Bess Ann Manderfeld

Service Details

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, June 8, 2019 at 11:00 am in St. Lucy Catholic Church, 3101 Drexel Avenue in Racine, with Rev. Todd Belardi officiating. A memorial luncheon will follow. Visitation will be in the church on Saturday from 9:30- 11:00 am. Private interment will take place in Graceland Cemetery.

Memorial Suggestions

Memorials to St. Lucy Catholic Church (Racine), St. Joseph Catholic Academy (Kenosha) or to Hospice Alliance, Inc. (Pleasant Prairie) have been suggested.

Racine – Bess Ann (nee: Nuciforo) Manderfeld, age 83, passed away peacefully Sunday morning , May 26, 2019 at Brookside Care Center in Kenosha following a short, courageous battle with lung cancer.

Bess was born in Racine on April 7, 1936 to the late Steve Nuciforo and Lena (nee: Recupero) Nuciforo. She attended St. Mary’s Catholic Grade School and graduated from St. Catherine’s High School in 1954.The happiest day of Bess’s life came on October 6, 1956, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, where she was united in marriage with the love of her life, Thomas R. Manderfeld. A part of Bess died the day Tom passed away on July 25, 1999, but there is consolation knowing that they are now happily reunited in Heaven.

Always good with numbers, Bess was employed as a bookkeeper for Grant Furniture and Levin Bros. Clothing before going to work for Bank of Elmwood, where she served as a Teller & Customer Service Representative for many years. Bess was a longtime member of Holy Name Catholic Church & St. Lucy Catholic Church. Among her interests, Bess enjoyed spending time with family, cooking, baking, past trips to Las Vegas, Casino trips with her cousins, shopping for bargains, watching cooking shows, Jeopardy, and Wheel of Fortune, and was an avid sports lover.  She was a die-hard Cubs fan, cheered for the Packers, and enjoyed watching all Wisconsin teams. Above all, nothing in life made Bess more proud than being with her three granddaughters who brought her endless joy. Her guiding presence in their lives helped shape them to be the strong and beautiful young women they are today. She was their “GRAM,” and they were HER WORLD, and all the countless memories together will live forever in their hearts. One unforgettable highlight in Bess’s life that she wanted mentioned  was when she witnessed her granddaughter, Laura Kaeppeler, being  crowned Miss America in 2012! Now Bess earned a new title – “Grandma of Miss America”!

Surviving are her loving  children, Sue Kaeppeler, Mary Kae Manderfeld and Tom Manderfeld; beloved granddaughters, Laura (Michael) Fleiss, Rachel Kaeppeler and Sarah (fiancé, Joseph Rudd) Kaeppeler; great-grandson, Ben Fleiss; special  sister, Mary Tarwid; dear brother, Paul Nuciforo (Judy Klump); sister-in-law, Sally Nuciforo; devoted cousins, Judy & Al Walek and Albert Quadraccia (Darlene Balli); her neighbor and good friend, Jack Cerny; many dear nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends – too numerous to mention all by name.

In addition to her parents & husband, Bess was preceded in death by Tom’s parents, Henry & Bessie (nee: Fryer) Manderfeld; brothers-in-law, Ray Tarwid, Bob (Dora) Manderfeld & Richard (Beverly) Manderfeld; sisters-in-law, Lucille (Don) MacCready, Barb (Dave) Haddow, Annette (Harold) Cheek & Charlotte (Tom) Thielen; cousin, Jean Quadraccia; and her loving aunts and uncles who helped raise her.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, June 8, 2019 at 11:00 am in St. Lucy Catholic Church, 3101 Drexel Avenue in Racine, with Rev. Todd Belardi officiating. A memorial luncheon will follow. Visitation will be in the church on Saturday from 9:30- 11:00 am. Private interment will take place in Graceland Cemetery. Memorials to St. Lucy Catholic Church (Racine), St. Joseph Catholic Academy (Kenosha) or to Hospice Alliance, Inc. (Pleasant Prairie) have been suggested.

A heartfelt note of thanks to Dr. Michael Mullane, Dr. Desiree Dizadji, and Hospice Alliance for their compassionate care and support given in Bess’s time of need. May God bless all of you!