Michael J. Verhagen

Michael J. Verhagen of Waukesha died peacefully surrounded by his family at AngelsGrace Hospice on Sunday, May 28, 2023 at the age of 70. He was born in Fort Hood, Texas on October 14, 1952 the son of Eugene and Rose (nee Wallace) Verhagen. 

He will be forever missed by his loving and dedicated wife of 45 years, Kathy "Diener" of Waukesha and their four children, Eric (Angela) Verhagen of Illinois, Greg (Jennifer) Verhagen of Big Bend, Tina (Oumar) Moctar of Milwaukee and Paul (Janelle) Verhagen of Waukesha; his 12 cherished grandchildren, Brooklyn, Ava, Kylie, Brody, Michael “Junior”, Cooper, Choua, Aubrey, Lauren, Alyssa, Stella and Ayado; his mother Rose Verhagen; sisters and brother, Sandy (Randy) Wisneski of Little Chute, Barb (Carl) VanGompel of Seymour, Clay (Lindy) Verhagen of Appleton, Karen (the late Arlyn) Doell of Appleton and Dawn (Jeff) Clark of Appleton. He is survived by brothers and sisters-in-law;  Charles (Laureen) Maloney of Florida, Carla Maloney of Appleton, Mike (Barb) Maloney of Florida and MaryAnn (Frank) Peragus of Florida.  He is further survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends.  He was preceded in death by his father Eugene and mother and father-in-law, Bernadette and Charles Maloney.

He proudly served his country in the United States Navy and was a member of Amvets Post 60. On December 2, 1977 he married the love of his life Kathleen Marie Maloney at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Appleton, WI.  He loved nothing more than simply spending time with her as she was his everything.  Traveling without a destination, dancing, fishing, riding aimlessly on their Harley Davidson, and canning crops were just a few of the things they loved  the most.   Mike did all things with incredible enthusiasm and his career was no different.  He was the Chief Boiler Inspector for the State of Wisconsin and he loved to tell anyone that would listen all about it.  He was a proud member of the National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors and the Wisconsin Boiler Inspectors Association.  He taught what he knew and loved at Milwaukee Area Technical College and he barely considered it work.  When he wasn't working you could always find him in his garden.  Nothing made him happier than watching his grandkids run through his front door and straight to his raspberry bushes, grape vines and fruit trees.  He swelled with pride each and every time he filled to-go buckets of fruits and vegetables for his kids to eat with their families.  Mike cherished time he spent with his family.  Every year he looked forward to  family camping, and hunting at his parents farm in Red Granite.  He will be deeply missed by all who knew him and his fun loving ways. 

Visitation will be held on Thursday, June 15, 2023 at St. John Neumann Catholic Church 2400 W. State Rd 59, Waukesha, WI 53189 from 9:30 a.m. until the 11:30 a.m. funeral Mass. Burial with full military honors will take place at 2:00 p.m. at Southern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 21731 Spring Street, Union Grove, WI 53182. Please meet at the cemetery. If desired, memorials in Michael’s name are appreciated to the WI Starts and Stripes Honor Flight and can be made online at https://www.starsandstripeshonorflight.org/donate/ .  

The family would like to send their deepest gratitude to ProHealth Home Hospice  and Angels Grace Hospice for their compassionate care throughout his final days.

Randle-Dable-Brisk Funeral Home, Crematory and Preplanning Services is honored to serve the family. For further information, please call the funeral home at 262-547-4035 or visit us online at www.randledable.com for directions or to leave the family an online tribute message.