Kathleen Erna (Eppers) Tilsner, age 83, passed away on December 12, 2020.

She was born February 23, 1937, the middle child of Lawrence and Catherine Eppers in Kenosha, Wisconsin. She and her siblings grew up on the family farm just west of Kenosha on County Hwy 142.  As a young girl, she helped her family sell farm produce by the road.

She attended and graduated from Mary Bradford High School. She held a position with the phone company until she married and later did bookkeeping for offices at Fort Sheridan and Great Lakes Naval Base.

She married Fred Tilsner on September 10, 1960. Together they raised their boys, traveled a bit and enjoyed hosting parties with family and friends.

After retirement, she returned to her childhood home on the farm and kept herself occupied with church activities including the food bank, Catholic Women’s Group and work with St. Vincent DePaul. She always enjoyed morning breakfasts with church friends and “the cousin’s” breakfasts were a monthly treat as well. Her time was also joy-filled in the company of her dogs, Peppy and Brewster.

She is survived by her sons, Fred (Pagette) Tilsner of Kenosha and Russ (Marlene) Tilsner of Waukesha; grandchildren, Whitney Tilsner of Kenosha and Dustin (Lauren) Tilsner of Caledonia; along with many nieces and nephews around the country.

Kathleen was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Fred; her brother, Larry; her sister and brother-in-law, Joyce and Neil.

Service Info

Per Kathleen’s wishes she was cremated.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Elizabeth’s Catholic Church at a later date.

Inurnment will be held privately.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to St. Elizabeth’s Church, 4816 7^th Avenue, Kenosha, WI 53140 or St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, 5501 N. Cumberland Ave #101, Chicago, IL 6056 would be appreciated.