Patricia "Patty" VanDerWal was received by God into eternal peace on April 26, 2026. She is survived by her four loving sons, Richard, Nicholas, Joseph, and Michael VanDerWal; her five beloved grandchildren, Adari, Evren, Jenson, Sienna and Genevieve VanDerWal; her brothers John, Michael, Christopher, Richard, Martin, and Charles Stepanovich; her sister, Maria (Schulner); and further survived by many nieces, nephews, family, and friends. She joins her father and mother, Zivorad and Charlotte Stepanovich; her brothers, David, Robert, and Thomas Stepanovich; and all of the family dogs she so lovingly cared for throughout her life.

Patty was the first daughter born in the middle of the Stepanovich family of eleven children. With nine brothers and the youngest sibling being her only sister, Patty grew up learning to be smarter and tougher than any boy on the block. An ardent nature lover, she enjoyed being in the great outdoors. Patty loved camping, fishing, biking, hiking, and any other activity where she could adventure in and admire the beauty of the world. She was fiercely competitive and athletic. She enjoyed playing in sports, softball being one of her favorites. Patty fanatically cheered during any game, whether she was participating, supporting her kids, or watching the Packers, Brewers, Bucks, or any hometown athlete in action.

"Mrs. V" was the predominate favorite teacher of the hundreds of students she taught over the course of her life's career at St. Roman Parish elementary school. Every student knew they could go to Mrs. V for anything; support, understanding, someone to confide in, someone to test out a new joke, kind words when they needed a confidence boost, and an honest opinion when they were looking to improve. Mrs. V was dedicated to positively impacting every child she had the honor to teach. Some of her students would visit and write to her years later to acknowledge that it was Mrs. V's passion and memorable talent that inspired them to become teachers. Patty was also a close friend to many of her colleagues and was greatly respected as a role model for any childhood educator.

Above all, Patty possessed an indomitable spirit. She found fulfillment in passionately and selflessly caring for others. Her sons, her students, family, friends, and animals - all those fortunate enough to be close - knew her unmatched, unconditional love. She will always be remembered for her endearing and infectious laugh, her outgoing and fun-loving personality, her tenacious conviction to fairness and justice, and her unwavering devotion to her four boys.

Visitation with the urn will be held from 10:00am to 11:00am at Saint Stephen Catholic Church in Oak Creek on Friday, June 12th, with mass starting at 11:00am. A celebration of Patty's life is tentatively scheduled for the late morning of Saturday, June 20th, with the location and other details to be posted when finalized.

Internment will be held privately with family at the Holy Sepulcher Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to your local animal shelter or favorite charity in Patty's memory.