Colleen S. Deininger, 81, of Kenosha passed away suddenly on Sunday, June 10, 2018, in a tragic plane crash in Green County, WI. The crash was a result of mechanical failure and has left her entire family devastated. Colleen would have been disappointed to see her true age displayed in the newspaper as she had maintained a consistent age of 39 for many, many years. Born on December 16, 1936, in Warren, IL, to Vernus and Kathren Seffrood, Colleen grew up in Green County, WI, attending local schools and graduated from Monroe High School, where she met the love of her life, Franklyn (Frank) Deininger. After graduating from Green County Teachers College, she began her teaching career in a one room school house. Frank and Colleen were married on July 27, 1957, and lived in Madison for three years before moving to Kenosha in 1961. Colleen taught 8th grade in Monroe and Madison and 3rd grade at Sunnyside (Grewenow) Elementary School in Kenosha. She graduated from Carthage College in 1966. In September 1975, she opened Colleen Realty Corp., later becoming one of the first Century 21 franchises in Kenosha. She ran the successful company for over 40 years before retiring in April of 2017. Colleen enjoyed teaching and helping others succeed in their real estate careers. She earned her CCIM designation and was also a successful property manager and developer. Colleen was a co-founder of the Kenosha Women’s Network, past President of the Kenosha Board of Realtors, member of the Alpha Delta Kappa sorority, and belonged to many other local business organizations over the course of her career. She was committed to advancing the rights of women, was a long-time member of the Kenosha Country Club and an avid golfer. Colleen was the glue that held her family together. She motivated and encouraged us to be the best that we could be, loved to give advice, taught us to never, ever give up and enjoyed traveling with us in our red shirts. She and Frank took many trips to Central and South America, Mexico, Europe and Australia, often accompanied by several grandchildren. A skilled pilot, Colleen flew for over 25 years and logged over 4,800 hours in the air. She flew many flights as part of the Angel Flight Volunteer network to transport sick passengers to their medical appointments. She loved flying and was always ready to help her family and friends get where they needed to go. Known for her generosity by all who knew her, she donated her time and resources to a number of worthy causes. She was recognized on a number of occasions, most recently when she was awarded the Susan B. Anthony ‘Women of Influence Award’ in 2016. Colleen is survived by: her husband; four children: Cheryl Deininger, Calla (Joseph) Ricciardi, Michael Deininger (Amanda Guerrero), Curt (Becky) Deininger; eight grandchildren: Lindsey (Eric) Huberty, CJ (Emily) Ricciardi, Amy Ricciardi, Tony Ricciardi, Michelle Deininger, John Deininger, Jake Deininger and Samantha Deininger; three great-grandchildren: Daniel Huberty, Jonathan Huberty and Tazlynn Deininger; three sisters: Vicki (Howard) Moore, whom she considered a daughter, Sharon Clark and Rita (Bill) Reid; Vicki’s children: Cody Moore and Kathren Moore, and many other nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, brother Roger Seffrood, sister-in-law Joanne Seffrood and brother-in-law Kenneth Clark. Colleen tragically perished alongside her daughter Melisa Dickman and grandchildren Emma and Alex Dickman. Visitation will be held on Friday, June 15th, from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at Proko Funeral Home. A Funeral Mass honoring Colleen, Lisa, Alex and Emma will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 16th, at St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church, 2020 91st Street. In lieu of flowers, Frank would appreciate memorials to the Deininger family to establish a scholarship for female pilots in Colleen’s name.Proko Funeral Home & Crematory5111-60th StreetKenosha, WI 53144Phone: (262) 654-3533Visit & Sign Colleen’s Online Memorial Book at:www.prokofuneralhome.com