Violet "Vi" M. Eiseth Obituary (1927 - 2023)

"Behind every good man is a great woman." The perfect description of our Mom's life and how she spent it loving and supporting our Dad for 74 years, 11 months and 3 weeks. Now, after 3 months and 3 weeks, she has once again rejoined her forever partner in heaven where Dad was eagerly waiting for her ("If you get there before I do, don't give up on me") Born July 4, 1927, Violet Marie (Kelling) Eiseth left her earthly life of 95 years - with much determination - on January 15, 2023, in her beloved lifetime home. She was the only child of Charles and Esther (Eckert) Kelling, who spent their lives farming in the Little Elk Creek area. (And, yes, she walked many miles every day to Valleyview Grade School through deep snow and over hills and woods!) It wasn't long after starting Menomonie High School that she met a handsome young man named Francis Eiseth. They lived on opposite sides of town but it didn't stop this blossoming romance. There, they reigned as junior prom king and queen and went on to graduate in 1945. Violet worked at Farmer’s Union in Menomonie as a secretary, living in an apartment with her good friends for 2 years, before marrying her "Forever Francis" on October 2, 1947. Then their wonderful life began on the farm that Dad was born and raised on. In 1949 they began their family - Patricia Ann, Linda Kay in1952 and Barbara Jo in 1959. The farm boys never did show up and no one ever complained. The daughters became pretty good farmhands. Mom didn't attend a lot of committee meetings or belong to many organizations. Her walls weren't lined with awards and accomplishments. But she loved her church and her circle (Ladies' Aide) and was involved in 4-H. She attended every sporting event and musical event her girls participated in, after helping Dad get the cows milked and chores done. She was a grand babysitter for her grandkids - always going above and beyond, whether we were working or socializing. And her grandkids and great-grandchildren loved her! All 5 grandchildren and 3 greatgrandchildren were privileged to have Mom present at her last Christmas celebration - even after she got her sad, life-ending diagnosis that same day. The family showed their support as she had shown all of us our entire lives. It was a blessed Christmas in a strange way. Mom never thought she had a lot to offer the world - but boy, was she wrong! If someone needed prayers, just let Mom know. Did you need a listening ear? Mom was there. On a bad day, Mom suddenly made it better by saying "You look so pretty today" or "What would I do without you girls?" For years, she faithfully cut and collected used stamps from her mail envelopes which then helped underprivileged children obtain Sunday School materials. As Dad was busy attending Town Board, County Board, and church meetings, Mom was the fire behind the scenes. She made sure he got to his meetings, finished milking by herself frequently, and even provided "lunch" for post-meeting refreshments. In addition to farming, she frequently cooked 2 full, tasty meals a day for workers during harvesting seasons - pie and all! She truly supported Dad in everything he did - and he did a lot. After retiring from farming in 1989, Mom and Dad thoroughly enjoyed their travels to Europe with friends and family. In 2015 Mom survived debilitating hip, back and neck pain, and 9 months after her neck surgery miraculously became almost pain-free. In 2019, she became seriously ill with sepsis, proved the doctors wrong, and went on to enjoy most of the next 4 years. She lovingly cared for Dad in their home after his 2 strokes. She always asked if she did enough for him and she absolutely did! Dad thanked her every night for taking such good care of him. We would like to extend a huge "THANK YOU" to all our loving family, friends and neighbors for all of their care, concern and assistance during Mom's brief illness. We had just received amazing response to our request for "Mom-Sitters" for next week (Barb has a goodwill trip to Honduras planned). We filled every shift due to all your kindness - but your help won't be needed as, one final time, Mom took care of things. Thank you for your love! Violet is survived by her three daughters, Pat (Ron) Mikesell, Linda (John) Lenz, Barb Lindberg, Steve Lindberg, all of Menomonie, grandchildren, Travis (Stacy) Lenz and their daughter Danica of Andover, MN, Brian (Jenny) Mikesell and their children, Charlie and Claire Violet of Menomonie, Amber Lenz of Menomonie, Leah Lindberg (Nate Robertson) of Fitchburg, WI, Brett Lindberg of Minneapolis, other relatives and friends. She is preceded in death by her parents Charles and Esther Kelling, husband Francis, inlaws Arthur and Evelyn Eiseth, sisters-in-laws Betty (Clarence) Gesche, Lois (Pete) Peterson, brothers-in-laws Don (Arlene) Eiseth, Lloyd (Deedee) Eiseth, and special nephew Rod Eiseth. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Dunn County Humane Society (in honor of Mom's new housemate "Inky") Menomonie Senior Center, Peace Lutheran Church or the Charity of your Choice. A Funeral Service will be at 11:00 a.m. Friday, January 20, 2023 at Olson Funeral Home with Pastor Dale Freberg officiating. Visitation will be 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 19, 2023 at Olson Funeral Home and one hour prior to the service time. Burial will take place at Peace Lutheran Cemetery in the town of Menomonie, Dunn County, Wisconsin in the spring.