Dejon Lou (Goddake) Polzin, 92, passed away Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, at Care Partners Assisted Living in Clintonville, where she had resided for nearly four years.

Born in Bowler on June 13, 1932, Dejon was the youngest child of the late Evan and Gladys (Cronce) Goddake. She attended Bowler schools and was very involved in school and community activities, including 4H and Future Homemakers of America. Her claim to fame as a high school student was winning the Shawano County cherry pie baking contest and placing fourth at the district contest in Green Bay.

After graduating from Bowler Union Free High School in 1949, Dejon attended Langlade County Normal School in Antigo to pursue a teaching career. She graduated in 1951, and because she was an "over-achiever," she also graduated twice from Wisconsin State College in Stevens Point. In 1957, she earned her diploma in three-year rural education, and in 1962, she received her bachelor's degree in intermediate – upper elementary education.

On Aug. 9, 1958, Dejon married John A. ("Jack") Polzin at Zion Lutheran Church in Shawano. It was just the second wedding held there, and they were lifelong members of the church. After celebrating nearly 61 years of marriage, John passed away in June of 2019.

Both Dejon and John were teachers in the area for many years. Dejon devoted 35 years to elementary education, teaching at several area schools in Caroline, Birnamwood, and Cecil, along with Lincoln and Sacred Heart schools in Shawano. Eventually, she joined the staff of Gresham School and spent more than 20 years there. She taught every elementary grade except kindergarten, but she loved her third graders and stayed with that grade the longest. Dejon really enjoyed the multiple generations of family members she got to know over the years. It was amazing that she remembered nearly all of her students long after she retired and that they remembered her too.

Dejon's initial attempt at retirement in 1991 was short-lived. She had planned to use her free time to train a new Bichon Frise puppy ("Count El Cid"), but she found that was much harder than teaching elementary students and handed doggie daycare over to John. Then she began a new career – volunteering with what was then known as the Shawano Medical Center Auxiliary.

She joined the Auxiliary in 1994, first participating in various fundraisers and then being recruited to manage the Auxiliary Gift Shop (later known as Wolf River Boutique) at the old hospital. As manager, she often recruited and trained new volunteers, including her husband and also her grandson Ian, who helped out with everything from moving boxes to unpacking and labeling new products. Even after her retirement from the gift shop in January 2012, she continued to schedule volunteer workers there for many years.

In 2011, Dejon received the Health Care Volunteer of the Year Award sponsored by Theda Care Physicians and Shawano Medical Center. It was part of the Celebration of Giving awards presented by Shawano Area Community Foundation Inc. From 1994 to 2010, she had volunteered well over 10,000 hours just with the Auxiliary alone.

Along with her full-time volunteer position in the Auxiliary, Dejon was one of the Monday morning offering "counters" for Zion Church for about 20 years. She also was active in the Shawano County Area Retired Teachers' Association (SCARTA), volunteering as treasurer and also serving as membership chair from 1997 to 2005.

To get away from it all, Dejon enjoyed traveling with John, even when it meant long road trips with three dogs in the car and their daughter Mary driving. While there were many historical sites that John enjoyed, it's no surprise that Dejon's favorite stops were at the many gift shops they found along the way. No matter how tired, she was always anxious to see what new treasures she could find and what ideas she could take back to the hospital gift shop … potential vendors, new ways to display things, and new products to sell.

Dejon will be remembered by many as fun-loving with a big heart, an unusual first name (pronounced Dee-on), and a loud laugh. Always the teacher, she wasn't shy about telling people how to go about doing things. She became an expert at word search puzzles, completing hundreds a year until her eyesight weakened. She also was an avid reader (Danielle Steel was her favorite), watched all the Hallmark movies more than once, and loved bird watching from her window. Unlike many friends who had converted to Facebook and email for keeping in touch with their networks, Dejon enjoyed sending and receiving notes and cards the old-fashioned way — through the mail. She was thrilled when so many friends and family members helped deliver 180 greetings in a surprise card shower for her 90th birthday.

An avid sports fan, Dejon often found connections to family members she had as students when watching area games. She enjoyed hearing about Ian's golf outings, followed the Shawano and Gresham teams, cheered on the Wisconsin Badgers — especially boys' basketball — and tuned in for Green Bay Packers games.

Although Dejon missed her neighbors and gardens when she moved into assisted living, her daughter Priscilla and son-in-law Paul continued to coordinate and manage everything back home so she could maintain her connections to the community she loved. At the same time, Dejon was blessed with a new neighborhood of wonderful caregivers and friends who became her extended family.

Dejon is survived by daughter and son-in-law Priscilla and Paul Zahn of Shawano, daughter Mary Polzin of Minneapolis, grandson Ian Zahn of Green Bay, and grand dog Ruby Rose of Minneapolis. She also is survived by nieces Sharron Schoenike and Sandy (Dan) Block, nephews Wesley (Roberta) Salzmann and Bud (Bette) Goddake, along with sister-in-law Kathi Polzin, brother-in-law Jim Hoffmann, and many nieces and nephews from her late husband John's family.

In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by her brother and sister-in law Marvin and Lou Goddake, her sister and brother-in-law Carol and Morris Salzmann Sr., John's mother Dorothy and step-father Art Raffin, John's brothers Robert (Ruth) Polzin and Dr. Thomas Polzin, John's sisters Mary Ann (Jim) Grothe and Patti Hoffmann, nieces Amy Polzin and Candy Lorge, and nephew Morris Salzmann Jr.

John and Dejon's beloved family dogs Cid, Barney, and Kirby, along with the four grand dogs and many grand guinea pigs that she and John would periodically babysit, also made their way across the Rainbow Bridge but always were remembered fondly. Although she couldn't keep pets in her apartment, she leaves behind a collection of stuffed hedgehogs and an assortment of other characters that kept her company over the years.

A memorial service for Dejon will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 13, at Zion Lutheran Church, Shawano, with the Rev. Dennis Nelson officiating. Visitation will be held from 4 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 12, at Swedberg Funeral Home in Shawano and from 10 to 11 a.m. on Friday at the church prior to the memorial service. Private inurnment will be in Woodlawn Cemetery, Shawano, at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be designated to Zion Lutheran Church, Shawano County Humane Society, and to Gresham School District for student scholarships.

Dejon's family would like to extend a very heartfelt thank you to all the caregivers who provided her with a wonderful home at Care Partners for the past several years, along with those who cared for her prior to that at The Cottages in Shawano and Evergreen Health Services. Sincere thanks also go to Dr. Wiley, Dr. Gillis, and ThedaCare Hospice.