VERONA - Eileen Marie Vassau, age 80, of Verona, passed away at home on Monday, December 16, 2024, after a brief battle with cancer. She was born on February 9, 1944, in Madison, Wis. to Milton and Alice (Garfoot) Lukken.

Eileen graduated from Middleton High School in 1962. After her high school graduation, she worked for the State Industrial Commission (Unemployment Compensation Department) until the early 70s. She met her husband, Neil Vassau, in 1967 and they later married on August 10, 1968.

Eileen and Neil moved to the town of Middleton in 1973. She was a housewife and stay-at-home mother who operated an in-home after-school daycare for 18 years. She took care of children from the West Middleton area and often looked after 10-15 children after school.

Eileen volunteered at and donated to many different charitable organizations. She was a member of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Parish since 1973. For 40 years, her pride and joy was the Luke House Community Outreach Meal Program, located on the east side of Madison. St. Thomas Aquinas parishioners provided a chicken/broccoli casserole meal, including salad, fruit and dessert, and workers to the program on the 4th Wednesday of every month. For 25 of those 40 years, she worked as the scheduling coordinator where she assigned people to prepare the meal items and to work at Luke House serving the meal.

Eileen volunteered at Middleton Outreach Ministries (MOMS) in the clothing area. She loved flowers, especially wildflowers, and tended to several flower gardens around her home. She also helped start a prairie at West Middleton Elementary School. In her free time, she enjoyed crocheting afghan blankets. She also enjoyed doing genealogy work and spent a lot of long hours at the Wisconsin State Historical Library researching back several generations on both her and Neil’s families. Eileen was a season ticket holder to Badger college hockey games in the 70s, 80s and 90s. She played bridge and greatly enjoyed hosting her bridge club in her home. Eileen’s home was always a welcoming place where friends would stop for a visit and a cup of coffee. She loved to decorate for the holidays, especially Christmas. She had many special Christmas ornaments that the children she cared for had given her over the years. She always loved spending as much time as she could with her only grandchildren, Alyssa and Mason. She also enjoyed traveling the world, visiting Italy, France, Ecuador, Turkey and Kyrgyzstan.

Eileen will be missed by her husband, Neil Vassau; daughter, Lisa (Victor) Rodgers; son, Brian Vassau; grandchildren, Alyssa and Mason Rodgers; sisters, Kathleen (Michael Vaughn) Lukken and Joyce Lukken; brothers, Gary (Galena) Lukken and Terry (Kathleen) Lukken; sister-in-law, Carolyn (Bruce) Kaupanger; and many nieces, nephews and cousins. She was preceded in death by her parents, Milton and Alice Lukken; in-laws, Howard and Luella Vassau; brother-in-law, Keith Vassau; sister-in-law, Patty Vassau; nephews, Aaron and Craig Vassau; and several aunts, uncles and cousins.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at ST. THOMAS AQUINAS CATHOLIC CHURCH, 602 Everglade Drive, Madison, at 11 a.m. on Monday, December 30, 2024, with Father Jay Poster presiding. Burial will take place at Sunset Memory Gardens. Visitation will be held at the church from 9:30 a.m. until the start of the Mass on Monday.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Luke House, St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church and Agrace HospiceCare. The family would like to express a heartfelt thank you to Vellerie “Vel” Rose, RN, the Agrace RN Case Manager and Petra Jung, CAPSW, Agrace Social Worker, who lovingly cared for Eileen during her last 10 days of life.

Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.

Gunderson West
Funeral & Cremation Care
7435 University Ave.
(608) 831-6761

Eileen M Vassau

February 09, 1944 - December 16, 2024

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