Duane Alan Kopp

Duane Alan Kopp, 66, of Cottage Grove, WI, passed away peacefully on November 19, 2021, at UW Hospital with his family by his side. He was born on September 11, 1955, in Madison, to Donald and Margaret (Schiefert) Kopp. Duane graduated from Madison East High School in 1973. He played youth hockey for the Madison Lakers and continued through high school and beyond. He honed goalie skills from another left handed goalie, Tony Esposito, the hall of fame goalie of the Chicago Blackhawks. After nearly 50 years, he is still listed in the annual state tournament hockey program for goals against average during high school tournament games. He married Shirley “Charlie” Gust on June 13, 1981, at St. John's Lutheran Church in Madison. He followed in his father’s footsteps and worked at Chicago Northwestern Railroad. He later retired after 42 years from Union Pacific Railroad in 2015. He was a member of the Cottage Grove Fire Department for over 35 years. It was there that he received his infamous nickname “Draino” from a dear friend. He competed in many fire department water fighting tournaments with his dear friends, Pat and "Mac", and they had quite the run with many trophies to prove it. He enjoyed watching Cottage Grove Home Talent baseball, operating the concession stand for many years and socializing with friends during games. He was a man that would help anyone, and was always there with a quick smart alec remark and a good laugh. He was an avid outdoorsman and loved deer hunting and fishing. He enjoyed watching all Wisconsin sports, as well as NASCAR, and could be found yelling at the tv a time or two while drinking a beloved Busch Light. He loved watching old westerns and M*A*S*H and could recall just about anything about a various episode. He was usually found tinkering in the garage and was very well known to be able to fix just about anything. He loved spending time with his friends and family, especially his grandkids! Duane is survived by his loving daughters, Jennifer (JayJay) Riddle and Ashley (Brad) Wiese; mother, Margaret; brother, Jim (Lisa White) Kopp; sister, Donna (Scott) Borchert; mother-in-law, Hazel Gust; sisters-in-law, Susan (Bill) Knight, Sandra (Andy) Purnell, and Sally (Jim) Coughlan; granddaughter, Rebecka Kopp; grandsons, RJ Schrimpf, Kaleb Schrimpf, Ethan Riddle and Camron Riddle; step grandchildren, Tyler Riddle, Jimmy Riddle, Mia Riddle, and Madalynn Wiese; nieces, Deanna Borchert, Eva (Dan Prozeller) Purnell, and Lindsay (David Reyes) Knight; nephew, Jason Borchert; and many cousins and friends. He was preceded in death by his wife of 38 years, Charlie; father, Donald; father-in-law, Robert Gust; and nephew, Simon Purnell. A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, December 4th, from 12-4pm at Nora’s Tavern, 1843 US-12 in Deerfield. Please come and share your favorite memories of Duane. In lieu of flowers, donations to the family are preferred for a memorial that will be created in Duane’s name. The family would like to thank Dr. Shannon O’Mahar, the nurses, and staff at SSM Cancer Care. Duane absolutely loved visiting with all of the staff and appreciated their kindness and compassion. They would also like to thank all the amazing Neurosciences doctors and all other teams involved at UW Hospital. Thank you for your care for Duane, it's truly appreciated.