Esther Malvina Closser Pyter, age 94, passed away peacefully on February 25, 2019. Born on March 10, 1924, Esther was raised on a farm in Oconto Falls, Wisconsin with five sisters and one brother. She married Henry Roman Pyter in 1945 and the couple enjoyed 30 years of marriage until Henry’s death in 1975.
Esther was the loving mother of five children: Randall, Richard (Jackie), Ellen (deceased, Randy Walter), Roberta (Dan Rajchel) and John (deceased). She is survived by 10 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. After raising her four oldest children and continuing to care for her youngest son, John, Esther worked as a lunchroom cashier at Wauwatosa East High School.
She loved being around young people. As an avid sports fan, (Go! Pack!
Go! ) Esther attended many high school basketball games, even riding on the fan bus to playoff games. She worked at Tosa for 27 years, retiring at the age of 78.
Her love of athletics carried over into her involvement with the Special Olympics both as a fan and as avid supporter of John. An independent and social person, Esther volunteered at St. Pius X Parish with the Bereavement Ministry and even worked as a cashier at the church’s roller rink. She was one of the “punniest” women who ever walked the earth, and couldn’t resist inserting a play on words into every conversation.
Her humble nature and fantastic sense of humor made her very popular, and she made friends easily and often. Esther loved gardening and spent many hours caring for her flowers and vegetables. She also enjoyed cooking and baking—especially Christmas cookies—and was famous for her legendary zucchini bread which she made every week and gave away.
Esther was a prayerful person. Her prayer list was long and deliberate, and she spent time in prayer every evening. Her very personal relationship with God was evident in her final moments on Earth.
A memorial mass will be held Thursday, March 7 at 11 AM at St. Pius X Catholic Church, 2506 N Wauwatosa Ave, Wauwatosa. VIsitation from 9:30 AM until the time of mass. In honor of Esther’s life and passions, please enjoy her favorite zucchini bread recipe below.
We considered sharing her banana bread recipe, but it was slightly less a-peeling. Esther’s Extra-Special Zucchini Bread Dry 2 cups all purpose flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp.
baking powder 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp.
vanilla ½ tsp. nutmeg Egg Mixture 3 eggs 2 cups sugar 1 cup vegetable oil 8 oz. cream cheese – softened Additions 2 cups chopped walnuts 2 cups shredded zucchini 1.
Preheat oven to 350°. 2. Grease and flour two 9×5 loaf pans or seven 5×3 loaf pans – set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients – set aside. 4.
In a large bowl, beat eggs, sugar, oil, cream cheese and vanilla until smooth. 5. On low speed of a mixer or by hand, gradually beat dry ingredients into egg mixture until moistened.
6. Gently fold walnuts and zucchini into batter. 7.
Bake small pans 35 minutes, large pans 60 minutes. Check doneness by inserting a wooden toothpick into center, when done the toothpick will come out clean. If not done, bake additional ten minutes and recheck.
8. Cool for ten minutes in the pans on a wire rack, remove from pans and cool completely on the rack. Enjoy!
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