memorials Kenneth S. (Ken) Aronson, CPA (1951 – 2022)
Ken Aronson, CPA, passed away on Thursday, March 17. He was licensed as a CPA in 1978, and in 1984 he started the firm of Aronson & Associates LLP in Brookfield. His daughter Kristin joined the firm as a partner in 2007 and became a CPA in 2010. Aronson is survived by his wife of 50 years, Sherry; two daughters; four grandchildren; a brother and two sisters; many nieces and nephews; and other family members and friends.
Richard L. (Dick) Pajula, CPA (1943 – 2022)
Richard J. (Dick) Pajula, CPA, 78, passed away on Thursday, March 31. Pajula graduated from Holy High School in Hurley in 1961 and subsequently joined the Wisconsin Army National Guard, for which he utilized his expert snow-skiing
skills as part of a ski disaster extraction team. During his service for the Guard, he attended Superior State University and earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting, and in 1967 he enrolled in Officer Candidate School and became a company commander. After moving to North Dakota that year with his new wife, Joan, he attended the University of North Dakota, earned a master’s degree in accounting and became a CPA. In 1969, the couple moved to Bloomington, Minnesota, and Pajula joined Arthur Andersen. He worked for the firm for 10 years before moving back to Wisconsin in 1979 and gaining employment with Jerome Foods/The Turkey Store, eventually becoming CFO and vice president of operations before retiring from the company when it was acquired by Hormel Foods and starting a sole proprietorship in 2001. Pajula is survived by his wife, Joan; two sons; four grandchildren; two brothers; and many other relatives and friends.
Tricia Knight, CPA (1955 – 2022)
Tricia Knight, CPA, 66, a partner with Ritz Holman CPAs in Milwaukee, passed away on Sunday, Feb. 20. She was an active member of the WICPA as well as a member of the Indiana Institute of CPAs and the AICPA. She was a strong advocate for the CPA profession — especially for women in the profession — and an overall positive force for the Milwaukee community. Knight graduated summa cum laude from St. Joseph’s College in Indiana and entered the nearly all-male field of accounting in the 1970s. The guidance of her mentor, Nate Holman, CPA, combined with her candor, dedication and integrity, allowed her to rise above the very low “glass ceiling” of those days, and she was made a firm partner in her 20s. She became the trusted confidant of thousands of Milwaukeeans and a leader in the profession, mentoring countless men and women on the ethical and professional responsibilities of her chosen field. Her activities with the WICPA included service on the WICPA board of directors and on the Finance, Federal Taxation, Tax Conference Planning, Board of Directors Nomination, and Excellence Awards Selection committees. She was an Excellence Award winner in her own right, having been named the Community Service Award recipient in 2008 and the Achievement Award recipient in 2011. She was also a recipient of the Holton Youth and Family Center Outstanding Support Award in 2000 and of the St. Joan Antida Deus Solus Award in 2018. Dedicated to her adopted community of Milwaukee, Knight donated her time, talents and treasures to nonprofits serving the disenfranchised, including the Holton Youth and Family Center, St. Joan Antida High School and Wild Space Dance Company. She supported and mentored young professional women as a member of Professional Dimensions. She also served on the boards of the Charles Allis/Villa Terrace Art Museum and the Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation Inc. and as treasurer of Three Holy Women Catholic Parish. Knight is survived by her husband, Pat; two children; four grandchildren; and countless other family members and friends.
If you are aware of a member obituary and believe it should be included in Memorials, please send a copy of the obituary or contact Marcia Tillett-Zinzow at mtzinzow@icloud.com.
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On Balance
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