Arden Lee Kleinsasser died on August 13th, 2020 peacefully at home with his family by his side after a heroic battle with metastatic prostate cancer. He is survived by his wife, Sue Kleinsasser, and their children: Kevin (Jennifer) Kleinsasser, Burlingame, CA, Lori (Jim) Stancer, Beresford, SD, Trisha (Michael) Dodd, Verona, WI and Alissa (Andrew) Teig, Verona, WI and his grandchildren, Brendan Stancer, Dylan (Berkeley) Stancer, Oliver and Clara Dodd and Cameron and Frankie Teig. Beloved and faithful dog, Winnie. Brother-in-law Woodrow (Dianne) Hodges, LuAnn Kleinsasser (mother to Kevin and Lori) and many other family and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, Lyle and sister, Carol Hodges.

Arden was born to Mildred and Andrew Kleinsasser in South Dakota on July 15th, 1946. He graduated from South Dakota State with his teaching degree in 1968 and went on to earn his Masters in Guidance and Counseling in 1970. Arden participated in four years of ROTC and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army in 1969.

Arden lived in Nebraska for many years before moving to California, Kansas and finally landing in Wisconsin where he met and married the love of his life, Sue on October 3rd, 1998. Their life together was rooted in a strong mutual respect and was filled with love and laughter.

Arden's passion for people and kind heart led him into careers from guidance counseling to HR management. He was Human Resource Manager at Cardinal FG in Portage from 1995 until he retired in 2018. He loved his Cardinal family.

He started each day with a cup of coffee and the newspaper. He was always curious and a lifelong learner. He was truly interested in everyone he met, and had a special gift for sparking conversation and developing lasting friendships with perfect strangers.

He was a devoted sports enthusiast. From playing, to refereeing, to simply watching a game live on tv or in person, he loved it all. College football Saturdays were his favorite and before he passed he went on record stating that Wisconsin was his favorite team (sorry Nebraska!).

Arden loved travel and adventure. He and Sue traveled together to Italy, Mexico, Hawaii, Alaska and more. Some of his greatest times were spent with family by his side and a margarita in his hand while watching a sunset in Mexico. He also enjoyed live music on a summer night, exploring New Orleans Jazzfest with his son and good friends, reading a great book or venturing into the unknown countryside on his Harley.

Arden's presence and spirit were larger than life. He brought joy and a little silliness wherever he went. He firmly believed that every good story needed to be told more than once. We're going to miss you Arden and we promise to continue sharing and following your two life mantras - "Don't Let the Bastards Get You Down" and "Transcend the Bullsh*t."

A private service will be held on Saturday, August 22 at Free Thinker's Park, Sauk City with the Reverend Dianne Vielhuber officiating. A Celebration of Arden's Life will be held on Sunday, August 23 from 2:00 pm until 5:00 pm at Wisconsin Brewing Company, 1079 American Way in Verona, weather permitting.  Please join us for a cold beer and a story or two.  COVID-19 guidelines are listed at https://www.wisconsinbrewingcompany.com/covid-19-update .

Arden's family asks for no flowers, memorials can be made to the Agrace Foundation and Gilda's Club Madison. Both organizations and their people were invaluable to all of us.

Online Condolences may be made at hooversonfuneralhomes.com