Evelyn Kusy

Heaven gained one of the kindest, sweetest, funniest women on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, as Evelyn Besetzny Kusy went to claim her heavenly reward. Evelyn graduated as valedictorian of her class at St. John’s School, where she also excelled in sports. She would laughingly tell that she was the only girl on the boys’ baseball team. She married Edward Kusy in 1950 and began life as a farm wife, raising crops, vegetables and seven children. She eventually began working outside the home and spent many years at Stanzel Airplane Factory, Frank’s Restaurant, Utex, and Kountry Bakery. No matter the place, she was a fun-loving social butterfly who made lifelong friends wherever she worked, whatever the age.

Always doing for someone else, one of her favorite good works was driving Kathy and her friends to Swiss Alp dances, then sitting in the car until they ended. Of course, an early arrival and vehicle placement made it a fun night for her too! She baked countless strudels, poppyseed chiffon cakes, and cream cheese rolls for the 50+ years she hosted holiday dinners, donated to church fundraisers, funerals, or a child or grandchild needing to bring something to school or work.

Dubbed the unofficial mayor of St. John by Dan Mueller, and as the matriarch of Kusyville, Evelyn held court in the middle home for decades. Everyone knew that there would be something baked sitting on her counter that was fair game for whoever walked in her always-open back door. She also had her orange Tupperware pitcher filled with her famous sweet tea 24/7. She helped raise/babysit countless grandkids and great-grandkids, and never refused when asked to pick up a sick grandchild from school. When one of her sweet grandsons was telling her goodbye via Facetime shortly before she passed, between the tears, he told her that he loved her so much and that he’ll never forget all the things she taught him, like cutting the heads off chickens.

Evelyn’s life wasn’t an easy one, but she had many, many years of joyous living her last decades! She would tell people that she had a weekly schedule that she couldn’t change easily – and that schedule consisted of water aerobics MWF, coffee with friends at Oakridge Tuesday and Saturday mornings, Sunday was church, and she referred to Thursday as her day off. The only thing allowed to interfere with her schedule were the bus trips to Coushatta on the first of every month (Msgr. John called it Evelyn’s missionary work – going to give her money to the Indians). She enjoyed the bus ride with her friends as much as or even more than the actual gambling.

Preceded in death by her husband Edward and son Steven, Evelyn is survived by son Edward Kusy and wife Peggy, daughter Linda Colby and husband Lynn, daughter Kathy Barta and husband Melvin, son Michael Kusy and wife Monica, daughter Donna Kusy, son James Kusy, and honorary daughter Wanda Kusy Carpenter and husband David. She’s also survived by 13 grandchildren, 27 great-grandchildren and four great-greatgrandchildren.

Funeral services were held on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023 at 11 a.m. at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in St. John, with burial in the church cemetery. Visitation began at 9:30 a.m. and the parish rosary was said at 10:30 a.m. Schwenke-Baumgarten Funeral Home handled arrangements.