A celebration of her life will be held on Saturday, January 18, at 11 a.m. at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, North Park Avenue, Medford, with Pastor Rodger Prois officiating. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. until time of service. Burial will be at Evergreen Cemetery I in Medford.
Loretta was born on July 5, 1939, in Medford, to the late Walter and Amanda (Janke) Kuse. She attended Medford Public Schools and graduated from Medford High School in 1957. Loretta received her bachelor of science degree in education from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, master of arts and doctor of philosophy degrees from the University of Iowa-Iowa City, and a master of divinity degree from Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa. She was ordained as a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in 1987.
Loretta taught grade school in Merrill and Wausau, Wisconsin; served as a short-term mission teacher for two years at Deinzer Hill, in Papua New Guinea; worked as a demonstration teacher at the University of Iowa Elementary School; and taught mathematics and social studies methods at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. She taught general methods classes, curriculum, storytelling, and science and social studies methods at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Loretta also worked as part-time visitation pastor at St. John American Lutheran Church, in Cedar Falls, Iowa. She also conducted services at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Medford and the Perkinstown Community Church. She wrote curriculum materials for the Lutheran Church and co-authored books on puppetry, teaching materials and thematic units with her sister. Her artwork includes church murals, sign and scene painting, wood carving, photography, and puppetry.
In retirement, she and her sister Hildegard lived on the family century farm in Medford, where they developed the Kuse Farm Museum and Nature Preserve. Here they have worked to help students and the public appreciate Taylor County history, their father’s artwork, and the way in which individuals can explore and care for the ordinary in extraordinary ways in God’s creation. See the website: http://www.kusemuseum-naturepreserve.org/main/index.html
In addition to her church and clergy activities, Loretta was a member of the Taylor County Historical Society, the Taylor County Genealogical Society, the Chequamegon Bird Club, and the Friends of Downtown. In 2017, the Taylor County Literacy Council honored Loretta and Hildegard Kuse with the first HL Kuse Award, an award established in their honor, to recognize the efforts of individuals or groups who, like the Kuses, have developed materials to preserve the rich history of Taylor County.
Loretta is survived by one sister, Hildegard; cousins Sylvia and Merlin Gerner, Verna Shallock, and Darlene July of Ozaukee County, WI; second and third cousins in the Medford area and in California, Georgia, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Washington; members of the Kuse Farm and Nature Preserve Museum board and museum volunteers and many dedicated friends.
In lieu of flowers, a memorial will be set up in her name at a later date or contributions may be made to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, the Kuse Farm Museum and Nature Preserve, or a charity of your choice. Hemer Funeral Service of Medford and Rib Lake is serving the family. For online condolences, please visit hemerfuneralservice.com.
Pallbearers:
Dick Czerniak
Steve Eisch
Dave Hraby
Clem Johnson
Al Leonard
Gary Neustadter
