Mary Lou Kuester, formerly Mary Lou Clark, (nee Bisdee), age 92, of West Bend, passed away peacefully at St. Joseph's Hospital in West Bend on January 19, 2015.
Mary was born on January 5th, 1923 in Escanaba Michigan to the late Charles and Dagmar (nee Andersen) Bisdee. Mary went to the University of Michigan and later moved to Milwaukee where she met and married Elsworth Clark. They had two children, Jim & Sally, and eventually moved to West Bend. After the death of Elsworth, Mary went to work at Wesbar Manufacturing in West Bend. In 1966 she married Robert Kuester of West Bend. After Bob and Mary retired, they moved to Park Place Condominiums and worked with Craig James, the developer, as the owner's representatives; they ultimately became the onsite managers for the condominium association. Robert passed away in 2008 and Mary lived at Park Place until her death.
Born in the upper peninsula of Michigan, Mary maintained many of her loves and interests from her upbringing including sewing and knitting, berry picking, and baking. As recently as 2012, Mary could be found picking wild blueberries in Marquette to make a homemade pie for all to enjoy.
Mary was also very selfless and dedicated much of her time to helping others. She was a lifelong member of St. James Episcopal church and was actively involved in many church activities over the years. After she retired, she became a volunteer "pink lady" at St. Joseph's Hospital and during her 20 year tenure hand-made literally hundreds of knit hats for the newborns at St. Joseph's. Her love of babies could be seen on her face whenever she came into contact with them. In addition to her selfless nature, Mary will also be remembered for the connections she made with people. She had a special way of bringing people together and left long-lasting impressions on the many people that she got to know over the years.
Mary is survived by her two children, Jim (Jane) Clark of Mequon, Sally (Doug) Frisbey of Harbor Springs, Michigan, a stepson, Robert Kuester Jr. of West Bend, three grandchildren, Ashley Tarkenton, Taylor Clark, and Ben Frisbey, two step grandchildren, Kip and AJ Kuester, and three step great-grandchildren.
She is preceded in death by her parents, three sisters, two brothers and two husbands.
A funeral service in remembrance of Mary will be held on Friday, January 30, 2015 at St. James Episcopal Church in West Bend at 4:30 PM. Visitation will be at 3:30 until the time of service. Following the service there will be a reception at the Club Room at Park Place Condominiums at 530 Silverbrook Dr. in West Bend.