Eileen F. Kohnke

Eileen Kohnke, age 74, of New Berlin, passed away peacefully on August 13, 2018. She is survived by her brother Wayne (Agnes) Kohnke; nieces Stephanie Kohnke and Sherrie (Paul) Williams; grand nieces and nephews Briana, Meghan, Eric, Steven, and Nathan; and beloved dog Riley, and many more family and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents Harry and Lillia Kohnke. She taught at New Berlin Eisenhower for the majority of her career. Eileen impacted so many students, teachers, school administrators and more. Teaching English and journalism was her passion. You could find her helping support the school and students by running school newspaper and yearbook, acting in numerous plays, running the concession stands and even coordinating donkey basketball. Until she passed she kept in touch with many of her students. They have become newscasters, accountants, nurses, lawyers, and mailman. She was proud of every single student. “Teacher affect eternity; no one can tell you where their influence stops.” ~ Henry Brook Adams Another passion she had was spending time at the lake that she loved so much. Any given summer you would find her at the cottage. The cottage was always full of laughter, games and friends and family – so many people… everyone would crashing where ever you could find a spot. Fishing with her best friend Hollis brought her so much joy and mighty tasty fish fries. She had a love for swimming as she would swim across the lake while a family member or a friend would be paddling the canoe alongside her. Summer after summer, year after year she built life long memories for those that would visit the little cottage on the lake. Family and friends meant the world to her. On many weekends, you could find the family together playing a mean game of Sheepshead, cribbage or scrabble. Scoring 300 points in scrabble game was the norm for Eileen – 7 letter words were a must. If she wasn’t playing games, she was probably reading a book, going to a movie, traveling the world with her friends or having lunch with the Bodacious Broads. The key foundations of her life were given to her by her parents Harry and Lillia. The Dugas, Brunke, Aiholzer and Kohnke families were always surrounding her with love and laughter. Growing up her brother Wayne and she were always close. A brother and sister bond could never be broken. Wayne and his wife Agnes were always present in her life but never so much as the last years of her life, when they so lovingly cared for her. Her nieces Stephanie and Sherrie had many adventures with her even if it was just up to Mackinaw Island. Any road trip involved lots of singing – very loud and off-key singing - and car games. The hours would pass like minutes and you were at your destination before you knew it. She had a special way of making everything fun. A special thank you to Nathan for taking such good care of her best friend and dog, Riley. In Eileen’s life she influenced so many, and she helped impact so many generations. We will honor Eileen life with services they will be held at Pagenkopf Funeral Home (1165 E Summit Ave, Oconomowoc) on Friday, August 31, 2018. A visitation will take place from 3:00pm to 5:00pm, with a service to follow at 5:00pm. A burial will take place on Saturday, September 1, at La Belle Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in honor of Eileen may be made to the Alzheimer's Association (http://act.alz.org/goto/sherriewilliams) The family would like to thank Carol for being her angel and being there every day and Azura Memory Care for the care shown to Eileen. Carpe Diem!