Joan P. Schaupp

Joan Ann Pomprowitz Schaupp, 92, of De Pere, Wisconsin, passed away peacefully on Sunday morning, July 20, 2025 at Bellin Hospital in Green Bay, Wisconsin with her family by her side. 

Joan was the first of two children born to Joseph and Helen Pomprowitz of De Pere, Wisconsin. She married Robert James Schaupp on September 4, 1956. They were married over 67 years and raised four beautiful children together. 

Joan attended St. Francis Xavier grade school and East High School in Green Bay. She was a girl scout as well as a teen reporter for the YMCA show. Joan was involved with her parents’ trucking company, LCL Transit, from the time she was born, as the company was initially run out of their home and the office team and drivers served as babysitters and playmates. She began to work for the company as a teenager and was actively involved for the rest of her life. 

Joan attended St. Mary’s College in Indiana for two years then transferred to the University of Wisconsin Madison where she graduated with a degree in English Literature in 1954. For a number of years, Joan both edited and was a regular contributor to the society page for the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Later, she became a regular contributor to the At Home column in the Green Bay Register, a Catholic weekly newspaper. She was one of the first women in the National Press Club. Joan’s insightful articles were picked up by Catholic periodicals across the country in the 1960s and 1970s. Joan went on to write several books in the area of Catholic theology, and later she wrote books for each of her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She obtained a Master of Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in 1982, a DMin from the Graduate Theological Foundation in 1996, and studied theology in Oxford, England. 

Joan truly embodied the entrepreneurial spirit and was a renaissance woman with the range of her passionate interests. Joan was a key player on the board of directors for the family company for over 60 years, first as secretary of the board and later as board chairman. An avid gardener, Joan became a Master Gardener and a member of the De Pere Garden Club while she cultivated beautiful, organic edible landscapes at her De Pere and Ephraim homes. Joan generously supported many local charities and individuals who needed a helping hand. Joan’s faith was a very important part of her life, and she was active in many Catholic organizations and groups. She was a professed member of the third order of St. Francis and a member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. 

Joan was a voracious reader and loved to discuss every topic, especially economics, history, classical literature, politics and theology. Joan and Bob travelled the world, often travelling with a group where they studied the local economies and businesses. Joan most loved the time she spent with her beloved grandchildren, whom she proudly called The Big 10, and her seven great grandchildren. 

Joan is survived by her children, Peggy (Eric) Siebert of Lake Forest, Illinois; Fritz (Melissa) Schaupp of Wilmette, Illinois; Hans (Mary) Schaupp of Green Bay, Wisconsin; Ilse (Chuck) Schaupp Sidles of Wilson, Wyoming; ten grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren; her brother Jack (Mary) Pomprowitz of Carmel, Indiana and their children. 

The funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 am on Friday, July 25 at Old St. Joseph Catholic Church on the St. Norbert College Campus in De Pere, Wisconsin with visitation from 9:00- 10:00. Fr. Michael Brennan, O.Praem. will celebrate the funeral Mass. 

Memorial gifts can be made to either of her favorite places, Old St. Joseph Church on the St. Norbert College Campus or the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion in Champion, Wisconsin.