Jean Schlafer

MIDDLETON - Jean Betty Schlafer, age 80, passed away at her daughter's home on Jan. 5, 2014 after a brief, but hard-fought, battle with cancer.

She was born on May 17, 1933 in Madison Wisconsin to Thomas and Evelyn (Gunderson) Caucutt. She was the eldest of six children, James (Pat) Caucutt, Geri (Bob) Essenburg, Robert (Jeri) Caucutt, Richard Caucutt and Carol (Steve) Schlimgen.

She is survived by her five siblings and her five children; Joanna (Phil) Friedl of Middleton, Wisconsin and their children, Devan, Sara and Nicholas; Roger (Stephanie) Schlafer of Madison, Wisconsin and their son Tyler; Jacqueline Contreras of Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin and her children Jeffrey (Tanya) Walty and Tosha Vande Hey (fianc� Jack Anderson); Randall (Melissa) Schlafer of Deerfield, Wisconsin and their children Adrian and Alex and Angeline Rupprecht; Ronald (Janet) Schlafer of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin and their children Carissa, Megan and Joshua; and great-grandchildren Michael Vande Hey, Dante Walty, Alyssa Walty and DaVonne Walty. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews, and many other extended family members, including Linda "Cindy" Roberts and Bernice "Buni" Osborne, who were very dear friends to her. She was preceded in death by her parents, her beloved son, Thomas Darrell Schlafer, who died of cancer at the tender age of six, and her ex-husband, Darrell Andrew Schlafer.

The family would like to thank Dr. Gerhard Kraske and Dr. Andrew Graf, and the staff at their clinics, as well as the staff at Meriter Hospital, for the excellent care they provided for Jean. The family would also like to thank everyone at Agrace HospiceCare for their skilled, attentive and compassionate support to ensure that her final weeks would be comfortable.

Visitation will be at Cress Funeral Home, 6021 University Ave., Madison, at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 11, 2014, immediately followed by the funeral service at 11:00 a.m. with Pastor Ann Beaty officiating. Please join us for a light lunch at the funeral home after the service.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Agrace HospiceCare at http://www.agrace.org/.

God saw you were getting tired, and a cure was not to be.
So he put his arms around you and said, "Come with me."
With tearful eyes, we watched you suffer and fade away.
Although we loved you dearly, we could not make you stay.
A golden heart stopped beating, hard working hands put to rest.
God broke our hearts to prove, he only takes the best.
- author unknown