Elfrieda Anna (Petzke) Kuespert

Elfrieda Anna (Petzke) Kuespert died on April 9, 2021 at Sanctuary at St. Paul’s in South Bend, at the age of 95. A life-long resident of South Bend, she was a loving and caring wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, cousin, sister, sister-in-law, and friend.

Elfrieda Anna Petzke was born in South Bend on May 20, 1925 to Anna (Schulz) Petzke and Julius Petzke. On November 27, 1947 she married Kenneth Clement Kuespert at Emmaus Lutheran Church. He preceded her in death on December 5, 2003, after fifty-six year of marriage. She was also preceded in death by her mother and father, stepmother Agnes, and brothers Gerhardt Petzke, Ernst Petzke, and Alfred Petzke.

Elfrieda is survived by her daughter, Jill (Bruce) Anderson of Whitefish Bay, WI and her son, Kenneth (Pam) Kuespert of Niles, MI. She is further survived by two granddaughters, Abby Marie Kuespert and Emily Ann Kuespert, sister Annelies Parsons of South Bend, sister-in-law Georgiann Petzke of Bonita, CA, many nieces and nephews, and best friend, Helen Fields.

Elfrieda was a member of Emmaus Lutheran Church for nearly ninety years and served her church in many ways. She worked as a secretary at South Bend Lathe, The University of Notre Dame, and retired from the Dairy and Nutrition Council. She loved sewing, cooking and baking, gardening, and the arts, and belonged to several bridge clubs. She also enjoyed porcelain painting and belonged to several china painting clubs. She was a member of the Republican Women (and worked at the polls for more than fifty years), as well as South Bend Press Club, Riley Lunch Bunch, and the University Club. A 1943 graduate of Riley High School, she worked on many class reunions.

Special gratitude to the kind and caring staff of St. Paul’s, Brittany and the staff at Center for Hospice Care, as well as regular visitors Annie, Norva, Kathy, and Pastor Stuckwisch.

A funeral service will be held on Friday, April 16 at 1:00 PM EDT at Palmer Funeral Home/Guisinger Chapel, 3718 S. Michigan St., South Bend, IN 46614, with visitation starting at 11:00 AM EDT. Pastor Richard Stuckwisch of Emmaus Lutheran Church officiating. In an abundance of caution over the spread of COVID-19, those who attend are asked to wear masks and practice social distancing.

The service will be streamed at: https://tinyurl.com/eakfuneral

In lieu of flowers, memorials to Emmaus Lutheran Church, 929 Milton St., South Bend, IN 46613 will be appreciated.   Online condolences may be offered to the family at www.palmerfunerallhomes.com