Eileen Violet Koser

Eileen Koser, age 97, died peacefully in her Bradenton, Florida, home on December 27, 2022 of congestive heart failure. She was born September 11, 1925, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the daughter of Carl and Mathilda Conrad. Her family moved to Almena in 1932 where she attended Almena Public School, was confirmed at St. Matthew Lutheran Church and graduated from Turtle Lake High School. Eileen married Alfred Koser on March 11, 1947. They celebrated 75 years together during which time they lovingly raised four children.

In 1943 as World War II raged, Eileen moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, where she worked for an insurance company. She then moved to Chicago where she held a civil service position processing war bonds and worked as a nanny. After marriage, Eileen was a homemaker and equal partner in the family dairy farm. She owned an antique store for ten years.

Eileen was committed to the Almena community. She served as president and secretary of the St. Matthew Ladies Aid and actively participated in Church Circle. She was a long-standing member of the VFW Auxiliary. A major achievement was researching and writing a book on the town’s history for Almena’s Centennial. Eileen took a lead role in organizing and officiating the three-day celebration.

After retirement, Eileen and Alfred traveled throughout the United States and to over nine European countries. Eileen also soloed on a month-long trip to Brazil. Eileen and Alfred wintered in Bradenton, Florida, for over 30 years.

Friends and family describe Eileen as a loving and generous woman who made friends easily and kept them a lifetime. Most summers she hosted vacationing out-of-own family; friends visited regularly. No one left without a meal or minimally coffee and dessert. Eileen’s compassion ran deep. She was among the first to lend a hand to a neighbor or stranger in need. Eileen was a devoted and competitive bridge player and an avid, three-book-a- week reader.

Eileen will be dearly missed. She is survived by her husband, Alfred, and children Linda Koser (Joseph DeFrank), Sarasota, FL, Gail Koser (Kathy Westerholt), Bradenton, FL, Jon Koser (Mary Mack), Saint Louis Park, MN, and Sharon (Greg) Merle, Bradenton, FL. She was preceded in death by her parents and a brother, Otto.

The family requests gifts in memory of their mother and wife be directed to the Marshfield Medical Center Rice Lake Hospice Program or the St. Matthew Cemetery Fund in Almena WI.