Elizabeth Ann 'Libby' Feldt

Elizabeth Ann “Libby” Feldt of Kenosha died Tuesday, May 5, 2015 at the age of 93.

She was born in Dubuque, Iowa on January 11, 1922, to Matthew Harry and Carrie Eunice (Miller) Czizek.

Libby attended the Sisters of the Visitation Academy through high school. She attributed her loving Catholic faith formation to the kindness shown by the “Viz” nuns.

At 16, Libby received the sacrament, Anointing of the Sick, after suffering a ruptured appendix. A visiting physician from the Mayo Clinic saved her life with the new sulfa drug. That year-long illness inspired her nursing career and culminated in a nursing degree from the College of St. Teresa, Winona, MN in 1943 with training at St. Mary’s Hospital and the Mayo Clinic at Rochester, MN.

In 1944 she enlisted in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps and served two years attaining 1^st Lieutenant in the Western European Theater during the time of the Battle of the Bulge. She honed her sense of adventure and her compassionate spirit through that military service. After the war she returned to the University of Minnesota earning a BS degree in public health nursing.

She married Lt. Colonel Jerome Bernard Feldt, a career Army pilot, on December 30, 1950 at the Fort Snelling Chapel in St. Paul, MN. Jerome was assigned to various posts and rescue missions throughout the U.S. and Germany during the next 13 years while raising a family with Libby. Jerome retired from the Army in Georgia and started an aviation business, Rebel Rotors. In 1965, a helicopter crash claimed Jerome’s life, a month before the birth of their fifth child, a daughter named Geraldine Elizabeth.

A debilitating injury to her left hand cut short Libby’s nursing career and she relocated to Richland Center, WI, her mother’s birthplace, to raise her family of five children. She served as President of the Richland County Mental Health Association and worked as one of the state’s first Elder Benefit Specialists. She found great satisfaction in helping those less fortunate and loved traveling to their homes through the hills and valleys of the driftless area. She held great appreciation for nature’s wonder.

In retirement, Libby spent 20 winters in Tucson, AZ. She cultivated wonderful friendships, enjoyed golf, bridge, and serving the poor through St. Vincent de Paul’s mission. At 90, she finished a life goal: publishing her war-time memories, “So Help Me God, the Adventures of a WWII Army Nurse.”

Libby will be remembered for her loving influence on all who were fortunate to be blessed by her. She valued lifelong learning, compassion, and celebrated the gifts of others. Her hospitality and love of ice cream were renowned. Libby’s family is most grateful for the skillful and loving care provided by Brookside staff members.

Elizabeth is survived by her children, Thomas “Tony” of Richland Center, James “Matt” of Tallahassee, FL, Carolyn (Mark Boatwright) Feldt of Kenosha, Michael (Julie Hilleshiem) Feldt of Oak Creek and Geraldine “Geri” (Roy) Kanne of Raleigh, NC; her four grandchildren, Lauren and David Boatwright and Elizabeth and Matthew Kanne; her sisters-in-law, Joanie Czizek, Marjorie Feldt, Elizabeth Younger and Lois Feldt; and her brothers-in-law, Norbert (Louise), Peter (Margaret), Anthony Feldt and many loving nieces and nephews.

In addition to her parents and husband, Jerome, she was preceded in death by her brothers, Robert and David Czizek; her sister, Carolyn Bowe; her father and mother-in-law, Anton and Catherine (Reinhart) Feldt; her sisters-in-law, Ann (Frank) Huelsman, Teresa (Fredrick) Benton and Mary Ann Feldt; and her brothers-in-law, William Bowe and John and Cletus Feldt.