Esther Victoria Quist

Esther Victoria Quist (Nee Johansson), age 88, went home to be with the Lord on Monday, July 27, 2009.   Esther was born September 10, 1920 in Pontiac, Rhode Island (a one-time suburb of Providence). Esther was the second child of Reverend Karl and Clara Johansson. Her father served numerous parishes across New England as a pastor of the Augustana Lutheran Church. Esther married Stettler Howard Quist on June 26, 1943. They traversed the nation's breadth pursuing Stet's career before settling in Racine, WI in 1962.They were blessed with 5 children along the way: Greg in 1945, Claire (George (Pel) Box) in 1947, Phyllis (Gordon Cavers) in 1955 and David (Roberta nee Mangold) and Paul (Carol nee Lefsrud) in 1956. Esther and Stettler were long-time and active members of St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Racine. Esther will be remembered for her countless acts of kindness, most notably in the hundreds of gallons of homemade soup she distributed to friends and strangers alike. Esther's bane and blessing was the large garden Stettler tended in their back yard adjacent to Three Mile Rd. Those veggies, rendered into soup, found their way into many homes across Racine County. For many years Esther was an active member of the Republican Party. For the past three years, following her husband's death, Esther resided at Oakwood Village in Madison, WI. She will be remembered for her generosity of heart -- her candy basket was a staff favorite. Thank you to those Oakwood staff who lovingly cared for and befriended Esther.   We are particularly grateful for the kindness and care of Bruce Grau NP and Kolleen Bakkum. Esther is preceded in death by her husband of 62 years, Stettler, her parents, Karl and Clara and her brothers, Carl and David Johansson. Esther is lovingly remembered by her five children, their spouses and nine grandchildren: Michael, Mark and Matthew Cavers of Mundelein, IL; Jonathan A., Kari and Kirsten Quist of Edmonton, AB, Canada; Stephen, Tori and Jonathan D. Quist of Davenport, IA, her sister-in-law, Alice Johansson and eight nieces and nephews.   A Memorial Service to honor Esther's life will be held at 1:30 pm on Saturday, September 5, 2009 at St Andrew Lutheran Church,  1015 Four Mile Road, Racine, WI  53402.