Miranda Lee Dykes

Miranda Lee Dykes, age 35, of Appleton, passed away January 6, 2019 after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. She was born October 13, 1983 in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, the daughter of William and Bonnie (Gonnering) Heindl. She attended Kaukauna schools and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology in 2006. In 2013, Miranda married the love of her life, John Dykes, after ten years of dating. Miranda worked for United Healthcare for 11 years, several of which she served as an Operational Trainer.

Miranda was a lifelong Green Bay Packers fan, attending many Packers games with her husband, having a Packer- themed wedding and naming one of her dogs after her favorite Packer, Mark Tauscher. She took pride in her fantasy football accomplishments, winning her league three times, including the championship just prior to her passing. Miranda loved to go to the races at WIR with her father every Thursday night to cheer on Lowell and Braison Bennett. She was a true crime show enthusiast, often correctly guessing the murderer before the show was complete. Over the course of her 35 years, Miranda mastered the use of numerous curse words and used them proudly. She loved spoiling her puppies Riggins and Tauscher, making many trips to PetSmart to purchase treats, toys, and doggy outfits. Miranda had a budding talent in balloon animal creation, which she started as a joke after her husband encouraged her to get a new hobby.

Miranda is survived by her husband, John Dykes; parents: William and Bonnie Heindl; siblings: Steve (Amy) Heindl and Melanie (Michael Stearns) Heindl; mother-in-law, Katie Dykes; brothers and sisters-in-law: Stephanie (Billy Hand) Dykes and Kathryn (Steven Fagan) Dykes; her beloved dogs: Riggins and Tauscher; many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

Miranda was preceded in death by her father-in-law, Herman Dykes; grandparents: Dan and Betty Gonnering and Ray and Marge Heindl; John’s grandparents: Frank and Stella Korzilous and Frances and Marian Dykes; and her precious dog Kenan.

Funeral services will be held at 12:00 noon on Saturday, January 12, 2019, at the Verkuilen-Van Deurzen Family Funeral Home KAUKAUNA LOCATION (formerly the Boettcher Funeral Home) 2401 Fieldcrest Drive, Kaukauna. Visitation will be at the funeral home on Saturday from 9 a.m. until the time of the services. Interment will be in Holy Cross Cemetery. A celebration of Miranda’s life will continue after the services at Hollanders Bar and Grill. In lieu of flowers, a memorial is being established in Miranda’s name. For online condolences, please visit www.verkuilenfh.com.

The family would like to sincerely thank everyone for all of their support during this time of need. The family would also like to thank the former Fox Valley Hematology and Oncology team, especially Dr. Conkrite, Miranda’s oncologist whom she deeply admired and trusted, his nurse practitioner, Crystal Guttman, and her favorite lab tech, Ben, who put a huge smile on her face even in her last days.

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.