Dee R. Brassel, 69, a 1st-grade teacher for nearly three decades at Hawthorne Elementary School in Wheaton, died Tuesday in Central DuPage Hospital, Winfield. Mrs. Brassel was born in Wellston, Ohio, and received a bachelor’s degree in education from Ohio University and a master’s degree in education from National College of Education, Wheaton. “Every year, mom took the entire 1st-grade class for a walk around the block that ended at our house with a Christmas party,” said her daughter Lisa Behnke. “Children in her class who were thought to have learning disabilities were invited to spend a week with us at our summer home in Wisconsin. My mother did that to find out what kind of help the child really needed. . . . She was that kind of a teacher.” She retired in 1991. Other survivors include her husband, Bob; a daughter, Christine Boeschen; a son, Jeff; two sisters; and eight grandchildren. Visitation will be from 3 to 8 p.m. Thursday in Hultgren Funeral Home, 304 N. Main St., Wheaton. Services will be at 9:30 a.m. Friday in the funeral home followed by mass at 10 a.m. in St. Mark Catholic Church, 300 E. Cole St., Wheaton.
