Ellen J. Looker

Ellen Jean Looker, 93 of Green Bay, Wisconsin died Friday, March 8, 2019. Ellen was born April 30, 1925 at home in Maribel, Wisconsin daughter of Edward and Ellen (Oestreich) Benishek. Ellen attended grade schools in Maribel and Manitowoc, Wisconsin and graduated from Lincoln High School in 1942. After taking some business courses, Ellen worked in the payroll department of the Aluminum Goods Manufacturing Co. Ellen met her future husband, Ed Looker, as a blind date on November 9, 1942. Ellen had worked with his sister Elaine Looker and he was looking for a new date as he had enlisted in the military service that day. They dated for several months and he left for active duty in the U.S. Army Air Corps in January 30, 1943.

Many, many letters later and with a visit by Ellen to Tulsa, Oklahoma they were engaged. A wedding for July 1st was planned but had to be delayed one day as Ed’s leave was delayed and he would not get to Manitowoc until July 1st which was a Saturday and the court house was not open to obtain the marriage license. Being wartime, rules could be bent and they signed for the license at the clerk’s home and all was well. The wedding guests had been notified of the one day change from Saturday to Sunday and the candlelight ceremony took place July 2, 1944 at the First Presbyterian Church in Manitowoc. The reception was at the bride’s parents’ home in Maribel and the neighbors put on a chivaree. The marriage lasted until Ed’s death in 2012, 67 years later.

Ellen was able to spend three months with Ed in Lake Charles, Louisiana before he left for Europe to serve in the 9th Air Force with the 397th Bomb Group as a copilot on a B-26 medium bomber. Many letters later the war ended but it was January 1946 before Ed came back and was discharged.

The next three years were spent living in Whitewater, Wisconsin where they lived in an apartment complex which was made from converted army barracks. Ed attended college under the GI Bill and had various part time jobs and they were the parents of two little boys. Various moves found them back in Maribel with Ed working with Ellen’s father Ed Benishek at the bank. Later Ellen started working there also. Their family of four sons grew up with three of them graduating from college and one from Tech school.

They were active members of the Melnik Presbyterian Church for 41 years. They joined the Sturgeon Bay United Methodist Church in 1995 when they retired and moved to Sturgeon Bay and were members for 22 years.

Ellen worked in banking for 32 years of which 30 were with the Maribel-Whitelaw Bank. She served as president of the board of directors upon the death of her father in 1974 and served in that capacity until 1986 when the bank was acquired by the Denmark State Bank. She and Ed helped in supervising the building of new bank buildings in Maribel and Whitelaw in 1976.

Ellen’s volunteer work included Nurse’s Aide during WWII, state and county banking committees, and Treasurer of Maribel Non-Profit Housing. She enjoyed family gatherings and traveling with her husband to Europe and various parts of the United States for reunions of his 397th Bomb Group Association. She was a past volunteer with the AARP tax program in Sturgeon Bay and was a life member of the VFW Auxiliary.

One of the high lights of Ellen’s life was the summer of 1976 when three sons found the girls they wanted to marry and there were 3 weddings over the course of 6 weeks in June, July and August.

Survivors include four sons: Tom (Denise) Albuquerque, New Mexico; Mark (Linda), Denmark, Wisconsin; Gregg, Denver, CO; and Jon (Diane) Eldorado, Wisconsin. Grandchildren include: Scott (Stacey) Looker, Kevin (Rachel) Looker, Melissa (Jerry) Kane, Jenna (Jake) Schoemann, and Quinn (Rebecca) Looker.

Great Grandchildren include: Zacchaeus, Adeline, Zoey, and Ezra Looker; Charlie, and Catharyne Looker; and Jaxsen and Josephine Looker; Bella, Madison and Everett Dowland and Callan Schoemann.

She is further survived by sister-in-law Dianne Benishek and nieces and a nephew.

Preceding Ellen in death were her husband Edward in 2012; her parents and sister Doris Benishek, brother Charles Benishek, father and mother in law Lincoln and Helen (Birkholz) Looker, step mother in law, Lucy Looker and brother in law and sister in law, Norman and Elaine Kleman.

A visitation will be held on Thursday, March 14, 2019 from 10:00am until 11:30am at Cotter Funeral Home, 536 County Rd R, Denmark WI. The Memorial Service, will be held at noon at the Melnik Presbyterian Church, 12320 Melnik Road, Whitelaw. Burial of the cremains will take place at a later date at Evergreen Cemetery in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. In lieu of flowers and plants, donations to the Melnik Presbyterian Church or the Sturgeon Bay United Methodist Church would sincerely be appreciated.