Carol Kussow

Madison - Carol Freas Kussow quietly passed away on September 10, 2020. She was born on Pearl Harbor Day, December 7, 1939 to Alan D. Freas and Ruth Biesen Freas.  Carol was through and through a Madison resident. She graduated from Randall Elementary School and Madison West High School. She earned a B.S. degree from the University of Wisconsin in Physical Education in 1961 and was married in the fall of that year.  She proceeded to teach in Madison schools for the next five years while her husband completed his PhD at UW-Madison.

Carol is survived by her three sons, Jeffrey (Kathy), Tim (Bobbi-Jo), and David (Angie) and the loves of her life six grandsons: Stephen, Ryan, Joseph, Joshua, William, Alexander; and one granddaughter, Olivia. She was preceded in death by her husband Wayne, brother Alan, and sister Barbara.  In 1965, Carol accompanied her husband to Brazil where a team of UW professors was developing graduate degree programs at the University of Rio Grande do Sul in Porto Alegre.  Carol was a student of the language and became so proficient in Portuguese that she was often mistaken as Brazilian.  Carol’s eldest son was born in Porto Alegre in 1966.  The family returned to the U.S. in late 1967, where upon her husband accepted a position at the University of Delaware.  A mere 18 months later found Carol and her family back in Madison.  She returned to part-time teaching from 1984 to 1992.

Carol was a sports enthusiast.  All her life she expounded on the inequalities between the options available to men and women in school athletic programs.  She excelled in tennis, twice winning Madison Women’s Tennis Championship.  Carol was an avid supporter of her sons as they competed in soccer and swimming.  Carol herself coached a youth soccer team for several years.  Carol continued to play tennis, bowl, and golf with friends as long as she was able.

The family would like to thank All Saints Neighborhood and Agrace Hospice Care for the attentive and compassionate care given to Carol. Due to the current public health concerns, friends and family will be invited to a private burial of cremains at a date to be determined. In lieu of cards or flowers, the family suggests a donation to the Alzheimer’s and Dementia Alliance of Wisconsin.

Cress Funeral & Cremation Services

3610 Speedway Road

(608) 238-3434