Elizabeth R. Keshka

Our Mom was born Elizabeth Gertrude Ruegg on November 25th, 1925, daughter of Elsie Rischmann and George Ruegg and was married to our Dad, Elmer Harding Keshka, for 68 years.

Her first passion was Dad and her kids – Michelle, Gerry, Steve, Sandra, Mike, and Mary Ann. Mom was also proud of her 15 grandchildren – Christa, Brittney, Jonathon, Jeremy, Janel, Selah, Jorah, Uriah, Shalome, Lael, Obadiah, Chenaniah, Jireh, Brandon, Brian. And of course, all her great grandchildren.

Mom always wanted us to be the best we could be at whatever we chose to do - and supported us 100% along the way. She taught us to set goals and then plan a path to achieve them. And doing your best was always more important than winning the prize.

Mom became a Registered Nurse in 1947. As an OBGYN nurse, she enjoyed helping the women through their deliveries and as they bonded with their new born infants. She worked the midnight shift so she could be home during the daytime to make breakfast and get all of us off to school each morning. She would sleep a few hours and then help with homework, shuttle us to our various activities, and get dinner on the table.

She always wanted to help others and lived a life of service. Over the years she volunteered for her parish church, Girl Scouts, Birth-line, and Hospice. She also volunteered to help with our sports teams and spent many hours officiating swim meets. And she was the regional Chair for AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) for swimming.

Mom and Dad took us camping whenever possible while we were growing up, and when Dad retired and we were off to college or raising our families, she and Dad could travel more often. They spent months at a time in their motorhome exploring all the national parks and points of interest throughout the States – and even took a couple of trips to Europe.

Mom had many hobbies she loved. She arranged flowers, crocheted (she made all of our Christmas stockings) and we always had the best family themed Halloween costumes in the neighborhood. She loved cake decorating and would not only make each of us our favorite themed cake for our birthday but also created elaborate wedding cakes for friends and neighbors. She was an avid bargain hunter. She was always excited to share great finds from various thrift stores and we enjoyed her favorite breads and desserts from the day-old bakery which we affectionately called “second hand bread”. We know our mom gave up so much so that we could have so much.

And most importantly throughout her busy life, she and Dad were devout Catholics and made sure we were raised in the church. We have fond memories of trying to stay awake at midnight mass, and whether we were in the choir or serving as an altar boy – if we were not focused on the mass, a mere snap of her fingers would whip us back into shape.