Reva Ehlert

Reva Delores (Riley) Ehlert , age 83, 0f Madison, died Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011.
She was born on Jan. 30, 1928, in Liberty, WI, the daughter of James and Iva (Guist) Riley. Reva was married to Willis (Bill) J. Ehlert on June 2, 1951 at St. Paul's Catholic Chapel on the UW Campus. They had been married for 60 years and had a family of four children and 12 grandchildren. She was a member of Queen of Peace Parish in Madison for 54 years.
Reva was a graduate of Boscobel High School where she was Valedictorian of her 1946 Graduating class. She attended the Univerisity of Wisconsin, Madison on several scholarships including the Knapp Scholarship. She earned a BS degree in Education in 1950. After one year of teaching English and serving as librarian at Phillips High School, she became engaged and married Willis Ehlert. After one year in Portage, they moved to Madison, when Bill was hired to teach English at Madison West High School. Reva became a librarian at the new UW library. After several years they began a family and she spent the next eighteen years raising a daughter and three boys. In 1967, she decided to return to the UW, earning her Master's Degree in Developmental Reading. In 1969, she was hired by the Madison School District as a Reading Consultant at West Junior High School. For two years, Reva, Bill, and their two oldest children, David and Nancy, were all at West. When West Junior High closed, she moved to Madison Memorial High School where she taught English until she and Bill retired in 1986.
She spent many happy years of retirement with trips to Europe and Ireland. In Ireland she was thrilled to see the place of departure where her ancestors left for America in the 1820's. Throughout the years she enjoyed the many visits to Colorado and throughout Wisconsin, visiting the children and grandchildren. She spent much of her time at home on her hobbies of quilting and sewing crafts, attending craft fairs where she sold her beautiful runners, wall hangings, and crafts to many repeat customers. She was an avid reader. She enjoyed taking care of grandchildren on UW football weekends.
Reva is survived by her husband, Bill of Madison; four children, David, Neenah; Nancy (Mike) Kelley, Whitefish Bay; Thomas (Sandra), Sussex, Wayne (Amy), Madison; brothers, George (Maxine) Riley, New Berlin; Bob (June) Riley, Antiock, CA. She is preceded in death by her parents, stillborn twin sons, brothers James, Kennard, Donald, Richard, Carl, Dennis, and Lawrence.
Visitations will be held at Cress Funeral Service on Speedway Road, Madison, on Wed. Sept. 28, from 4 to 7 pm. and on Thur. Sept. 29, from 10 to 11 am. prior to the Mass for Christian Burial at 11 am at Queen of Peace Catholic Church, Madison, with Msgr. Kenneth J. Fiedler, presiding.
The Ehlert family would like to sincerely thank the staff and nurses at the Sebring Memory Care facility and HospiteCare staff for their fine care and concern for Reva.
In lieu of flowers, consider donations to HospiceCare, Inc. or to the American Red Cross of Dane County.