Sister Lois Klimek, 92

Sister Lois Klimek, O.S.B., 91, a Benedictine Sister of Saint Bede Monastery in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, died Saturday, January 31, 2009 at Douglas County Hospital in Alexandria. She had been a resident at Knute Nelson Memorial Home in Alexandria in recent years.

She was born July 28, 1917 in Millerville to Peter and Anna (Buerskin) Klimek, the second oldest in a family of three brothers and two sisters. Olivia entered St. Benedict’s Convent, St. Joseph, in 1936 and became a novice in 1939 when she received her religious name of Sister Lois. She was professed in 1940 and celebrated her Golden Jubilee in 1990.

Sister Lois received her certification for teaching from the College of St. Benedict. Her teaching career extended from Bismarck, North Dakota and Holly Springs, Mississippi to many schools in the La Crosse Diocese including Eau Claire, La Crosse, Ellsworth, Onalaska, Mondovi and Altoona. Teaching primary grades was her forte. Being small of stature, she seemed to blend in with her students who loved her stories and respected her quiet, gentle manner. She seldom had to raise her voice as her eyes spoke many words.

In 1979 Sister Lois expressed the desire to be closer to her family and moved to Alexandria where she was employed as a cashier for a few years. Returning to Eau Claire in 1986 she became involved in several areas of community service.

Ill health forced her into retirement in 1997 where she resided at Wissota Lakeside Nursing Home in Chippewa Falls and later at Clairemont Nursing and Rehabilitation in Eau Claire. These years she enjoyed reading and listening to good music. In 2003 Sister Lois once again expressed her desire to return to Alexandria to be close to her family, where she remained until her death.

Sister Lois was preceded in death by her parents; her brothers, Wilbert and Gebhart; her sister and brother-in-law, Dorothy and Donald Koep; and her brother-in-law, Dick Wille.

Survivors include her brother and sister-in-law, Jerome and Dalleen Klimek; her sister, Rita Wille; two sisters-in-law, Olivia and Adelaide Klimek; many nieces and nephews; and her religious community, the Sisters of St. Benedict in Eau Claire, WI.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Mary’s Church in Alexandria on Wednesday, February 4 at 1 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will also be celebrated at Saint Bede Monastery, Eau Claire, WI on Friday, February 6 at 11 a.m.

Arrangements are with Anderson Funeral Home in Alexandria; www.andersonfuneral.net.

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