Oak Creek – Kathleen “Kathy” R. Mueller, age 76, passed away peacefully on August 2, 2026, at Oak Park Place. She was born in New Berlin on May 27, 1950, to parents Nickolas and Rita (nee. Hess) Beres, Jr.
Kathy spent most of her career working as an administrative assistant. This included working for Kroger, Harley-Davidson and Proctor & Gamble. She enjoyed working and worked to live. Kathy was extremely proud of the work that she did. She was a devout and faithful Catholic, being a parishioner of Divine Mercy Parish in South Milwaukee. In addition to regularly attending Mass, she spent many hours volunteering there – this included her helping those who could not travel to get to church every Sunday.
When Kathy was not working or volunteering at church, she was devoted to her family and friends. Kathy did everything she could to care for her family and those around her, even checking in on her neighbors regularly. She loved spending time with her grandchildren and attending their sporting events. Like a true person that was born and raised in Wisconsin, Kathy loved Brandy Old Fashions and a classic Friday Fish Fry. She could be found regularly enjoying a fish fry at either Erv’s Mug in Oak Creek or the Packing House in Milwaukee. Kathy enjoyed following the Green Bay Packers and the Milwaukee Brewers. She was fortunate to be able to attend games for both teams but would equally enjoy watching the games on television. Kathy will be remembered as a loving person that cared deeply for her family and friends and will be dearly missed.
She is survived by her children, Sarah Hale and Richard (Heather) Mueller; grandchildren, PJ, Alex, and Ashley Hale; siblings, Jackie (Dan) Schmidt, Jan (Mike) Major, Mary Beres and, Carol (Mike) Zingsheim; sister-in-law, Marge Beres; many nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends.
Kathy was preceded in death by her parents, Nickolas and Rita Beres; brother, Ken Beres; son-in-law, Steven Hale.
Visitation for Kathy will be held on Thursday, August 20, 2026, from 10:00 – 11:00 am at Divine Mercy Parish, 800 Marquette Avenue, South Milwaukee, WI. Mass of Christian Burial will begin at 11:00 am, followed by inurnment at Holy Trinity Cemetery, 3564 S. 13th Street, Milwaukee, WI.
The family would like to extend a special thank you to the staff and caretakers at Oak Park Place in Oak Creek, along with Kathy’s hospice team. The family greatly appreciates the wonderful care given to Kathy.
Our hearts and prayers go out to you, Jackie and all your family. We know how much you loved your sister and will miss her dearly. Love and blessings, Ron and Gail Bishop
Sending my sincere condolences to the family of Kathy. I had the privilege to work with Kathy at Roundy’s; she was one of the sweetest most helpful people I have ever met. She had a great sense of humor and such a beautiful smile. A lovely person that will surely be missed. May peace be with us all!
Sad for the loss of Kathy, however, so happy I was able to enjoy her in my professional life for 11 years! A wonderful, caring and extremely hard working person. Always a pleasure to interact with her. I can hear the laugh now.
Peace to all.
I am so sorry for the loss to your family. I have great memories of the Beres family growing up in New Berlin. May God heal your sorrow and bring you joy that Kathy is now at peace.
Carol Stephens Treml
(Ron Stephens sister)
My deepest sympathies for my friend and classmate. Both my thoughts and prayers to her full family.
So shocked and sorry to hear of Kathy’s passing. We haved missed her dearly at out girls class of 68” lunches. She was the nicest person I knew.
So sorry for your loss. Kathy was a high school friend and one of our monthly lunch group, all 1968 class from Catholic Memorial HS. We will surely miss her.
So sorry to hear of Kathy’s passing. We’ve been missing her at our monthly CHM Girls class of 68 luncheon. She was a great person and we had a lot good laughs. We miss you Kathy.