Wendie Lynn Staveness, age 62, passed away unexpectedly at home on July 2,2026. She was born on October 2,1963 to Clifford and Kathleen Johnson in Madison, Wisconsin. 

Wendie grew up in the DeForest, Wisconsin area, she loved growing up with her siblings,cousins and friends who were all in the same neighborhood. When she was twelve she got her first horse named War Paint, then the family moved to Keyser in 1976 to a farmette which was great for Wendie, when she was fifteen she got another horse named Windy, she loved them immensely. In the mid 1980’s she worked at an Arabian horse farm.

In 1988 she had her son Stanley who was the light of her life. Wendie married her husband Ken on March 30, 2001 and they bought a house in Rio. Wendie had a few jobs, but working with horses and at Jungs Seeds were her favorites. She enjoyed going fishing, camping, especially in Montello where she and Ken had a camper for a few years and gardening. Wendie also loved her dogs, Morgan, Bomber and Poppi. 

Wendie is survived by her husband Kenneth Staveness Jr.; son Stanley (Hannah Grafton) Corning; brothers Mitchell (Tina) Johnson and Thomas Johnson; sister April (Skyler) Severson; sister in law Virginia (Keith Gaskell) Staveness; brother in law John (Lisa) Staveness and many nieces, nephews and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents Clifford and Kathleen Johnson; father and mother in law Kenneth and Virginia Staveness; brother in law Jim Staveness; sister in law Penny Staveness and one of her favorite people, her grandma Amelia Martin.

A celebration of life will be held September 12, 2026 at 11:00 A.M. at the Rio American Legion Hall, 120 East Harvey Street.

We will miss Wendie’s kind heart and big smile. We hope she is having fun talking to her family and friends in heaven and riding her horses again.

The family would like to thank everyone for their love and prayers and many thanks to the Rio police, EMT’s and Grasse Funeral Home for your service.