Kathleen "Kathy" J. Engel

Kathleen J. “Kathy” Engel, 91 of Watertown, passed away peacefully on Friday, April 17, 2026, at Drumlin Reserve of Cottage Grove.

Kathy was born on April 26, 1934, in Milwaukee, the daughter of Michael and Mary (Potticary) Richter. She attended Watertown High School and worked for a number of years at Watertown Memorial Hospital in the medical records department. On September 21, 1953, Kathy married Russell “Duke” Engel at St. Henry Catholic Church of Watertown where the couple were faithful members. Kathy enjoyed yearly trips in July with her family to the northern woods. She traveled to Alaska, Hawaii, and Europe, and took bus trips with Duke. Kathy was an avid Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers and Wisconsin Badgers fan. One of Kathy’s joys was having beagles throughout her life, and her beagles were Tippy, Snuggles, Libby, and Ellie. Her love for animals extended to volunteering at the Watertown Humane Society for several years. Kathy loved to knit and made many washcloths for her family. For Kathy life was centered around family, and she enjoyed family gatherings at her house with her kids and other family members. She was proud of the house she grew up in, since she had lived in it from the age of four, and was very happy to raise her own family in it. When the weather was nice, Duke and Kathy loved to sit out on the screened in porch in their rocking chairs. They also treasured their big Sunday family dinner meal where Duke could often be found at the grill while Kathy took care of food in the house.

Kathy is survived by: her children Mary Beth (Robert) Schuld, Kathy Heyrman, Mike (Lisa) Engel, and Judy (Randy) Dyreson; grandchildren Tim, Christy, Jenny (Casey), Sean (Kelly), Tracy (Andrew), Ashley (Andrew), Kayla (Rob), Jake (Leah), Jared, the late Jamie Harrison (Tony), Jodi (Justin), and Justin (Kayla); and great-grandchildren Kylo, Connor, Callie, Sophie, Brantley, Huxton, Aiden, Zoey, Nolan, Carter, Chase, Trent, Tanner, Kylie, Nicholas, Noah, Ally, Jenna, James, Norah, and Atticus.

Kathy is preceded in death by: her parents; husband Russell “Duke” Engel; son Daniel Engel; son-in-law Jim “Zimmy” Zimmerman; and her granddaughter Jamie (Zimmerman) Harrison.

A private family mass will be held at St. Henry Catholic Church. Burial will take place at St. Henry Catholic Cemetery in Watertown.