Raymond Dechant

MARSHALL--Raymond "Ray" L. DeChant, age 74, passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, July 24, 2019. He was born on November 19, 1945 in Reedsburg to Joseph and Evelyn (Hamms) DeChant. Ray married Darlene A. Philipsky on October 2, 1976. He proudly served our country in the United States Navy on the USS Hancock from 1962-66 during the Vietnam Conflict.

Ray was very active in his local community. He belonged to the American Legion Post 333 in Sun Prairie and the VFW Post #9362 in Sun Prairie. He was also the American Legion Baseball Commissioner of South-Central Wisconsin for over 30 years. In his earlier years, Ray and Darlene also owned the Radars 4077 Tavern in McFarland.

Ray was also a very proud and active member of St. Paul's Ev. Lutheran Church in Marshall. Together, Ray and Darlene loved to travel and took many trips including Hawaii, Alaska, and recently, Nova Scotia. After Darlene's passing, Ray set up a scholarship in her name for a student each year graduating from Marshall High School to assist in offsetting a portion of their college tuition. This scholarship will now be in dedication of both Ray and Darlene DeChant.

Ray is survived by his children Ben DeChant and Annette DeChant; siblings Josephine Tomlinson DeChant and Victor DeChant; in-laws Nancy (Carl) Wangerin, Mary (Jim) Wiese, and Tom (Bev) Philipsky; and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives, and dear friends. He is preceded in death by his wife Darlene in April of 2019, father Joseph DeChant, mother Evelyn Wroblewski, step-father Ed Wroblewski, brother Arthur DeChant, and nephew Adam Wiese.

A funeral service for Ray will be at 12:00 PM (noon) at St. Paul's Ev. Lutheran Church, 204 Deerfield Rd., Marshall, WI 53559 on Monday, July 29, 2019 with visitation at the church from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM. Burial with full military honors at Medina Cemetery will immediately follow services at the church.

Ray had the privilege of participating in the "Vets Roll" program this past Spring. This organization honors our military veterans by travelling them with care to Washington, D.C. and allowing them to see the monuments that have been erected in honor of their service to our country. The family has asked that any memorial donations can be made to the family, and they will be making a contribution to "Vets Roll" in Ray's memory ( www.vetsroll.org).


Cress Funeral Service
1310 Emerald Terrace
Sun Prairie, WI 53590
608-837-9054