Hero organ donor remembered for final act of service | Waukesha Co. News

MADISON — Erich Stubbe was a devoted husband, loving son and committed public servant who worked for the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department for more than six years as a deputy and detective. He and his wife, Anna, were married in July 2024. Erich was a gifted unicyclist and even did a performance at their wedding, according to a UW Organ and Tissue Donation news release.

Erich’s last day of life was filled with some of his favorite activities: hunting, geocaching, and riding his motorcycle, according to his obituary.

A motorcycle crash ended the chance to do those things again, but his lifesaving gift allows others to make the most of their lives.

Stubbe, 36, was critically injured in a motorcycle crash in November 2024.

Despite lifesaving measures in the University Hospital emergency department, he was not going to survive his injuries.

Donation and family support specialists from UW Organ and Tissue Donation reminded his family that Stubbe had signed up on Wisconsin’s organ donor registry.

“I am so grateful the team approached me,” Anna Stubbe said in a news release. “Organ donation was the last thing I was thinking about that night, but the team was patient and answered our questions and made our family feel comfortable with what was going to happen next.”

After the decision was made, the next step involved a testing process. Stubbe remained on a ventilator in a critical care unit.

These tests can take between 24 and 48 hours and ensure each organ is viable and safe for transplantation, Kayla Statz, organ procurement coordinator, UW Organ and Tissue Donation, said in the release.

“This is critical work that determines how many lives can be touched by one donor,” Statz said in the release. “We keep the donor’s family at the forefront of everything we do to make sure they are seen and supported during the evaluation process.”

Statz also helped the family make final memories. The family watched one last rivalry game as a family in his hospital room.

“Erich never missed a Packers game. It was important that we could watch one last Packers-Bears game with him; it was even better that they won!” Anna Stubbe said in the release. “Our family had the chance to say goodbye in a meaningful way.”

Erich died Nov. 19, 2024.

A decision that saves lives

Anna knew how her husband felt about organ donation.

“He was a registered donor when we met,” she said in the release. “He told me early on, ‘What am I going to do with my organs when I’m gone? I don’t need them,’ and that was just who he was, always giving.”

His family, friends and staff of UW Health and UW Organ and Tissue Donation gathered on April 23 at University Hospital to honor his donation. Anna Stubbe spoke before staff raised the Donate Life flag outside the hospital.

“Currently, more than 100,000 people in the United States are waiting for organ transplants. The need is urgent, as one new person is added to the transplant list every eight minutes. Organ donation can save up to eight lives, and tissue donation can help more than 75 people,” said Michael Anderson, executive director of UW Organ and Tissue Donation in the release.

“Every donor hero is different, and Erich’s story is one of profound strength, compassion and generosity,” he said in the release. “He set an example for others to follow and decided to register as an organ and tissue donor. It is a decision that saved lives.”

As an organ donor, Erich Stubbe was able to donate his heart, lungs, liver, kidneys and corneas to those in need of lifesaving gifts. He impacted the lives of five recipients.

Erich’s legacy of being a giving person continues to live on.

“If sharing his story inspires just one more person to sign up as an organ donor, then it’s worth it,” Anna Stubbe said in the release. “This is not what any family expects, but it was what Erich wanted. We did it for him.”

Those who want to sign up for or learn about organ donation can visit heroicdeed.com.