Elsie Balsamo

Elsie Grace Balsamo died August 24, 2025, following a brief illness, at Agrace Hospice.  Elsie was born on March 4, 1928, in LaGrange, WI, the daughter of Alvin Hughes and Tressie Fuller Hughes.  She married Joseph L. Balsamo on June 7, 1947.  Elsie married into an Italian family.  Though she never learned Italian, her father-in-law, Rossario Balsamo, taught her Italian cooking.  Family would gather every Sunday for her homemade spaghetti, meatballs and sauce.  Elsie was a homemaker and caregiver for many children, as well as every grandchild, over the years.  They all loved her dearly.  Elsie’s pride and joy was her family.  Her one wish as she passed was that her family all stay near and dear; keeping the family tradition of gathering for all the holidays.  Elsie was known for her wonderful sense of humor; best known for her pranks on her three sisters.  Her nieces and nephews thought she was hilarious with quite the stories.

Elsie is survived by her loving family:  sons, Robert “Bob” Balsamo and David (Connie) Balsamo; daughter, Debra “Debbie” (Jim) Saley Quast; devoted grandchildren: Stacy Koltes-Linberg, Robert “Rob” Stowell, Anthony “Tony” (Chrissy) Stowell, Lori Malm, Sari Saley, Nicholas Saley, Katie (Adam) Quast, Sean (Mel) Quast, Erin Quast, Patrick (Anya) Quast, Colton Balsamo, Brandon Casey, and Zeming Zhang; sister, Dorothy Borchardt; sister-in-law, Bernice Hughes; her loving dog, Nike; and eighteen great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews who she loved as much as her children.

Elsie was preceded in death by her husband, Joe; sons, Donald (age 6) and Roy; daughter, Patti; grandson, Donald “Donnie”; siblings, Charolet Rusch, Ethel Rohr, Hugh Hughes and Robert Hughes; as well as several nephews and a niece.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, August 29, 2025, at Ryan Funeral Home, 2418 N. Sherman Avenue.  Visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service on Friday.  Interment will be at Resurrection Catholic Cemetery at a later date.

Special thanks to the staff of Agrace Hospice Center for Elsie’s care in her final days; as well as thanks to Connie, Colton, Lori, Zeming and Bob for the care at home.

In lieu of flowers, donations to Agrace Hospice will be greatly appreciated.

To view Elsie’s obituary or to leave a memory, please visit: www.ryanfuneralservice.com.