Winifred Anne Durkin

MADISON - Winifred Anne (Frank) Durkin of Madison died Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024, at age 93 after a busy, creative, and family-focused life.

Winnie was born on Nov. 30, 1930, to Joseph and Regina Frank of Cross Plains. She attended St. Francis Xavier grade school and Edgewood High School. She married Edward D. Durkin on May 24, 1952, and they raised two daughters and four sons on Madison’s west side from 1953 through 1978. She and Ed were married over 65 years, through his death on Oct. 27, 2017.

Winnie was a skilled typist, flawless speller, and Ed’s behind-the-scenes secretary and newsletter editor during the 1960s when he served as president of the Madison Fire Department’s union, Local 311. She continued helping Ed with his reports, newsletters and union office work from 1969 to 1978 when he was elected vice president of District 5 in the International Association of Firefighters, representing union members across Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North and South Dakota. Winnie squeezed even more office duties into her schedule in 1972 and 1973 when Ed served as president of the Wisconsin Firefighters union.

In addition, Winnie put her skills to work as a secretary in the science department at James Madison Memorial High School during the 1970-71 and 1971-72 school years. Later, as her children grew older, she often typed the final drafts of high-school essays, college applications, college essays, and job applications, making suggestions and corrections as needed. Likewise, after tearfully sending off three sons to the military, Winnie faithfully wrote weekly letters packed with family and local news to keep them informed throughout their 10 years of combined service.

Besides being a relentless multi-tasker, Winnie was an avid reader, accomplished cook, and immaculate housekeeper. She was not, however, a helicopter parent. She shooed her kids from the house in summer and on weekends, but demanded they return for lunch at 11:30 a.m., dinner at 5 p.m., and bedtime at dusk. When necessary, she rang a large bell by her backsteps. If a youngster failed to return, she scoured the neighborhood, sometimes rescuing the kid from a vacant shed, abandoned boat, parked machinery, or unfinished basement at a new-home construction site.

Not every “rescue” ended there. Winnie often joked that she was the family’s ambulance driver, memorably rushing her boys to the nearest emergency room to treat cuts, burns, head wounds and sprained ankles. And when her kids grew old enough to fish and waterski on their own, Winnie trailered the family boat to Lake Mendota, backed it alongside a pier, and returned at the scheduled time to trailer the boat and drive her kids home.

Winnie also loved garage-sale shopping with her mother-in-law, Ursula Durkin, who lived with Winnie and Ed’s family. Winnie was a skilled furniture refinisher and enjoyed repairing and caning old chairs; and restoring dressers, tables and dining-room sets.

Each summer, Winnie froze raspberries for her famous pies, and stacked jars atop her kitchen counter to fill with strawberry and raspberry jams. Come August and September, Winnie turned her kitchen into a cannery, using her pressure-cooker to preserve pears, beets, peaches, tomatoes and green beans; and turn cucumbers into pickles, grapes into juice, and tomatoes into sauces and juices.

Meanwhile, Winnie cooked three meals daily year-round for her nine-member household and coordinated her family’s July 4th picnics and Thanksgiving dinners. As November ended, Winnie began baking endless varieties of Christmas cookies, giving her children a customized supplies for their families.

No matter the season or where she traveled, Winnie carried her favorite knitting needles and bags of multi-colored threads. If she wasn’t knitting, she was sewing or crafting latch-hook or needle-point gifts for her family, church fundraisers or veterans’ charities. Her six children, 12 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren still own many warm and beautiful caps, vests, slippers, mukluks, sweaters, scarves, mittens, wall-art, quilts and Christmas stockings that Winnie made personally to their size and preference.

Winnie is survived by her children, Anne, Joseph (Kim), Patrick (Penny), Terrance “Turk” Thomas (Megan) and Jacalyn (Jim); her grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and her sister, Connie Faust, of Cross Plains. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Edward; her brothers Donald, Valentine and Roland; and sister, Virginia.

Winnie’s family will host a lunch and visitation at ST. THOMAS AQUINAS CATHOLIC CHURCH, 602 Everglade Drive, Madison, at 12 noon on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. A celebration of Winnie’s life will follow at 1 p.m. with a eulogy and tributes from family and friends, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 2 p.m. Friends and family wishing to view the Mass via LIVESTREAM may do so by visiting Winnie’s obituary page at www.gundersonfh.com <http://www.gundersonfh.com> and clicking on Watch Now in the Webcast Section at the time of the Mass.

Winnie’s family expresses deep gratitude to the friendly, professional staffs at Oakwood Village, Prairie Ridge Campus; and Agrace Hospice and Supportive Care. In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Winnie’s name to the Oakwood Foundation-Employee Appreciation Fund, www.oakwoodfoundationinc.org <http://www.oakwoodfoundationinc.org>; and Agrace HospiceCare, <https://www.agrace.org/blog/locations/madison/>, 5395 E. Cheryl Parkway, Madison, WI 53711. Links to both charities appear below.

Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.

Gunderson West

Funeral & Cremation Care

7435 University Ave.

(608) 831-6761