Elna A. Mears

TOMAHAWK, Wis. - Elna A. Mears, 88, of Mercer, peacefully joined her beloved husband Don in heaven on Feb. 22, 2019 in Tomahawk.

Elna was born on Feb. 15, 1931 in Mercer, Wisconsin to Steve and Marie (Gruenberg) Klyzub. She was a 1949 graduate of Mercer High School and later she attended Badger Business College in Green Bay from 1949-1950.

On Oct. 14, 1950 she married Donald E. Mears at Zion Lutheran Church in Mercer, and he preceded her in death in 2004.

She was a secretary at Mercer School, as well as serving as treasurer of the Board of Directors for Lakeland Community Credit Union. She was also the first teller at the Northern Highland State Bank in Mercer as well as working as the treasurer of the Board of Directors of Tri-State Homes. She loved keeping historical records for the organizations she worked with.

Elna loved to read and make creative crafts which filled the houses of people she knew. She also loved knitting and won several blue ribbons for her work. Elna and Don loved to travel; and they visited Europe, China and southeast Asia. For their 50th anniversary they took a cruise to Alaska. After Don passed away, she enjoyed staying home in the house that Don built for her.

She will be sadly missed by two sons, Gary W. (Monica) Mears of Mercer and Brett E (Heidi) Mears of Springstead; grandsons, Andrew Mears and Alex Freeman, both from Minneapolis, Minn .; sister-in-law, Frances Klyzub of Racine, as well as many nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Donald E. Mears in 2004; a daughter, Donna Mears in 2012, and siblings, Dorothy Hice, Carl Klyzub, Arvid Klyzub, Buford Klyzub, and Elaine Lotz.

Funeral Services for Elna will be on Friday, March 1, at 11 a.m. at Zion Lutheran Church in Mercer with Rev. Timothy Johnson officiating. There will be a visitation at the church on Friday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Burial will be in the spring at the Town of Mercer Cemetery.

The family would like to thank the nurses and staff of Tomahawk Health Services for the wonderful care given to Elna.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund will be established, with donations being forwarded to the Mercer Historical Society.

McKevitt-Patrick Funeral Home, Ironwood, is assisting the family. For more information and to express online condolences, please visit mckevittpatrickfuneralhome.com.