Chihak, Eileen A (Klimesh) 1939 - 2023
CHIHAK, KLIMESH, LOESCH, KURASH, SCHRAGE, MARTELL, VALVODA
Posted By: Joy Moore (email)
Date: 5/22/2024 at 16:07:20
Eileen A. Chihak 84 of Elma died September 12 at the Colonial Manor surrounded by family after an almost-year battle with Merkel cell cancer.
A Memorial Mass will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, September 15, 2023, at Our Lady of Lourdes in Lourdes with Rev. Jerry Kopacek celebrating the Mass. Interment will be at Our Lady of Lourdes Cemetery at a later date.
Friends may greet the family from 9:30 - 11:00 a.m. prior to the Mass at the church on Friday.
Eileen A. Klimesh was born June 5, 1939, on the family farm near Protivin. She was the eldest daughter of Edward and Evelyn (Loesch) Klimesh. Eileen received her formal education through high school at Rudophium in Protivin graduating with the class of 1957. After graduation, she furthered her education at Viterbo in LaCrosse and Upper Iowa in Fayette taking classes toward elementary education. On May 9, 1959, she was united in marriage to Robert Chihak at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Protivin. To this union four children were born, Marianne, Patricia, Donald, and Tony.
Eileen worked a short time at Sara Lee in New Hampton before working in Fredericksburg at the creamery known as Meinerz, then Beatrice, and finally Conagra. She worked there a total of 28 years retiring when Conagra closed in 2003. Robert and Eileen raised their family and farmed west of Lourdes.
In the years before going to work in town, Eileen loved to garden, bake, and sew making many outfits and dresses made with lots of love. She enjoyed going to see the Texas Tenors and listening to Molly B with her favorite song being “You Are My Sunshine”. She was a member of Our Lady of Lourdes Church serving on the altar and rosary society and was a religious education teacher in years past.
Eileen is survived by her children, Marianne (Steve) Kurash of New Hampton, Patty (Brian) Schrage of Cresco, Don of Elma and Tony (Lisa) of Lemars; her beloved grandchildren Amber (Steven) Kurash, Ryan Kurash, Austin (Brittany) Schrage, Morgan Schrage, Emily Chihak and Alex Chihak; two great-grandchildren Laken and River Kurash; two sisters Ellen Martell of LaCrosse Wis and Edna Klimesh of Spillville, one brother Edmund Klimesh of Protivin and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Edward and Evelyn Klimesh, her husband Robert in 2015, brother and sister-in-laws Paul and Shirley Chihak, Joe and Marlene Chihak, Ray and Mary Valvoda as well as brother-in-law Paul Martell.
Source: Hugeback=Johnson Funeral Home database
Our Lady of Lourdes Cemetery
Howard Obituaries maintained by Constance McDaniel Hall.
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