LouAnn M. Erlandson Ward
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Our mom, (and mom to many others), LouAnn Ward passed away on February 13, 2021 at Alden Estates in Jefferson, Wisconsin. She was born on March 31, 1934 in Westby, WI to the late Alton and Marie (Engh) Erlandson.
As a "bull-headed" Norwegian, she was very proud of her heritage. She grew up in Viroqua before moving to Madison when she was a young child. LouAnn graduated from Madison East High School in 1952. She was a proud member of the High School Band and Choir, and she played half-court basketball.
She married the late DuWayne Ward on September 5, 1954. They resided and started their family in Madison.
LouAnn worked for an accountant, processing tax returns before moving on to General Casualty Insurance. It was while working there that she claimed to be one of the first people to hear of President Kennedy's assassination, as she was on a long-distance call to Washington D.C. and was mistakenly connected to the Capitol. Mom also worked at Hendricks Drapery with DuWayne. In 1968, the family moved to Lake Mills. In 1977, LouAnn became the manager of Pier 4. She devoted many hours to this job and loved it. Sadly, in 1978, a devastating fire took place. From then on, mom devoted her time to babysitting. Over the years, mom spent many hours at sporting events supporting her children and grandchildren. She even coached her son's baseball team.
She was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church. Mom loved camping, fishing, bird watching and looking for deer on Sunday drives. She never learned to drive, as she would say "there are enough fools on the road without me". Mom loved her family and worked to instill good character and strong work ethic in her kids and grandchildren. Thank you, mom, for the sacrifices and support over all the years. You will be forever loved and missed.
LouAnn is survived by her four children; Mark (Patti) Ward, David (Jolene) Ward, both of Lake Mills, Julie (Gary) Smith of Edgerton and Stacy (Steve) Kube of Johnson Creek; 12 grandchildren, Torrie (Jeff) Karls, Tabitha (Chad) Radloff, Lucas (Caitlin) Ward, Greg Haskins, Jacob (Amanda) Smith, Justin Smith, Jennah Holstad, Erik (Lindsey) Holstad, Justin Holstad, Katrina (fianc?e Preston) Kube, Kyle Kube, Brett Ward; 6 great-grandchildren, Alex Radloff, Benjamin Radloff, Raegan Zastrow, Mekenna Miklas, Max Ward, Blakely Karls; two sisters, Deloris Erlandson of Madison and Marci (Jerry) Wiessinger of Nekoosa; many nieces, nephews, and friends.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, February 18, 2021 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lake Mills.
Friends may call after 10 a.m. at the church until the time of services.
Burial will be in the Washington Cemetery, in Portland.
If desired, memorials may be made to the Lake Mills Athletic Dept., Rainbow Hospice, or Trinity Lutheran Church.
Special thanks to long-time friend and neighbor, Hazel Mueller for all the care and support over the years. The family would also like to thank Alden Estates, Rainbow Hospice Care and their Friends in Action program, and the Lake Mills Hometown Pharmacy.
www.claussenfuneralhome.com