Emily Klapste, of Antigo, died October 17, 2016 in Osceola, Wisconsin. Emily was 98 years old. She was born on May 28, 1918 in the Town of Neva, a daughter of William and Justina (Denk) Gleich. She married Leonard Klapste on May 27, 1939 in Milwaukee. He preceded her in death on February 21, 2007.
She attended Little Chicago Grade School in Neva and graduated from Antigo High School. Prior to marriage she taught grade school at Liberty Bell in the town of Vilas for four years. After marriage she and her husband moved to Coleman where they owned and operated a Gamble's store for 34 years. Mrs. Klapste worked at the store, raised her three children and graduated college after the children left home. She then taught grade school in Lena, Wisconsin, for 14 years, retiring in 1980.
She and her husband returned to Antigo in 1993 and in retirement she enjoyed traveling, oil painting and gardening. She was a life-long advocate and role model for living well with Celiac Disease.
Mrs. Klapste was a member of the Wisconsin Retired Teachers Association and the Antigo United Methodist Church.
Survivors include a daughter, Janet Witt (Betsy McCleary) of Arlington, Virginia; two sons, James (Carol) Klapste of St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin, and Kendall (Anne) Klapste of Madera, California; five grandchildren, Jason and Kristin Klapste, Jeremy Klapste, Michael and Charles Witt; five great-grandchildren, Aurora Simar, Gabriel and Ethan Witt, Georgia and Liam Klapste.
In addition to her husband of 67 years, she was preceded in death by a sister, Rosie Cahak; and two brothers, Harry and Emil "Pete" Gleich.
A funeral service will be held on Saturday, October 22 at 11 a.m. at the Antigo United Methodist Church with Pastor Debbie Pimm officiating. A luncheon will be served at the church immediately following the Celebration of Emily's Life. Visitation will be Friday, October 21 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Bradley Funeral Home and 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday at the Church.
Memorials, in lieu of flowers, can be made to the Celiac Support Association (csaceliac.org), P.O. Box 254 Seward, NE 68434 or the Antigo United Methodist Church, 2034 W. Fifth Ave, Antigo, WI 54409.
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Antigo, WI 54409
Visitation
Antigo, Wisconsin 54409
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Antigo, Wisconsin 54409
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I am sure Emily is doing cartwheels, my last conversation with her included seeing a photo when she was 62 years old doing a cartwheel. She was a wonderful woman and I will miss being around her.
Thinking of Aunt Emily and the wonderful legacy she leaves to all of her family...the gift of loving and living life to its fullest no matter where or what.....RIP Aunt Emily
Aunt Emily was a wonderful person and will always be known as $2.00 bill aunt by my children as she and Leonard would send the kids $2 bills each year.
Long before there was an official 'feminist' movement, women of Aunt Emily's generation, growing up in rural areas, out of necessity developed the confidence to tackle whatever obstacles they faced with ingenuity, vigor and persistence. Aunt Emily reflected these qualities as she lived her life and as a role model for her family.
Though for most of my life I lived miles away from Aunt Emily, my life was influenced in part by her example. I admired her tenacity, her talent and her ability to frame the world around her in a way that made the difficult surmountable.
I will miss her thoughtfulness. She always remembered special occasions with a card and a note, keeping me apprised of the activities of the family and of course, the weather. As she described it, zero to thirty was 'chilly', below zero was 'brisk'!
Carla and I cannot be there for the services, but will remember her with great fondness and gratitude.
Photo taken when Carla and I visited Aunt Emily and Jan in 2006. We all looked a bit younger then!
My mother, Lorraine Strandberg Tucker, was a student at Liberty Bell School. And Miss Gleich was her teacher. Mom always spoke fondly of Emily. Several years back Emily gave mom a valentine she had received from my mom when she was her student. She had saved it all those years. Sorry for your loss
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