Kristin J. "Kris" Erdmann

LANCASTER - Kristin “Kris” Jean Erdmann, 77, passed away peacefully from dementia at BeeHive Homes in Oregon, WI on Thursday, February 5, 2026.

Kris was born on July 3, 1948, in Columbus, WI, and for many years, her birthday was celebrated at the annual 4th of July parade in Columbus. She graduated from Fall River High School in 1966 and, following in her Aunt Margaret's footsteps, became a teacher. She attended the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, graduating in 1970, with a degree in Speech Communication and English. Later, she earned her Master's Degree in Reading, also from UW-Platteville. Kris taught high school English and Speech for over 40 years, retiring in May 2011, and returned to teaching as an Adjunct Speech and English Instructor at UW-Platteville until 2021.

Kris loved fireworks to an extreme; like a magnet, she was drawn to animals of all shapes and sizes; she was confirmed later in life as an Episcopalian, and was dedicated to the faith and her church; she enjoyed music, singing in the church choir and participating for several years in the Platteville Chorale; and she liked to travel with notable trips to Alaska and to Italy where she visited the foreign exchange student that lived with her family when Kris was in high school.

All interests fell second, though, to her #1 love: teaching. Her 7 years teaching in the West Grant School District (1970-1977) and 34 years in the Lancaster School District (1977-2011), especially, brought her great joy. She taught, yes, but also sought connection with her students, recognizing that the role of teacher didn’t begin or end with a play, paper, or lesson of the day. It was also cheerleader, parent, role model, disciplinarian, and comedian - sometimes all in the same day. She enjoyed being a forensics coach; she enjoyed numerous colleagues over the years; and to be among her students, she may even have enjoyed crowd control.

On December 22, 2023, Kris and Dean celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. They shared a hobby of designing and building houses, building four in Lancaster and one in Blanchardville. Together, they enjoyed the menagerie of birds always in the backyard; they took frequent trips to Bayfield, ate at favorite restaurants, sailed on Lake Superior, and always enjoyed a concert or two at Big Top Chautauqua; and they both loved to dance. She will be missed beyond measure.

She is survived by her husband, Dean; her daughter and son-in-law, Megan and Kip Leadholm and grandson, Everett, in McFarland, WI; a brother, Gregg (Pat) Schepp; a sister, Kaylen (Bill) Betzig; and nieces, nephews, other family members, and good friends. Kris was preceded in death by her parents, Shirley and Daniel Schepp.

A memorial service and celebration of life will be held on Saturday, February 28, 2026, with visitation at 10:00 a.m. and the memorial services at 11:00 a.m., both at Trinity Episcopal Church in Platteville. A Celebration of Life will follow from 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. at Doolittle’s in Lancaster. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to PBS Wisconsin in memory of Kristin Erdmann. Make a gift online at give.pbswisconsin.org or send your gift to: PBS Wisconsin, PO Box 7929, Madison, WI 53707-7929. Kramer-Grau Funeral Homes & Crematory in Platteville is entrusted with her care.