Ethel Pearl Keefer of Eau Claire, died on May 29, 2012, at Syverson Lutheran Home at the age of 94. She was adored by all who had the pleasure of knowing her and in her best days, embodied a youthful zest for life that was admired and defined by her abundance of friends and activities. She was born in the town of Naples, rural Mondovi, WI, on June 7, 1917, to Benny and Bertha (Julson) Risen. She married Melvin Bloom in 1941 in Mondovi. He passed away in 1973. She later married Jack Regan and they resided in California. They divorced. Ethel then married Don Keefer and they lived in Eau Claire. Ethel worked most recently as a secretary for the U.S. government in Washington D.C. She retired in 1987. Ethel began her professional career by managing the women's apparel department at Sears in Eau Claire for over 20 years. While living in California, she pursued one of her lifelong dreams of becoming a Cosmetologist. Shortly thereafter, she fulfilled that ambition, successfully obtaining her Cosmetology teacher's license. Ethel was very strong in her Lutheran faith. She was a longtime member of First Lutheran Church in Eau Claire. She is survived by three grandchildren, Kara, Leif and Lance Gunderson, and three great-grandchildren; one sister, Doris Bell of Hemet, CA; and a brother, Roger Risen of Eau Claire. She was preceded in death by her first husband, Melvin; her parents; a daughter, Shari Gunderson; and a granddaughter, Trina Gunderson as well as her two brothers, Allard and Lennie Risen, and two sisters, Junice (Risen) Pederson and Irene (Risen) Sather. Memorial Service will be at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 3, 2012, at First Lutheran Church, 1005 Oxford Avenue, Eau Claire. Visitation will be one hour prior to service at the church. Interment will be held prior to the service at 12:30 in Rest Haven Cemetery in the Town of Washington. Lenmark-Gomsrud-Linn Funeral & Cremation Services is serving the family. The family would like to thank Ethel's very close friends and family for their daily visits. Your friendship and time meant a lot to Ethel as well as her family, especially during these final weeks. Memorials are preferred to First Lutheran Church Foundation, or to their companion parish, Salima Parish in Malawi, Africa.

Service Information

Cemetery

Rest Haven Cemetery 5750 Old Town Hall Road Eau Claire WI 54701