Beneath the full Harvest Moon light, Sally (Kleist) Kowalski departed this earthly life, on October 25, 2018 at home after a courageous battle with cancer at the age of 76. She was born on September 6, 1942 to the late Alfred and Esther (Kruzicki) Kleist and was raised in Mosinee. On September 5, 1969, she and Donald Kowalski were married in Wausau.
Sally graduated from Mosinee High School in 1960 and immediately began her career at Wausau Insurance Company (formerly Employers Mutual). She worked in Accounts Receivable and then H O Credit/Billing – Collection, retiring in April 2002. After taking 11 months off, she rejoined the work force in the Billing/Collection Department at the Corporate office of Allied Health, finally retiring for good in June 2008.
Beyond her professional life, she spent countless hours doing the bookwork for their family dairy farm. That, without her diligence and organization, would not have made it as long as it did. Her pastimes included feeding and watching humming birds and spending many pleasurable hours reading.
When she was growing up you could always find her in a corner with a book at family gatherings. A hunger for reading is something wonderful she passed on to both of her grandsons. In her younger years she greatly enjoyed her time golfing and spent many happy hours picking up seashells on the beaches in Florida.
Sally also enjoyed watching the Green Bay Packers – Go Packers! Don and Sally traveled extensively in all 50 states, missing only a few years of vacations in all their married life. Also, they enjoyed two special trips to Ireland to visit their friends, Anne and Noel and family.
Special note – Sally wanted two things to be said: She disliked all sewing with a passion including mending! She never cooked if she could weasel out of it and baked even less! Survivors include her husband Don, one son Douglas (Inanda), Wausau, two grandsons Riley and Zander, Wausau, one brother Richard Kleist, Canyon Lake, TX, and brother-in-law Alan Kowalski, Wausau, sisters-in-law Cindy Robinson, Tomahawk; Christine (Peter) Vanish, Eau Claire and Carol (Jerry) Beyer, Wausau, and special friends Anne and Noel Shinnick of Fermoy, Ireland and Phil and Eileen Harvey of Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Canada.
She was preceded in death by her parents and mother and father-in-law, Adeline and Chester Kowalski. A memorial service will be held on Monday October 29, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. at Helke Funeral Home, 302 Spruce St., Wausau. Visitation will be from 10:00 a.m. until time of service at the funeral home.
A private burial will be held later at the Mechanics Ridge Cemetery, Town of Wausau.
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