Elizabeth Joanna "Betty" Kruska

Mom always said, “Nothing kills a party vibe like dinner.” On Wednesday, February 11, 2026, the Feast Day of Our Lady of Lourdes, our earthly prayer warrior gently left this life for heaven. Elizabeth Joanna, better known as “Betty” or “Betty Jo,” passed away with her hand firmly around her rosary’s crucifix. How do we describe the life of a woman so grounded in her faith and so skilled in bringing laughter to the world? She was the wielder of the wooden spoon, the master at hiding leftovers in the spaghetti sauce, and the fairy Queen who traveled with her crown and wand just to capture the perfect photo for her Christmas cards. She was the model of her Catholic faith who spent at least two hours every morning praying her rosary and calling by name each of the more than 250 living and deceased people on her famous prayer lists. No one was too lowly or famous to be included, which is why you’ll find sprinkled within the lists names like Patrick Swayze, Farah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson, to name just a few.

Betty was born to Jess Leroy Engel and Kathryn Harlin Engel on January 28, 1935, and grew up in Monona just down the street from Schluter Beach and Dean’s store on Winnequah Road. In her younger years, she attended St. Bernard’s Catholic School, Frank Allis Grade School, and then East High School, graduating in 1953. She graduated from Edgewood College in 1957, earning her B.A. in Art and Elementary Education.

While at Edgewood College, Mom met Ken Kruska, a bruising lad from Middleton. The story goes that Dad’s friend set up a blind date with Dad and Mom’s sister, Mary. For whatever reason, Mary couldn’t make it, so Mom went in her stead. The blind date worked out, and just a month after her graduation from Edgewood, Mom and Dad married in the gymnasium (evident by the basketball hoop in the pictures) of Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Monona. This June 22nd would have marked their 69th anniversary. Their kids, Kurt, Kara, and Kyle, attended Monona schools and grew up during those innocent days, playing “Kick the Can” on summer nights and running with neighborhood kids behind the mosquito fogging truck as it pumped out thick plumes of DDT along its route on Winnequah Road.

Mom’s true passion was teaching young students. After graduation, she landed her first teaching position at Maywood School in Monona and later at Glendale School in Madison. During the summers, she was a lifeguard at Schluter Beach, where she also taught swim lessons to kids of all ages. This was before there was a Monona pool. She loved reliving the stories of her days at Schluter Beach and how she swam with her students across Lake Monona to BB Clarke Beach. Her love of swimming and water was the driving force in working with others to establish the Monona Swim Club in 1958.

For a short five years, Mom and Dad left Monona for South Bend, IN after Dad accepted a position with a different construction company. The family settled into a rented farmhouse, and Mom became a 3rd grade teacher at Lakeville Elementary School. Although only five miles away from South Bend, the school was in a different time zone, which meant Mom had to leave an hour early to get to school on time. As lovely as she was, Mom was a bear in the morning, so the early rising was brutal. But she adored her students, many of whom had few economic advantages, and she poured her energy into challenging them and making them feel special. She even convinced her students that she was a famous movie star who gave up fame and fortune just to come to Lakeville and be their teacher. Back at the farmhouse, her tales continued, and during Christmas, Mom wrote letters to her Wisconsin friends and family, describing her grueling “life on the farm” and her exhausting days milking cows and harvesting the crops. Anything to bring laughter to the “townies” back home.

Once the family moved back to Monona, Mom retired from teaching to run the household and raise the children, and she furthered her involvement in all things Monona. She teamed up with Bob Bean and the Historic Blooming Grove Historical Society in the early ‘70s to save the Nathaniel Dean House on Monona Drive from being demolished. We still remember the endless fundraising events: sleigh rides in winter, concerts on the porch in the summer, homemade cream puffs and pies for sale, and the infamous 4th of July celebration on the corner of Winnequah Road and Dean Avenue. The day included Bob Bean in his role as Lincoln and Mom and her friends in their bloomers singing and dancing to “By the Sea.” Kyle in his red, white, and blue suit, boater hat, and cane tapped dance, and Kara walked around in her red, white, and blue tutu, selling chocolate kisses from her tray.

