Esther Cowles

ESTHER L. COWLES

Esther Lucile Cowles, 94, passed away at her home in Menomonie, Wisconsin on Wednesday, December 8, 2010. Esther was born on June 18, 1916 to Charles and Edith Gerrish Scheltzbaum in Atchison, Kansas.

Esther attended Independence Valley Elementary School, and graduated from Troy High School in 1936. She attended Atchison Business College for one year, then began her secretarial career at the First Christian Church in Atchison. Later she worked at Dolan Mercantile Company and then the Atchison YMCA. She met her husband, Ward Matthews Cowles, while he was stationed at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and she was the director of the USO through the YMCA during World War II. They were married May 3, 1945, and spent 39 years together in Wisconsin and Iowa until Ward's passing in 1984. She worked as the school secretary at Glendale School in Madison, Wisconsin for twenty-four years, retiring from there in 1983. Since then, she has resided at various times of the year with her son, Gary, in Menomonie or with her daughter, Janice, in Telford, Pennsylvania.

Esther's well marked Bible gives testimony to her desire in life to serve and please her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Hospitality was her gift. Through all their years together, Esther and Ward opened their home many times to friends and family who lived with them in their home for various periods of time, and she was always thinking about who she could have into her home for a meal and visit.

Esther was a member of the Menomonie Alliance Church, and will be greatly missed by her many friends there. She was also a member of The Gideons Auxiliary.

Esther is survived by her daughter, Janice and her husband, Richard Feldkamp of Telford, Pennsylvania, by her son, Gary and his wife, Debbie of Menomonie. By her grandchildren, Thomas Feldkamp of Rancho Cucamonga, California, Ed Feldkamp (Amy) of Richmond, Virginia, Rebecca Klavon (Richard) of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, David Cowles of Los Angeles, California and Philp Cowles of Menomonie. Also by her great-grandchildren, Lukas and Ethan Feldkamp and Nickolas Klavon. Also by her brother and his wife, Durl and Isola Schletzbaum of Pleasantville, Iowa, her sister Dorothy Schletzbaum, of Atchison, Kansas, and her brother and his wife, Jerry and Barbara Schletzbaum of Redding, California.

Esther was preceded in death by her husband, Ward, her father and mother, her brother and sister-in-law Wayne and Esther Schletzbaum, her sister and brother-in-law Virginia and Floyd Schrader, and her grandson, Jeffrey Allen Feldkamp.

Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, Dec. 17, 2010 at the Menomonie Alliance Church, 502 21st Street North, Menomonie. Interment will be in Evergreen Cemetery in Menomonie. There will be visitation from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Thursday at Olson Funeral Home in Menomonie and at the church one hour prior to the service on Friday.

Memorials are suggested to The Gideons International, Dunn-Pepin Camp Treasurer, 1320 12th Ave. #4, Menomonie, Wisconsin 54751 or Midland Ministries of St. Joseph, Missouri, 709 E. Hyde Park Ave., St. Joseph, Missouri 64504.

Esther's family is grateful to Dr. Stygar, who faithfully cared for her health needs since her cancer diagnosis and for Northwest Wisconsin HomeCare who provided wonderful hospice care in her final weeks.