Del (Dolores) M. Boppel, age 85 of North Fort Myers, Florida, passed away December 6, 2025, peacefully at home with family by her side.  She was born in Minocqua, WI, the daughter of the late Fred and Elizabeth Sowatzka.  Del was born the 4 ^th of eight children and lived her childhood in Lake Tomahawk Wisconsin with her parents and siblings (Jean, Barbara, Francine, Fred, Mike, Gary and Brian).  Del married Gregg Boppel in 1958 and they lived throughout their marriage in Cedarburg, Wisconsin.  Although they divorced, they remained good friends until he preceded her in death in 2014.

Del always lived her life as an "adventure", living in various places such as Wisconsin, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, the Florida Keys, Fort Myers Beach, and finally settling in North Fort Myers, Florida.  She was employed in various fields including as a nurse's aide in an intensive care unit, ran her own business hanging wallpaper, worked as a waitress in several restaurants in Wisconsin and Florida, she worked for a short time in a traveling carnival, at a marine store, and retired as a waitress from Matanzas on the Bay beachside restaurant around 2009.

Del was artistic in her interior decorating with creative collectables and enjoyed gardening with a passion for providing beautiful flowering plants for butterflies.  She enjoyed reading, painting ceramics, and coloring for relaxation.  Whenever she could, she was a generous caregiver for family and friends.  She loved her many pets over the years that included several dogs, two cats, various snakes, fish and turtles.  Her most recent pets were a dog and a cat; she loved her little dog so much that she fought off an alligator that attempted to eat her dog, surviving the attack in September of 2024, by fighting back valiantly and healing remarkably from damage to her leg and arm, only to face a terminal illness nine months later.  Del was preceded in death by her parents, husband, sister Jean and brothers Brian and Mike.

Del was a devoted mother, grandmother (affectionately known as Ouma) and great grandmother and cherished spending time with her family. Del has four children, Chad Boppel (Bernadette) of Cedarburg, WI; Dawn (Rich) Frederick of North Fort Myers, FL; Peggy Hamann (Joe) of Holiday, FL; and Pamela (Clifford) Nankervis of L'Anse, MI. She has eight grandchildren: Matthew, Eric, Melissa, Tom, Keith, Trevor, Samantha, and Abbey.  She also has eight great grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.

There will be a celebration of life for family, date and location yet to be determined.  In lieu of flowers, the family would like memorial donations in Del's honor to be made to Hope Hospice (MoreHope.org) to help fund home care for others in need.