Dianne Adkins is the parade marshal for the Bonduel Independence Day parade, announced Celebrate Bonduel.
Dianne Karla Stuewer made her entrance into the world Feb. 1, 1940 — born in a 1936 Chevrolet on the way to Green Bay from her family’s farm, 5 miles south of Bonduel near Landstad.
By age 5, she was already a regular at Landstad baseball games, cheering on what was, by all accounts, an exceptional team. When her family moved to Bonduel, she began first grade at St. Paul Lutheran School in the fall of 1946. She went on to graduate from Bonduel High School in 1958, rarely missing a home or away game thanks to a student bus organized by the principal.
After high school, Stuewer attended Outagamie County College for two years to earn her teaching credentials. She began her teaching career at Nichols State Graded School in 1960, then transferred to the Bonduel School District when the Navarino school was built in 1963. All the while, she continued her education in the evenings, on Saturdays and through summer sessions — earning her degree from Oshkosh in the summer of 1965.
Stuewer spent three years teaching first grade in Nichols, followed by 31 years teaching first grade in Navarino and then eight years in fifth grade in Bonduel — 42 years in the classroom in all.
But the classroom wasn’t the end of her teaching. She continued tutoring at St. Paul for another 18 years.
On May 26, 1962, Stuewer married Mark Adkins. Together they had two daughters, Sally and Penny, both of whom attended Bonduel schools. Mark Adkins worked at the Bonduel Times and later the Shawano Evening Leader, where he put his skills to good use creating the calendar class photos that students gave as Christmas gifts to their parents each year.
Throughout the years, Dianne Adkins followed area Little League and Dairyland League teams, and she rarely missed a high school football, basketball, baseball or softball game. Her daughter, Sally, was part of a Bonduel softball team that reached the state tournament three years running — 1979, 1980 and 1981 — earning second place each time.
In recognition of her lifelong devotion and unwavering commitment to Bonduel athletics, Dianne Adkins received a WIAA conference pass granting her admission to all games upon her retirement in 2002.
She is a lifetime member of St. Paul Lutheran Church and served on the building committee when the congregation built its new church. She has been known to describe her role on the committee with characteristic good humor — “token old white woman.”
Today, Adkins lives at The Cottages and continues to show up for many of the games — cheering on both her great-grandchildren and the Bonduel High School teams. She drives herself when she can and catches a ride when she needs to. Some things never change.
The Red, White & Blue Parade will begin at 11 a.m. July 4 with live music by Fabulous Johnny following the parade at Village Park. Road Trip will perform at 6 p.m.
The park will also be the site of food trucks, baseball games, bounce houses, a bike raffle, bull rides, a rock climb and more.
