MADISON - Dolores Mae Crowley, age 80, of Madison, Wis., passed away on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023, surrounded by her family, after a very short battle with cancer.

Dolores was born on Sept. 12, 1942, in Prairie du Chien, Wis., to Wencil and Emma (Fisher) Wall, and was raised on a farm in Eastman, Wis. Dolores was a 1960 graduate from Seneca High School. She was introduced to her husband, Bill Crowley, of Steuben, Wis., on a blind date when they were just teenagers. They were married in Eastman on Aug. 17, 1963. Shortly after, they settled in Madison and added a daughter and three sons to their family. While raising four children, Dolores earned two separate Bachelor of Science degrees in education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Home Economics (1978) and Science (1985). She believed that “Our youth are our future” and taught both home economics and biology at Sun Prairie High School for over 23 years, retiring in 2001.

During their retirement, Dolores and Bill liked spending their summers in Wisconsin and winters in Mission, Texas. One of Dolores’ favorite places to spend time was on her family farm in Eastman where she was raised. She enjoyed staying at the cabin built for her in the mid-2000’s by her family and taking quiet walks through the beautiful fields and wooded areas that surround it.

A loving grandmother, she cherished her nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Present for performances, concerts, and games of every sport, she was there to support them all. She loved watching them each grow in their own direction and reminded them often that “The world is yours.”

Dolores enjoyed travel and visited Peru, France, Germany, and 49 of the 50 United States. At home, Dolores was skilled at sewing, quilting, and knitting creating countless quilts, hats and socks over the years. In recent years, she and her Monona quilting group crafted hundreds of baby blankets which were donated to hospitals near Dolores’ home in Texas. She also enjoyed Wisconsin athletics, especially the Badgers basketball program.

Dolores will be deeply missed by her husband of 59 years, Bill; daughter, Michelle Koran of Madison, Wis.; sons, Larry (Karen) Crowley of Portage, Wis., and Brad (Allyson) Crowley of Stoughton, Wis.; her grandchildren: Matt (Jordan), Nick (Chloe), Samantha, Emma, Kyle, Kara, Eric, Will and Christine; and three great-grandchildren, Kendall, Tatum and Noah. She was preceded in death by her son, Scott Crowley; her parents; and her brother, Mike Wall.

A celebration of life will be held at GUNDERSON EAST FUNERAL AND CREMATION CARE, 5203 Monona Drive, Madison, from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 20, 2023.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Second Harvest Food Bank or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.

Gunderson East

Funeral & Cremation Care

5203 Monona Drive

(608) 221-5420

Dolores Crowley

September 12, 1942 - January 14, 2023

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