Ada J. ‘AJ’ Diekelman

Ada Jane “AJ” Diekelman, 78, Plover, a retired mathematics teacher and lecturer, died Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016, at the Portage County Health Care Center in Stevens Point.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 2, at Woodlands Church in Plover. Burial will be in Belvidere Cemetery in Belvidere, Ill.
Visitation will be at the Shuda Funeral Chapel – Stevens Point from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 1, and at the church from 10 to 10:45 a.m. Tuesday.
A memorial will be established in her name to Woodlands
Church.
Condolences may be offered online at www.shudafuneral.com.
Mrs. Diekelman was born March 18, 1937, in Rockford, Ill., a
daughter of the late David and Ruby (Stearns) Daer.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Wheaton
College and a master’s degree from Western Michigan University.
She started teaching in the Chicago suburbs.
She was married to Donald Diekelman Oct. 16, 1960, at the
First Baptist Church in Belvidere, Ill. He died May 15, 2001.
She taught mathematics for more than 40 years from sixth
grade through the university level in Illinois and Wisconsin. She spent the
majority of her early teaching years at Orangeville High School in Orangeville,
Ill. During her tenure she received the T.E. Rine Award, which recognizes
outstanding math teachers.
She continued her teaching career at the university level,
first at the University of Wisconsin (UW)-River Falls, then at UW-Stout and
finally at UW-Stevens Point. She was a mathematics lecturer at UWSP for nine
years before retiring in 2006.
She was an avid traveler and traveled the world with her
husband.
She was a member of Woodlands Church, participated in Bible
Study groups and volunteered with Operation Bootstrap.
Survivors include three children, Debbie Diekelman, Plover,
Adam Diekelman, Chicago, Ill., and David (Suzanne) Diekelman, Stevens Point; and
five grandchildren, Bob, George, Joe, Gigi and Jack.
She was also preceded in death by one daughter, Dawn.