as family and community members come together to remember a woman whose life was defined, in the family’s words, by putting family first.