Kathryn "Kate" Ila Dustrude went to heaven on September 25, 2010. She passed away unexpectedly from a stroke she suffered while doing what she enjoyed most- traveling and learning about the beautiful world around her.
Kate was born in March 15, 1928, the daughter of Theodor Frederick Benz and Ila (Peters) Benz. She spent most of her childhood in Beloit, Wisconsin. Following her mother's death, when Kate was four years old, her father married Ruth Johnson. Kate considered Ruth to be her mother in every sense of the word. On June 18, 1950, Kate married the love of her life, Dean Cleveland Dustrude.
Kate highly valued education, and the high bar she set for herself still serves as a great inspiration to her children and their families. She was a graduate of Beloit High School in 1946, and she was always proud of the fact that she was the school's first female yearbook editor. Four years later, she received her B.A. degree from Beloit College. After her husband, Dean, died in 1971, she completed two masters degrees, all while continuing to raise her four children in Cedarburg, Wisconsin. Kate received her Masters in Special Education from Cardinal Stritch College and her Masters of Social Work from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Once the last of her four children had left home to pursue their own higher education, Kate became a missionary for the Methodist Church, working in Biloxi, Mississippi. However, once her grandchildren started arriving, Kate returned to her home state of Wisconsin, where she worked until retirement as a social worker for Winnebago County.
Kate believed in always keeping active, both mentally and physically, and even in her later years she remained young at heart and was always interested in learning and doing new things. When she was done with her daily walk, she had a wide variety of interests and volunteer activities that kept her extremely active. Kate loved to read, especially biographies on American Presidents and First Ladies, and she shared her love of reading with others through her volunteer activities with the Winnebago County Literacy Council and the Oshkosh Public Library. Her love of nature was shared as a docent at the Paine Art Center where she enjoyed weeding the gardens. She also went on many mission trips with her church, was a guardian for incapacitated persons, and volunteered with the area food pantry. She also enjoyed having coffee with her neighbors, cross-country skiing (in her younger days), and participating in her many groups, including her writers' group, Learning in Retirement, Nine Patchers, and her church quilt group.
Additionally, Kate was an avid quilter, and she not only passed her love of quilting down to her daughters, but she also managed to make beautiful quilts for each of her six grandchildren-quite the accomplishment! She also enjoyed exploring different places and meeting new people. Her many travels included Israel, Egypt, Norway, Scotland, Ireland, Alaska, Canada, the Arctic Circle, and finally, the five Great Lakes.
Kate was known as many things- Mom, mother-in-law, grandma, great-grandma, quilter, writer, explorer, and friend. She is survived by her children: David Dustrude of Milwaukee, Ellen (Randall) Reifsnider of Fox Lake, Karen Dustrude (Michael Hanneman) of Oshkosh, and Thomas (Joanne) Dustrude of New Berlin; grandchildren: Chad (Jessica) Reifsnider, Andrea Reifsnider, Sarah Hanneman, Erik Dustrude, Matthew Dustrude, and Peter Hanneman; great-grandchild, Joseph Reifsnider; and Kate's sister, Elizabeth Raymer of Rockford, Illinois. In addition to her parents and husband, Dean, Kate was preceded in death by her sister, Mary Marks.
During Kate's short illness, her family has experienced nothing but the utmost kindness and compassion from the medical, nursing, and hospice staff at Aurora Medical Center. The family would like to extend a special thank you to Dr. Michael Duffy and Dr. Mamoun Al-Nouri, Kate's physicians for many years. They would also like to send a most sincere thank you to our Canadian neighbors at Thunder Bay Regional Medical Center in Ontario. The nursing, medical, and stroke teams gave Kate wonderful care and support to her family. Thank you. Additionally, great thanks to the medical flight crew who flew Kate home to her family. Her faith was very important to Kate. Thank you Pastor Rae Ann Beebe, of St. Paul United Church of Christ, for the support you gave while Kate was ill.
Kate was greatly loved and she will be equally missed. "When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice."
A funeral service will be held for Kate at 11:00 A.M. on Saturday, October 2, 2010, at St. Paul United Church of Christ, 1250 Leonard Point Road, Oshkosh. A time of visiting and sharing support will be held at the church on Saturday from 9:30 until the time of the service. Interment will be at Immanuel Cemetery in Cedarburg, Wisconsin. Please visit www.seefeldfuneral.com to share memories and condolences online. Memorials have been established in Kate's honor at the Nature Conservancy of Wisconsin and Beloit College.
Seefeld Funeral and
Cremation Services
(920) 236-7750