Elaine Hale

Elaine Ruth Krueger Hale, beloved mother, grandmother, sister, and aunt, died on Sunday, October 5 at the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin. She was 94. The causes were pneumonia and sepsis which developed after a traumatic fall.

Born in Green Bay, Wisconsin on December 13, 1919 to Louise (Nowitke) Krueger and Richard Krueger, she grew up there. Elaine attended Roosevelt Grade School and East High School, both of which were located near her home on East Mason Street. She hoped to attend college, but the Great Depression and the outbreak of World War II prevented her from achieving that goal. Nevertheless, she inculcated her children with a passion for learning and encouraged them to go to college and graduate school. She worked at Fort Howard Paper Company in Green Bay during the war as a secretary. Her favorite pastimes included horse-back riding, ice skating, piano-playing, and reading. She was also an avid Green Bay Packers, Green Bay Blue Jays, Milwaukee Braves, and Chicago Bulls fan.

Elaine met and fell in love with William Clock Hale, a Coast Guard chief pharmacist's mate, in 1943, and they were married on January 20, 1945 at Grace Lutheran Church in Green Bay. The couple had three children whom they raised in Green Bay, Hudson, and Stoughton, Wisconsin. Elaine was very devoted to her children, and she attended the dozens of sports events, theater productions, Norwegian Dancer performances, and school events in which they participated. Yet she also expected her children to excel in school and earn good grades.

Elaine worked outside the home for many years before her retirement. She performed important functions as an administrative secretary at Kegonsa School in Stoughton, where she helped the faculty carry out the provisions of the Title I Act of 1965, which provided grants to help improve the academic achievement of the disadvantaged. She worked as the administrative assistant of the CEO of Stoughton Trailers for many years. Elaine and her daughter also founded a small word processing company. Elaine performed her work with energy and efficiency while learning how to use early versions of IBM desktop computers. She was proud of her professional achievements. Elaine also devoted time to helping those in need as a member of the hospital auxiliary in Stoughton.

Throughout her life, Elaine believed in God and attended church regularly. She was raised a Lutheran by her parents and remained a loyal supporter of the denomination until her death. She taught Sunday school, donated time and resources to a number of churches, read the Bible and other religious literature, and always attempted to follow the dictates of the faith in her daily life. Religious music was very important to her, and she loved to play it on the piano. She attended Grace Lutheran Church in Green Bay, Bethel Lutheran Church in Hudson, Christ Lutheran Church in Stoughton, and St. Paul Lutheran Church in Baraboo, Wisconsin.

Faith in God helped Elaine on a daily basis. In the early 1960s, she began to suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, a painful autoimmune disorder. It took a horrible toll on her body but never affected her indomitable will to press on with the help of God.

Besides her brother Emery (Sturgeon Bay), Elaine is survived by her daughter Linda (Baraboo), and two sons, Mark (Stoughton) and Brian (Stevens Point). Her survivors include five grandchildren: Haley (Baraboo), Isaac (Stoughton), Justin (Stoughton), Lucas (Edgerton), and Saskia (Stevens Point). She is also survived by her daughters-in-law, Linda Jo (Stoughton) and Sabine (Stevens Point). A short memorial service took place on October 9 at Grace Lutheran Church presided over by Pastor Julie Wrubbel-Lange, and Elaine was buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery at Green Bay after a brief grave site service conducted by Pastor Julie. Elaine was preceded in death by her husband. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to the Sunday school program at Grace Lutheran Church in Green Bay or sent to the Community State Bank in Baraboo, Wisconsin for distribution.

The family would like to thank Dr. Erich Marks and the nurses of the University of Wisconsin Hospital, especially Melissa. They provided exemplary care to Elaine during the last week of her life. Thanks also go to Pastor Bob at the hospital and the staff at the Newcomer Funeral Home of Green Bay who helped the family in their time of sorrow. Elaine was a regal person throughout her life, and she will be missed by everyone who knew her.