Beatrice M. "Bea Gast" Lederer

Beatrice "Bea" Martha (Gast) Lederer passed away peacefully on August 17, 2025, at the age of 84 in Appleton, Wisconsin. She was surrounded by the love and support of her family, dear friends, and the compassionate teams at Brewster Village and Moments Hospice.

Bea was born on April 26, 1941, in Kaukauna, Wisconsin, to Harold and Laura Gast. The oldest of 15 siblings, she grew up in a lively and loving home where she learned early the importance of family, responsibility, and resilience.

A vibrant and active soul, Bea never stopped moving. Whether she was running, teaching aerobics, or crossing off items from her bucket list-like ballet and salsa dancing-she embraced life with joy and curiosity. She had a deep love for travel, antique hunting, golf, reading, baking, solving crossword puzzles, and relaxing with a good TV series and a glass of wine.

Bea's generous spirit shone through in everything she did. She spent many years serving her church community at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church as part of the Altar Guild, an usher, and a dedicated volunteer preparing funeral meals. She also regularly cooked and delivered meals for COTS Homeless Shelter. In retirement, you could often find her spending time with friends reminiscing over pizza and a great glass of chardonnay, in the kitchen baking pies, or making her signature chocolate chip cookies for loved ones.

Bea considered her greatest accomplishment to be her family. She was a devoted and proud mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She leaves behind her five children: Bruce (Debra) Bolwerk, Bryan (Cindy) Bolwerk, Jeffrey (Theresa) Bolwerk, Angelina Bolwerk, and Staci (Terry) Bolwerk-Callenius.

She deeply loved her ten grandchildren: Justin (Sarah) Bolwerk, Zachary Bolwerk, Emily (Zander) Morrell, Gabriel (Toni) Trujillo, Evan Bolwerk, Eric Bolwerk, Tyler Baker, Benjamin Baker, Lidia Baker, and Levi Baker. She was also blessed with two great-grandchildren, Caleb and Cayden Bolwerk.

After graduating from Kaukauna High School in 1959, Bea pursued continuing education in window fashion design and fabrication. Alongside raising five children, she built a thriving business-Bea's Custom Window Designs-which served the community for over 35 years with creativity and craftsmanship.

Bea is survived by her siblings: Bonnie Reichel, Kay Gast, George (Bitsy) Gast, Gary (Chris) Gast, Karen Gast, Lynne (Ben) Collins, Deb (Dave) Churchill, Fawn (Bill) Peterson, and Sue (Steve) Hansel.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Harold and Laura Gast; siblings Harold Gast, Marty Gast, Laurie Gast, and Betty Mulry; and brother-in-law Dan Reichel.

Known lovingly as Beatrice, Bea, Beatty, Mom, Grandma, and Great-Grandma-she touched many lives and will be dearly missed by all who knew her.

A memorial service celebrating Bea's life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday September 20th, 2025, at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Appleton, with Pastor Seabough officiating. A luncheon will follow in the church gymnasium. Family and friends are welcome to gather for visitation beginning at 9 a.m., prior to the service. For online condolences, please visit www.valleyfh.com.