Coming up with enough funding for the Dean House was a challenge, but Mom always had a plan. Tapping into her fictional life as a movie star, Mom wrote and starred in a short movie, “The Cracked Crock or the Crackpot.” With Dad acting as director and videographer, Mom threw herself into the making of the movie, even performing her own stunts. Her most harrowing feat was walking along the peak of the family room rooftop, decked out in pink bloomers and balloons. Never one to give a squat about her ego, Mom tiptoed along the roof peak like she was walking a tightrope while neighbors and random drivers paused to gawk at her performance. Mom’s movie didn’t raise a penny, but it was a great source of entertainment for years. Unfortunately, the movie has since disappeared, but the family is holding out hope that St. Anthony will return it to us someday.

Despite having her hands full raising children, Mom was never short on hobbies. She learned how to spin yarn on her spinning wheel and even used fur from our dog, Woofer, to spin and knit into a hat. She was working on a matching dog hair sweater when Woofer passed away, leaving only the shoulders complete. The incomplete sweater became a source of dark humor for years. Mom also loved her gardens and took great pride in pulling every weed and raking every last Oak leaf. Many walkers and bikers stopped along their travels to admire her beautiful flowers. Her other hobbies included quilting with her “Needle Droppers” group, golfing in her golf league where she scored a hole-in-one, discussing novels with the “Read Em and Weep” book club, and praying with the WOGs (Women of God). Mom’s adventurous spirit included traveling. A few of her favorites included a pilgrimage to Italy, a literary tour of England, and a family trip to Mexico. One of the most exciting trips was a month-long trip to Germany, Switzerland, and Italy in 1980 with Dad and Gerd and Telle Zoller. As a surprise, Dad purchased tickets to the Christ story, “The Passion Play” in the Bavarian village of Oberammergauer. The production began in 1634 and performs every ten years. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and Mom loved it.

Of the many places she traveled, ultimately Mom’s favorite place was the cabin in Door County. After she and Dad spent countless weeks remodeling, the quiet home along Lake Michigan became her and Dad’s retreat and a place where she spent time with her grandkids collecting stones along the shore or with her friends sharing faith stories and laughter. Her spirit will always be there in the care she took to make the cabin her artistic dream, from the Loons stenciled on the wall to the picture she took of the mouse she spotted years ago on the fireplace mantel.

No words describe the sense of loss and gratitude we have. Mom’s closeness to God brought comfort to others, while her quick wit and goofy sense of fun brought hours of laughter. She wasn’t perfect, however, and confessed to having one vice: smoking. For as long as we can remember, after she put us kids to bed, Mom would sit at the kitchen table and enjoy a single cigarette while watching the news. Until the day she left her house, Mom relished her one cigarette at exactly 9 p.m. “This is my one sin,” she confessed to Kyle and Dave whenever they visited for the weekend and caught her on a Friday night.

Mom is survived by many who love her, including her husband, Ken; her children, Kurt (Elena Marfori) Kruska, Kara (Joseph) Roisum, and Kyle (Dave Hill) Kruska; her grandchildren, Kalyn (Dan Eith) Roisum, Jesse Kruska, Connor (Anna Seltz) Roisum, and Carson (Anna Hope Castronovo) Roisum; her sister and best friend, Mary Kathryn Neuman; brother-in-law, Phil Kruska and sister-in-law, Luella Kruska. She also leaves behind numerous nieces, nephews, and friends who brought her absolute joy. She was preceded in death by her son, Kenneth “Jimmy” Kruska; her brothers, James Engle, William “Harlin” Engle; and her sister, Connie Homan.

A Mass of Christian burial will be held at QUEEN OF APOSTLES PARISH, ST. DENNIS CHURCH, 505 Dempsey Road, Madison, at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, February 20, 2026, with Father Bart Timmerman presiding. There will be a visitation in the church gathering area from 9 a.m. until the time of the Mass at 10:30 a.m. on Friday. Burial will take place at Resurrection Cemetery, 2705 Regent St., Madison, immediately following lunch.

In lieu of flowers, monetary donations may be made to the Catholic Multicultural Center or the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

To a loving Mother who is so dear,

A house for you and the birds so near.

And if there’s a day you need some cheer,

Look outside, and the birds you’ll hear.

We love you, Mom! #251 on the prayer list but #1 in our hearts.

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

Gunderson East
Funeral & Cremation Care
5203 Monona Drive
(608) 221-5420