Darlene Yvette (Johnston) Bosch

    Darlene Yvette Bosch, 76, of Washington Island, passed away at home on Saturday May 8, 2021.

    She was born May 24, 1944 in Chicago, IL, the only child of Albert Victor Johnston and Virginia Marguerite (Busse) Johnston. Darlene’s dad died when Darlene was just 17. (Though, he was still around to reprimand her for drag racing and was instrumental in removing the extra carburetors from her 1957 pink and black Oldsmobile.) Darlene attended Willowbrook High School in Villa Park, IL, and was part of the hands-on training program as a Surgical Technician at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital in Melrose Park, IL, when she met and married Lyton "Bud" Lee Weber in Illinois in September 1964. They moved to Washington Island in Door County, WI in February 1969 to begin their farming life and were welcomed by the Island community who had been awaiting their arrival with a party, after snow and ice had stopped the boats and kept them, their two small daughters, Darlene’s mom, two parakeets, a St. Bernard Puppy, a couple of movers, and a very large, fully-loaded moving semi, holed up in Sturgeon Bay at the Stardust motel for more than a week.  Their dairy farm was purchased from “Gravel Ray” on Jackson Harbor road and Darlene, a Chicago city girl learned about cows and milking and animal husbandry very quickly! Especially when almost 1,000-day old chicks arrived to fill the chicken coop. They continued farming, excavating and the operation of Kap’s Marina from their second home on the east side, and remained Island residents until 1979 when they moved to Arizona with their good friends Roe and Chris Fosco.

     Darlene worked at Phoenix Mountain Nursing Home in Arizona until 1982 when she returned to Washington Island. During this second time living on Washington Island, Darlene was married to Kirby Cornell and owned KK Korral (a riding stable) with her good friend, Wendy Kumnick.

    Darlene headed off again on a whole new set of adventures in the late 1980s with her Ever-Ready Partner in ALL Crimes, Roe Fosco! First to Florida, and then to New York. While in New York, she met Robert John Bosch, Sr. and they were eventually married. Robert “Bob” Bosch was a retired Lynbrook, NY Police Officer, and Darlene became a crossing guard with the Nassau County NY Police Department while there.

     She and Bob enjoyed a long and very happy marriage that included lots of travel, and even more laughs and antics! They retired to Florida in early 2002 and resided in Ocala, FL. Bob preceded Darlene in death on January 29, 2005. She returned to the Chicago area to live with her daughter, Colleen, for a short time and then moved back to Washington Island permanently in 2009.

     Darlene adored flowers and gardening and belonged to the Garden Club in Oceanside, NY. She was an amazing baker and was known for making her venetian cookies, which took days to make. Darlene was also an awesome cook with lasagna being one of her signature dishes. She baked at K.K. Fiske (restaurant) on the Island after her return. Darlene’s beautiful handwriting, greeting cards, and hand-written recipes were art in and of themselves. She enjoyed passing the time on the Island with gardening when the weather allowed, needlework when the snows began to fly, and she was also an avid reader and aficionado of old black and white movies from the heyday of Hollywood.

    Darlene will be missed by her two daughters, Colleen Koziara of Itasca, IL and Charmaine (partner, Ken Koyen) Shaffer of Washington Island; grandson, Ian Koziara of Itasca, IL; two stepsons, Raymond (Gail) Bosch of Rockville Centre, NY and Robert (Joan) Bosch, Jr. of Bolivia, NC; five step-grandchildren, Eric Bosch, Bridget (Paul) Wilczewski, and Nils (Meaghan) Bosch, and Jennifer (JB) Webster and Jessica (Steven) Zatkow; step-great-grandchildren, (Bridget’s:) Henrik, Lily, Oskar, and Elinor; (Nil’s:) Noah and Maren, and (Jessica’s:) Zach and Zoey.

    She was preceded in death by her parents; two former husbands, Bud Weber and Kirby Cornell; and husband, Bob Bosch, Sr.

     Darlene will be laid to rest beside her mother, Virginia, in the Town of Washington Cemetery on Washington Island with a graveside service at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 15, 2021 with Pastor Rick Smith, of Bethel Evangelical Free Church, officiating.

    A celebration of Darlene’s life will also be held at a later date this year on the Island - date to be announced.

    Memorials may be given in Darlene's honor for the Orphan Kitten Club (at https://orphankittenclub.org), or the Door County Land Trust (at www.doorcountylandtrust.org).

    Casperson Funeral Home in Sister Bay is assisting the family. Expressions of sympathy, memories, and photos of Darlene may be shared with her family through her tribute page at www.caspersonfuneralhome.com.

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