Cathy Rae Skowronski of DeForest died Friday, May 8, 2026, at the age of 62, closing a life marked by long work at WPS, a devotion to her family and the kind of simple traditions that are remembered long after a person is gone. Her obituary, issued by Ryan Funeral Homes, said the longtime claims adjustor was born Jan. 27, 1964, in Chicago and married Steve Skowronski there on July 15, 1989.
Skowronski spent many years at WPS as a claims adjustor, but the details her family preserved point to a life that reached well beyond work. She enjoyed gardening, birdwatching, fishing and watching her children’s sporting events, and she also loved game shows. She was known for her Butterfinger Cake, the kind of recipe that becomes part of a family’s memory because it keeps showing up at gatherings and marking occasions without needing to be announced.
She is survived by her husband, Steve; her sons Matthew, Joseph, Eric and Samuel Skowronski; her brother, Joseph DeMoor, and his wife, Sandra; and her sister, LuAnn Brooks. She was preceded in death by her parents, Joseph and Louella DeMoor, and her brother-in-law, Dale Brooks.
That mix of family details and everyday habits is what gives the obituary its weight. It is not a public figure’s life summary and it is not meant to be. It is the record of a woman whose days were shaped by work, a marriage that began in Chicago, and the ordinary rituals that make a household feel like home.
A funeral service is scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday, May 22, 2026, at Ryan Funeral Home – Windsor/DeForest Chapel, 6924 Lake Road, in DeForest. Visitation will begin at 1 p.m. that day and continue until the time of service. For those who knew her, the coming service is the final public moment to gather around the life the obituary lays out in plain terms: a wife, mother, daughter, sister and neighbor whose strongest mark may be how fully she showed up for the people closest to her.
