Eileen Posluszny

Eileen (Ellickson) Posluszny, age 77, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, at All Saints Memory Care in Madison, WI, after living for several years with dementia.

Eileen was born on March 13, 1947 in Waunakee to James and Catherine (Meffert) Ellickson and grew up on her family farm. She earned a Bachelor's degree in Education from Marian College in Fond du Lac and then taught elementary school in Wisconsin and Illinois.

Eileen's love of music led to her join the Gesu Church Choir in Milwaukee where she met her husband, Jeff. They were married in 1977 and moved to Champaign-Urbana, IL, where Jeff attended grad school and Eileen worked as an administrative assistant in the English Department. Eileen loved meeting people at the U of I, particularly international students, and she remained in touch with many of them for decades.

After starting to raise a family, Eileen and Jeff moved several times, first to Maryland and in 1987 to

Augsburg, Germany. Despite having a rudimentary knowledge of the German language, Eileen made many friends in the village of Diedorf, where they lived. She joined the parents' organization for the kindergarten, which their son, Greg, attended. Eileen took to the challenge of learning German and loved talking with friends as she became fluent during their 4-year stay. She was excited by opportunities to visit other European cities, with Paris being a favorite.

Upon returning to the U.S. Eileen worked at Lands' End and the University of Wisconsin. She enjoyed gardening, cooking, music, and dancing, was a social organizing force, and loved gatherings of family and friends. She volunteered with Gilda's Club and at Middleton Town Hall as an election poll worker.

Fueled by her love of travel, Eileen delighted in returning to visit German friends over the years, as well as seeing new sights in Italy, Canada, and the American Plains and Southwest. Since retiring in 2011, Eileen's favorite trips were to New York City to visit her granddaughter, Mara, where they spent many hours on the playground, reading, and on city outings. On her last trip to NYC in March 2024, Eileen and her family enjoyed a long walk on the Highline.

In recent years she enjoyed visits to the Agrace Adult Day Center. She also became a big fan of the bands Cris Plata & Extra Hot and The Acoustic Charlies. At Madison's Labor Fest in 2024, she insisted on getting close to the bandstand, with her walker, to dance to Cris Plata.

In August 2024 Eileen moved to All Saints Memory Care, where she took part in many scheduled activities. Eileen was known for her kind, loving, and positive personality. Despite the progress of her dementia, these qualities stayed with her to the end.

Eileen is survived by her husband Jeff, son Greg, daughter Anne, son-in-law Jude, and granddaughter Mara, as well as her siblings Steve, Marilyn, Lloyd, Ruth, and Tim. Eileen is preceded in death by her parents, James and Catherine (Meffert) Ellickson, and a brother, Tom.

Eileen's family is grateful for the wonderful care she received from the staff at All Saints Memory Care and SSM Hospice.

A Celebration of Life reception will be held at the Olbrich Botanical Gardens on Sunday, March 16, 2025, from 2:00 - 4:30 pm. Memorial donations may be made to the Agrace Foundation or Gilda's Club Madison.